BEN X HESTER

FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
"There was a moment where we snuck outside for a dance in the moonlight, in front of a fire pit. It was so intimate and special." Hester & Benjamin - Tasmania

Hester & Benjamin met just over four years ago at a friend’s 21st birthday, on the dance floor - Hester was instantly intrigued by Ben’s big mop of hair and willingness to dance!

"Ben proposed to me on February the 29th, 2016, and we were married 20 months later. Ben is such a romantic soul. He organised a surprise weekend away for my birthday, where he flew my mother, sister and father to Tasmania to spend the long weekend altogether with his own family too. He organised surprise adventures for each day and on my birthday (2 days before he popped the question), in the Tahune Forest, he asked my mother for permission to ask me to marry him. This was the first and only person he told about the proposal before the fact.

On the 29th, he took me on a tour and picnic at Shene Estate. I had fallen in love with pictures of the estate on Instagram and we had visited once before. I told Ben I wanted to be married there - it’s so romantic and beautiful. We danced in the barn, and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him... In my state of shock and happiness, I responded ‘are you sure?’

Football means you basically have two months of the year to choose from to get married; October, in the off-season, or December, over the Christmas break. (Ben is an AFL player, playing for North Melbourne)  We never entertained the idea of being married anywhere else but Shene Estate. After getting engaged in the barn, Shene Estate was forever in our hearts - a special place for us.
 

FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING

We were over the moon when Myf and the crew gave us the all clear to be married there, and looking back there could have been nowhere better. Everyone there we now count as friends and the work and love they put into our Wedding made it the most perfect day imaginable.

We just wanted the day to be as ‘us’ as possible. I love to dress up and Ben is very casual so we settled on day dresses and chinos for the bridal party. We didn’t want anything to look too serious. We wanted it sunny and happy - hence the colourful outfits. Lots of blue and green and gold were used as they are colours we see and love in each other; Green and blue eyes, and golden hair.

FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
Our invites were extremely special to us. They were designed and lovingly painted by my sister and depict us as king and queen of a deck of cards. We wanted to bring in Ben’s love of board games and also thought something regal would suit the location of the Wedding. The alternate information cards have portraits of our beloved fur babies on them! The main invite card was letterpress printed with a blue to green gradient that was slightly varied on each card. 

Other details I loved from the day were the boys had beautifully lettered socks and ties by Otto and Spike. The ties had their initials in gold and the socks had an H&B motif as designed by my sister.
FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
The handmade capes were also divine - Our dear friend Kylie spent hours making them all and would send me a hilarious photo of her with the finished capes each time she finished a new one! They were the most gorgeous colour and really looked so vibrant and happy on the day.

FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
I absolutely love everything about Gwendolynne gowns, and when I saw she was having a sample sale I booked an appointment to choose my dress. Gwendolynne Burkin was as lovely as her dresses. Almost everything fit me and I loved it all. I felt special and comfortable and like a bride straight away. I was even able to find a sample made from triacetate instead of silk, which was important to me as a vegan. 

The girls at Gwendolynne recommended I try somewhere else before buying, so I went to one other bridal boutique. It wasn’t my taste at all! I instantly knew I wanted to have my Gwendolynne dress back on. I loved the style and fit, and I loved knowing my dress was lovingly made in Melbourne. The experience was just wonderful, and I built a friendship with Gwendolynne over the course of my fittings. She even kindly donated another dress for me to wear to the Brownlow Medal, which was auctioned to raise money for the Sacred Heart Mission through the #giveafrock Campaign.
FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
Myfanwy from Shene was amazing and recommended Smolt Kitchen, as well as Fred and Hannah to us. We were so overjoyed that Smolt created a custom vegan and gluten free menu for us. And having Fred and Hannah shoot our Wedding was like having two extra friends to invite - plus they were a hoot on the dance floor! Merren from Cinta Celebrate Love was recommended to us by basically the entire state of Tasmania. She was unbelievable and so understanding of us and what we were dreaming of for the day. It was a loving and fun ceremony and we adored meeting Merren - so much so that I’ve been inspired to study to be a marriage celebrant since the Wedding!

We wanted our Wedding to feel like a close community rather than a big business affair so having family and friends deeply involved was extremely important to us. Our lovely friends organised our flowers, my mother made robes for the bridesmaids and decorated the barn, while my father organised the favours. Ben’s father made our arbour and ring box and his aunts and uncles acted as our film crew on the day for us. My sister did an absolute power of work - designing our beautiful stationery and signs. All of it meant the world to us, and made the day personal and special.

FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
I brought over a friend from Melbourne, Margeaux from The Distinctive Dame, to do our hair because I adore what she does. Her work is unique and beautiful and she only uses vegan and cruelty free products. Having my dear friend Jessica do my makeup was also very important to me. We spent time together finding vegan, cruelty free makeup to use for the day and I loved that as she knows me so well she knew how to make me feel beautiful but not overly made up. 

There were so many favourite moments from the day - We learnt a dance for our first dance, and it felt amazing to perform it for our friends and family, especially the Dirty Dancing-reminiscent lift.
FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
Two couples we are friends with, both have babies called Xavier. When I got out of the Wedding car at the top of the aisle, one of the babies was waving at me. It was such an emotional moment seeing my Groom standing there and I was caught between having a teary and waving back to the little guy. Later in the night Ben and I had the most fun time on the dance floor dancing while holding the Xaviers.

