Happy Thursday Lovely People,

We have an amazing, and I mean AH-MAZING wedding to share with you today. If ever their was a wedding that encapsulates everything that Festival Brides stands for then this is it.

Poppy and Chris have always felt underwhelmed by the UK wedding industry, with its oppressive attitude towards marriage and countless list of do's and don'ts. Despite being together for 12 years, getting married was never really something that appealed to them. Travelling together, yes; creating a lovely home for themselves, yes; but having a big white wedding? Not so much. It wasn't until they started planning their trip to Australia that they started to consider the possibility of getting married.

Sent in by the brilliant Roost Film Co (who have just joined our equally brilliant wedding directory!) Poppy and Chris' elopement to Byron Bay is full of so much wedding pretty that it's bursting at the seams with ideas for your wedding. Poppy's bridal style alone is enough to leave you inspired with her gorgeous Free People lace wedding dress, her amazing The French Petal hair garland and the beautiful bohemian style design on her left hand......she is just oozing so much free spirited bohemian glamour that we can't stop swooning!

But despite the decor, the dress, the setting, the styling - what stands out the most about Poppy and Chris' wedding is that they stayed true to themselves and said 'I do' in their own unique way. They didn't bow down to pressure from friends or family. They waited until it was the right time for them and we're so glad they did because we LOVE their wedding.

Look out for our Q&A with Roost Film and their amazing film of Poppy and Chris' wedding which is not to be missed. Both can be found later on in the post.

Over to Poppy and Chris....

Chris and I planned our wedding a couple of months before leaving for a trip that we'd been planning and looking forward to since we returned from travelling a few years ago. We've been together for 12 years and find ourselves most happy when on the open road or when planning new projects around the home and garden on a long empty weekend - neither are in abundance in our everyday lives. We've never really been serious or bothered about marriage, only joking about it after we saw an arch on Clarke Beach at Byron to ward off the constant questions of 'when' from others. As our trip grew closer we started to have more serious conversations about the possibility. What if Chris proposed on this holiday; how did we feel about a big white wedding in the UK (if he did and I said yes), what if we eloped and had a day in our holiday that was just a bit more luxurious and exciting than a UK wedding and marry with the sand between our toes?

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I had followed The Lane and Roost Film Co on my instagram for a while (I came across them through other Australian people I follow) - for someone who never wanted to be a bride this was a bit odd, but I loved the art of these sites, the styling, the magic they created... quite far from traditional weddings that we are used to. What they started to create was a possibility that we could get married in a way that didn't feel oppressive or overly controlled and planned or that was more about the guests than the couple. Also the idea of a celebrant talking about us as individuals seemed so much more meaningful than options I'd explored in the UK. I did some research and realised we might need a planner - I contacted a few but Rachael's response from Peachey Pie was by far the best as she straight away made it possible and 'got' us. When she offered Roost as a videographer I was over the moon! But what made this day so perfect, relaxed and fun was the whole package - every single person we worked with on our day and the days before was fully engaged in our style and laid back aim. They all went above and beyond what we expected and it was like having our own little family supporting us and congratulating us but completely professional and knowing exactly how to take up their role and how to magically disappear and work behind the scenes.

The day before, the day before the wedding we had sat in a bar in Byron and experienced full on pre-wedding jitters - had we planned too much? Could we cope with all the people, the meetings, the photos? Should we have just got a celebrant and plonked ourselves somewhere on the beach and said I do? Absolutely not. We've just received our video from Roost and we are delighted - it absolutely captures everything and we can relive us living the dream of it just being a laid back and luxurious day nestled within our trip. From the chilled out pampering I had getting ready to Chris quickly having to get his stuff at the last minute because he was in the sea having a swim and couldn't get in our room, our small but perfect congregation, the endless smiles and finishing touches to the ease we felt with the photographers and their directions, the beautiful van and earnest driver, to the stunning and delicious picnic and champagne my best friend sent as a wedding gift, the wild and beautiful flowers, the sun, sea, sand and us, in the middle, having the happiest day of our lives ... who would of thought it?

Poppy & Chris // Byron Bay, NSW from ROOSTfilmco on Vimeo.

We met at the tender age of 6 on our first day of school. I (Tegan) had always adored the blue eyed blondie running around the playground however it took Jordan some 17 years to be convinced that I was the one for him. After 12 months of dating (to the day), Jordan proposed. 11 months later we tied the knot on a farm in the Byron Bay Hinterland. These days we spend our time café hoping, camping and enjoying live music. We love travelling & spiced rum. We (particularly Tegan) hate toads & almost all reptiles.

We created ROOST after having difficulty finding a videographer to film our own wedding. It was during this time that I was looking for an out from a soul crushing career in the corporate world. I (Tegan) was longing for something more creative. Having always been into photography, Jordan suggested I give videography a go. That's how ROOST was born!

An artistic documentation of the day from start to finish. Candid, honest, unobtrusive & emotive.

We film as we see it unfold on the day. We don't like to set up shots or pose the couple, instead we like to capture those real and honest moments as they unfold naturally. We condense all these magical moments into a short cinematic handcrafted film; something that will be treasured forever.

Let all that you do, be done in love.

A big shout out to the incredibly talented Roost Film for sharing this wedding with us and for your brilliant video. We salute you!

Bride's Dress: Free People

Celebrant: Inner Circle Ceremonies

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