Penelope & James

14 DECEMBER 2019

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Why did you choose Basils Farm for your wedding?

As a girl I always dreamt of a beach wedding in Ocean Grove – as an adult, I realised the logistics of getting grandparents on to the sand, and of course, the risk of wind or rain made it less appealing to me.

When we got engaged we knew we wanted a relaxed wedding vibe- the sort of vibe you get if you’re hosting your wedding on a property – but we found the idea of planning our own property wedding much too overwhelming. We had started to talk about our “dream wedding venue” but we weren’t sure how we’d get that beachy, chilled out wedding vibe.

Then one day we remembered Basil’s Farm (which we had stumbled across years ago when it was called Kiltynane Estate). Basil’s Farm literally ticked all the boxes for us with beautiful views of Swan Bay that are protected from the wind and has wet weather ceremony options. It also feels like you’re on someones beautiful country property with lush veggie patches, an old farmhouse and animals (including llamas!!).

Within five minutes we’d downloaded Basil’s Farm’s wedding brochure and emailed Talla to organise a meeting. A week later we had a date locked in! We never looked back.

How did you find the planning process?

From the first coffee meeting, we knew our wedding was in great hands! Talla is an absolute dream to work with. No question is silly and you know she is going to do everything humanly possible to make sure your wedding is all you hoped for and more!

We loved that we were able to work with Talla and Sean to design our Wedding menu. Our guests are still talking about how incredible the food was months later.

One of the great things about Basil’s Farm is that Talla and the team make you feel so supported. Planning our wedding was really quite stress-free (despite only booking 7 months before our wedding day) as venue, food, drinks, set up, pack down was all coordinated by Basil’s Farm. Despite this you have the capacity to make the space and evening completely your own. It’s the best of both worlds.

What was your favourite moment on your Big Day?

​​We loved every single moment. It was truly the best day of our lives. Some highlights:

• Getting married looking over the water surrounded by our family and friends.

• My grandmother was going to walk me down the isle, unfortunately, she became very ill the night before the wedding and ended up in hospital. A perfect example of how incredibly accommodating Talla, Chez and the team at Basil’s were is that they worked with us on the day to tweak my timeline so the bridal party and I could travel into Geelong to surprise my Nan in hospital in our wedding outfits. This involved moving the first look at Basil’s forwards slightly and the ceremony backwards slightly. This change was streamlined by Talla and Greg opening up the drinks caravan in the garden as our guests arrived and ushering the guests down to the ceremony spot just before we returned from the hospital. I’ll be forever grateful to Basil’s Farm for making it possible for me to see my Nan on my wedding day.

• Feeding the llamas!

• Dancing on an outdoor dance floor in the garden, underneath festoon lighting – literally the best fun!

Tell us about your styling inspiration?

Honestly, Basil’s Farm doesn’t need a lot, it’s already so beautiful you could really get away with no styling at all! We went for a relaxed beach/travelling vibe.

The ceremony –

we had a triangle arbour that Jamie and I made from old timber (he made it, I sanded and stained ) and we hung a mistletoe cactus from the arbour using one of my Nan’s old brass hanging pots. The theory was we didn’t want anything too big on the arbour as we didn’t want to take away from the bay views – a mistletoe cactus because it was a December wedding and I thought it was cute (first kiss under the mistletoe ).

Signage –

we used an old pallet to make a direction sign (vows there, party here!), a welcome sign, card table sign and polaroid station sign. We had the decals made on Etsy so I didn’t need to stress about hand painting the signs. I always love a good polaroid station at a wedding so I had to have one at our wedding. The beautiful living green wall in the pavilion made for a great backdrop for the polaroid photos.

Tables –

Basil’s farm made table flowers using what was flowering on the farm that week and matched it to my bouquet flowers. Our reception was walk and fork so we had scattered tables, wine barrels and the gift, cake and polaroid tables. On the gift, cake and polaroid tables I had sea shell and tea light candles, old suitcases for the cards and my Dad’s piano accordion (as a tribute to my Dad who is no longer with us).

Flowers –

We had dried bouquets, buttonholes, corsages, cake flowers and confetti. This was great as we had the florals weeks in advance so we knew they were perfect and we still have them all. I’m looking at my beautiful bouquet in a vase on my table as I type this.

What are some words of wisdom for future Basils couples?

I think one of the best things you can do is find vendors that are similar to you if your wedding vibe is their ideal gig – it won’t feel like work for them and they’ll have an absolute ball doing your wedding.

Basil’s Farm will work with you to make the day your own – don’t be afraid to shake things up so that the day is 100% you! For example, Jamie wasn’t so keen on doing a fist dance, so we did a first song instead (me singing, him on guitar).

Take 15 minutes to sit beside the cellar door, eat some canapés and have a moment with your partner. We did this, it was in the run sheet so Talla and Chez made sure we took this little breather.

It was perfect as we had some time to ourselves to let it all sink in and regroup before the amazing madness that is the reception. It also means you actually get to enjoy some of the delicious menu you designed and gaze over the beautiful vines.

You’re going to have the best day ever!!!

Enjoy xxx

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Suppliers

Photography – Ryan Wheatley @rweddingsau Menswear – @pjohnsontailors and Myer Wedding Gown – @lostinparisbridal Hair – @ameliarosehairstylist Makeup – @emilymcgraghmakeupartist Florist – @wastefreewildflowers Candles – @dreamcatchercandles