There was also a moment where we snuck outside for a dance in the moonlight, in front of a fire pit. It was so intimate and special...
FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
Marriage to me, is a lifetime commitment. It is a ceremony that symbolises and affirms what the two of us already know - that we love each other, and that we always will - through thick and thin! As marriage is, for us, a celebration of love, togetherness and happiness - it is not for us to judge who should be allowed to get married - if the persons getting married love each other, they should be able to! Race, gender, sexuality, money etc. should not influence this.

Merren also wrote a beautiful blessing for marriage equality, which we included in our ceremony.

On the morning of the Wedding, the boys had a very casual game of cards and shooting hoops, but when it came to the time to get ready they realised that their shirts required cuff links. Not one of them had tried their suit on and realised the error in the lead up. I imagined I’d rock up to Groomsmen with stapled together shirts but in the end Doug, Ben’s father, rushed down to the shops to buy four pairs of cuff links, returning home ten minutes before they were due to leave. Minor crisis averted!

Also, the Bridesmaids had a bit of an extra trip in their vehicle on the way to the Wedding too. Myself, my mother and sister led the way to the venue - the plan being to wait at the gate for them to pass us when they arrived, so they could enter the ceremony first. We thought they were right behind us on the way - so what was taking them so long? We waited at the gate for around 10 minutes - starting to get a little nervous! It turned out they had missed the turnoff, driving straight past the road where they were supposed to enter. A few minutes later they realised they had overshot, pulled a swift u-turn on the highway and found the entry. Luckily, the guests and Groomsmen were none the wiser (and the ceremony didn’t start too late!).

FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
Some great advice we got in the lead-up to the Wedding, and that we found worked for us, was to ensure that we took time during the day and night to enjoy our Wedding alone together, with just the two of us, even for a short period of time. So much work goes into the planning and execution of the ceremony and reception that it’s important to make time to celebrate what you’ve achieved together, and to enjoy the occasion.

One other piece of advice I would offer would be to not listen to too much advice! Everyone’s Wedding experience is different, and everyone’s idea of their ideal Wedding will differ from that of the next person. We tried, as much as possible, to make our Wedding something that the two of us would enjoy. At the end of the day, guests come to a Wedding to see two happy people - so we did things our own way, as much as possible!

We were extremely lucky - all of our vendors were suc a pleasure to deal with! We have outlined some of them above, but those who we developed close relationships to throughout the process particularly stand out: Fred and Hannah, Merren and Myf and the crew from Shene are all
 amazing people who we loved working with.

One other vendor who went above and beyond was Andrew, from Steve’s Liquor in Derwent Park, Tasmania whom went out of his way to individually contact wineries to determine which wines he had in stock were vegan - impressing us with his knowledge, thoroughness and exceptional level of service! We would definitely recommend him. In terms of our guests - Smolt kitchen received rave reviews on their custom gluten free and vegan stand-up menu, while everyone enjoyed sampling Shene Estate’s own ‘Poltergeist’ gin after the ceremony at our gin bar." Hester & Ben.
FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING


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FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
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FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
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FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
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FRED AND HANNAH PHOTOGRAPHY REAL WEDDING TASMANIA VENUE VEGAN WEDDING
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Fred and Hannah
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Wedding songs:
Aisle: Space They Cannot Touch (Kate Miller-Heidke) 
Recessional: Steer (Missy Higgins) 
First Dance: Fall Into My Arms (Ngaiire) 

Photographer: Fred and Hannah // Cinematographer: James Manson - Cameron Damon Media (Family) // Event planner/stylist: Bride and Myfanwy Kernke from Shene Estate // Florals: Family + friends // Stationery/Favours/Signage: Ruby MacKinnon //  
Printers: Hungry Workshop // Reception & Ceremony location: Shene Estate & Distillery // Catering: Custom - entirely vegan and gluten free menu from Smolt Kitchen // Food trucks: Pop up gin bar by Events with Audrey using Shene Estate’s Poltergeist Gin // Cake: Vegan, Gluten free chocolate cake by Julieanne Does // Other sweets: Pop up vegan, gluten free ice cream stall run by the Groom’s brothers serving Over The Moo ice cream // Decor: Printed materials and bunting by Elizabeth Milsom // Arbor: DIY by Father of the Groom and decorated by family + friends // Wedding favours: all organised by the Boroughs Store and artwork and labels designed by Ruby MacKinnon // 
Vegan dark chocolate, gold dust and raspberry by Monsieur Truffe - Best contact for both is Boroughs Store // Lighting/sound: Alive // Guest buses: Barry’s Bus Charter // Bride and bridesmaids vehicles: Kombi Krew // Engagement ring: Bevilles // Groom’s wedding band: Tui Harrington // Bride’s wedding band: Natalie Marie Jewellery //  Celebrant: Merren Wilkinson - Cinta Celebate Love //  Bride's Gown: Gwendolynne //  Veil: Richard Nylon millinery and bridal - purchased at Gwendolynne (no website) // Headpiece: Liza Stedman Millinery // Robes: Elizabeth Milsom //  Petticoats: Banned Clothing purchased from Gwynnies and Natasha Marie Clothing //  Shoes: M Dreams // Jewellery: Earrings: Samantha Wills // Hairstylist: The Distinctive Dame // MUA: Jessica Bevilacqua (friend/bridesmaid) // Bridesmaid dresses: Lazybones // Bridesmaid capes: Boutique De Kook (as above) // Bridesmaids shoes: Vegan Style & Therapy Shoes // Bridesmaids accessories: Each To Own // Maid of Honour headpiece: Bride La Boheme // Groom/groomsmen suits: Menzclub // Ties and socks: Otto & Spike // Shoes: Aquila, ASOS, Menzclub // Playing Cards: Footy Cards Vs Cancer // Flower girl outfit and shoes: Bardot Junior
BEN X HESTER
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