Rain-Kissed Love.

I think it took exactly 2.8 seconds from the moment I first clapped eyes on (our) Naomi’s email to the RMW team about Mike and Sophie’s wedding to literally begging Charlotte to allow me to share it with you gorgeous lot on our polka dotted pages.

Ok, so the timing thing might be a little bit of exaggeration but you get the picture. Nonetheless, the result of the aforementioned pleading session is that I’m blogging my first wedding and it’s a little bit blimming gorgeous.

Soph and Mike’s wedding took place in June earlier this year at The Arboretum, Pearl Beach – a beautiful location next to the sea in…wait for it folks…Australia.

There’s an amazing tree, a secluded arboretum, bare feet on a deserted beach, boats, an epic jeep and… rain.

Lots of rain.

Earlier this year, New South Wales in Australia saw some of the wettest weather they had seen for some time and Mike and Soph’s wedding day was no exception. It rained and then rained some more. But far from letting the weather dampening their spirits, they embraced it and the result is these wonderful photos below.

Photography today is by the amazing Dan Ferris.

With A Little Help From My Friends

My dress was made in a shop called Nelder Jones in Paddington, Sydney. I found a few pictures online of dresses that I liked, and with the help of my sisters and the dressmakers, we came up with a dress design together!

I tried lots of dresses on to figure out what fabric I liked and what style of skirt and came up with the fishtail skirt and latte silk fabric.

Simple Elegance

I wore earrings that I borrowed from a friend and a necklace that we put in my hair. I also wore a bracelet that belonged to my grandmother. I just wanted to keep it simple and elegant.

My shoes were black and suede with a heel that had a zip up the back. They were incredibly comfortable and still gave me a bit of height.

My cousin did my make-up and one of my friends styled my hair; they were both fantastic.

Native Blooms

We used solely Australian native flowers and plants for the bouquets and table decorations. My auntie created all of the bouquets the day before the wedding and she brought flowers from her own garden too to add into them.

Gorgeous Girls And Dapper Dandies

The Groomsmen bought their own suits and I had the Bridesmaids dresses made by the local dressmaker. We weren’t trying to tie everything in but in the end everything worked really well together.

The Bridesmaids had pashminas which matched the native flowers and gave the bridal party a bit of colour.

Mike wore a classic slim fit black suit, white shirt, a vest, black tie and RM Williams black boots.

Story Book Perfection

Dan Ferris is an incredibly creative photographer. He captures moments so well, and he has a unique approach to taking photos. The main thing that Dan wanted to achieve with our wedding photos was to tell a story, and he did that so well.

I don’t even remember him taking some of the photos, he was just there, in the moment, ready and waiting.

Soul Traders

Mike is a musician and he brought in his function’s band – Soul Traders. They’re the best and they’re our friends and we just had to have them play at our wedding.

We chose not to have a first dance. We just wanted everyone dancing together and dance they did!

A Gourmet Feast

We went for rich, gourmet flavours as it was a cold winter’s night. We had minestrone soup followed by lamb shoulders for the main. We didn’t have a wedding cake. Instead we had sticky date pudding as dessert, one of our favourites!

We had a marquee wedding, which meant that we did most of the set up and decorating ourselves. We had long tables, with hessian runners, decorated with different sized vases with colourful wildflowers, and gum leaves for the place settings.

We also had a friend make soy candles and wooden rounds to sit them on.

Rain Does Not Stop Play

The things that made it special were the rain, the people, the food, the speeches, and the music. The whole day was so enjoyable and it was a real celebration of Mike and I and our commitment to each other. Having all of our friends there, and being under the marquee in the rain, it was just wonderful.

For advice, we would say that on the day, anything goes, and you just have to go with it. If everything is organised then you can just relax on the day and enjoy it, even if it rains!

Dress – Nelder Jones

Flowers – Flowers By Bride’s Aunt

Photography – Daniel Ferris

Groom – Groom’s own suit and RM Williams Boots

Venue – The Arboretum, Pearl Beach, NSW Australia

Entertainment – Soul Traders

Maids – Dresses made by a local dressmaker

So there you have it folks, proof that rain on your big day can be a wonderful, beautiful thing.

Despite the grey skies and drenched festivities, Sophie and Mike look utterly radiant. I even love how the raindrops in some of the photographs are nature’s own version of wedding confetti sprinkling down on the happy couple.

Soph’s advice to future brides is worth taking note of too – going with the flow, enjoying your day and really being present in the moment is what counts. Even something that is out of your control…like rain on your wedding day… can be totally memorable for all the right reasons if you allow it.

All my love Lolly xxx