THE ONLY THING

that wasn’t relaxed about this intimate wedding was the couple’s rescue dog Gizmo, who let guests know he wasn’t happy on the sidelines. “He was so anxious that he couldn’t be with us up the front, he wouldn’t stop crying,” says real estate agent Melissa, 29, whose marriage to finance manager, Sam, 33, took place at The Estate in Trentham, Victoria. “Sam is from Tasmania and I grew up in the country so we knew we wanted to get married out of the city,” says Melissa, who spent her childhood in Cobram Barooga, Victoria. The couple fell in love with the property, just over an hour north-west of Melbourne, the moment they arrived. Meeting in 2012, Sam tracked Melissa down on Facebook to ask her out on a date. A few years later he made things official during a stroll along a Sunshine Coast beach. “Sam was acting so strangely and insisted we go for a walk,” says Melissa. “Two minutes in, he dropped everything, hopped down on both knees and asked me to marry him.” A sense of fun was the overarching theme for the day, and the laid-back setting of The Estate proved the perfect venue. An original 1902 house, the property has been restored by interior decorator and owner Lynda Gardener. Not wanting to detract from its beauty, styling was minimal. “The foliage and flowers were fragrant and wild — we didn’t want anything structured.” The bride’s bouquet had a sense of place, with the florist picking local wild grasses to complement glossy dark magnolia leaves and pale David Austin roses. In keeping with the relaxed theme, three-piece folk band Velvet Archers provided a lively soundtrack. “We kept the formalities to a minimum to leave more time for lawn games and dancing!” says Melissa.

“THE LAID-BACK SETTING OF THE ESTATE PROVED THE PERFECT VENUE.”

PHOTOGRAPHY Marnie Hawson; 0418 575 775; marniehawson.com.au CATERING Pot and Pan; potandpan.com.au VENUE The Estate, Trentham; 0416 032 111; theestatetrentham.com.au DRESS Karen Willis Holmes; (02) 9519 3901; karenwillisholmes.com FLORIST Wootton and Nichols; woottttonandnicholls.com.au FURNITURE HIRE Pepper Sprout Hire; peppersprouthire.com.au