Roxane and Richard (and their 6 month baby bump) wanted their wedding to reflect the years spent traveling and living abroad together. Their relaxed Red Hill wedding was loosely themed around an English garden party, complete with bunting, rustic details, lawn games and plenty of Pimms, all dreamily captured by Melbourne photographer, Julia Archibald.

Roxane’s gorgeous bump had been a happy surprise, shaping the preparations for their day. “We knew we had to try and keep costs down,” says Rox, “so we did a lot of the styling ourselves and tried to direct our budget to the key items that would be remembered – food, wine and my dress.”

In a sneaky surprise between a friend and the couple’s radiographer, Roxane and Richard cut into their wedding cake to discover the gender of their first baby – sharing the surprise of a baby boy with their guests, as the velvety blue filling revealed.

The ‘long lunch’ marquee reception was inspired by treasured memories of leisurely afternoon feasts with friends in Italy. Catered by Epicurean Restaurant, the party indulged in antipasti of cured meats, homemade breads and olive oil, followed by lamb cutlets, Tuscan styled-roast chicken and local snapper. And it didn’t end there – guests devoured offerings from the Soul Kitchen Wood Fired Pizza Truck when it rolled in for supper. “We wanted the wedding to feel like ‘us’ without too many formalities,” says Rox, “just focusing on what the day was meant to be all about – hosting a really fun party with our nearest and dearest.”

Not wanting to wear a typical, flowing pregnant bride dress, she tweaked the design of a backless French-lace gown with Elwood’s One Day Bridal, perfectly accentuating her six-month bump in exquisite, old-world style.

The ceremony and reception both took place on a rustic Red Hill property, amidst a charming array of DIY touches. “It was a real labour of love,” says Rox who got a helping hand from her mum to create the recycled doily bunting and gorgeous floral covers for the hay-bale pews.

Friends and family helped with everything from arranging the flowers to creating the invites and signage and setting up the venue. They also contributed their favourite sweet treats to the dessert buffet – many commenting on how they loved getting involved and playing a role. “It was a huge team effort,” says Rox, “and it all came together even more beautifully than we had envisaged.”

Some words of wisdom from the bride

Make sure your day reflects you as a couple – it was incredibly important to have a really heartfelt ceremony, as this was what the day was all about and we did away with a lot of formalities like strict schedules, leaving our guests to have a lengthy photo shoot and an MC, which suited us.

Let friends and family help out with contributing to the preparations for the day. So many of our guests commented how they loved having a job to play and felt even more special being there on the day.

Photography: Julia Archibald | Bride’s dress: One Day Bridal | Bride’s shoes: Reiss | Groom’s suit: Paul Smith | Bow tie: Mrs Bowtie | Flower girls: Dollcake | Hair: Alison from Hoopla Salon | Makeup: Brides by Vanessa | Celebrant: Jess Hills | Venue: Private property | Hire: Pepper Sprout Hire Company | Flowers: Van Gogh Flowers (DIY arrangements) | Catering: Epicurean Restaurant | Cake: Alison Brown | Band: The Baker Boys | Stationery/invitations: Jesse Sanders