LOVE: ANGIE + BEN | URBAN VIBE COUNTRY WEDDING DENMARK WA

DENMARK WA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE WILDS SOMEPLACE DIGITAL WEDDING MAGAZINE

images by in the wilds of someplace

Angie surprise Ben by proposing at Lights Beach in Denmark, WA after 8 years together. "I offered my love in the form of a large, delicious, blue raspberry flavoured candy Ring Pop. He said, 'Yeah, duh' when I popped the question, we happily kissed and posed for a picture, and then he stuffed that artificially flavoured rare gemstone in his gob." Angie tells.

"There are a lot of external and internal pressures to have the perfect Wedding. Remember that this is your day and therefore, should be a reflection of you and your partner, your relationship and your values." Angie & Ben

How did the two of you meet? I’m from the US and Ben is Australian. We met in Lander, Wyoming – a little mountain town in cowboy country, USA. We both worked for NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School). Ben was a mountaineering instructor waiting to go out on a course and I was starting an internship. We met the first night I got to town. Ben thought I was quirky and cute; I thought Ben talked funny . . . but wasn’t too hard on the eyes.

What led you to decide on your Wedding venue? We decided to have the ceremony at home, on our 10-acre bush block. We had just finished building our house and wanted to share our little piece of paradise with our friends and family. Our property is beautiful and we couldn’t think of anywhere else that we would rather get married.

What was the inspiration behind your Wedding theme? We didn’t really have a theme per se, but knew that we wanted a Wedding that would be synchronous with our personalities and with our bush property – thus; a relaxed backyard shindig with funky-urban and native-coastal vibes came about. We wanted involvement in the creation of our Wedding and chose to DIY and utilise and honour family and friends as much as possible. For example, Ben’s cousin is a hairstylist and did my hair and one of my oldest friends is a fabulous fiddle player and played music before the ceremony. These types of touches made the Wedding so personal for us.

Favourite moments: The entire day was fantastic. Ben’s favourite moment was watching me walk down our improvised aisle. My favourite part was the quiet just after the ceremony when we walked into the neighbouring paddock for photos and had a chance to be alone, relax and soak in the enormity of the event.

Favourite details: The food truck created an amazing atmosphere and pumped out some killer tacos. My bouquet was particularly special – earlier in the day, I asked each of the women closest to me to chose a flower/stem/greenery that resonated with them and I gathered these into a bouquet to carry down the aisle.

How long did it take for you to find and how was your dress/suit shopping experience overall? I did a significant amount of online looking before I started trying anything on. I went to a fancy wedding dress shop and tried on a few dresses, none of which felt right. In fact, the entire experience didn’t work for me; I found it far too commercialised and sterile. A few weeks later, I somehow found Lost in Paris Bridal online and immediately loved their work, ethics and focus on repurposing antique cloth. I found a dress on their website that looked perfect for me and so ordered a sample to try, which they shipped in the mail.

The dress was everything that I was hoping for – classic cut, modern details, creative, unique, interesting, associated with a good story, ethically made, and from a great Australian company. The dress is made with 18th centruy handmade, vintage cutwork lace sourced from France. Lost in Paris worked with me to create a custom made dress based on my measurements. The whole process was very organic.

What resources did you find helped you the most during your Wedding planning? We didn’t really use any resources in particular – no planners, calculators or checklists. Good communication is what helped us the most. Communicating effectively between ourselves and with our wonderful vendors was key to staying relaxed and happy throughout the planning process.

What does marriage mean to you? For us, marriage is a powerful investment to oneself and to the other person, in which we will both participate equally to co-create our ideal relationship. Time, energy and intentionality are put forward to cultivate love, trust and respect. It is two people coming together to hold space for each other to thrive, because together we are better, stronger, happier and healthier than apart. A successful marriage requires an equal commitment to growth – both people need to truly believe that the best is yet to come and that we can always become better, both personally and as a couple. For us, it is a chance to celebrate our love and is a commitment to be equal partners in life.

Any classic stories you want to share from the day? The evening ended with a group of our closest friends and family huddled around the fire pit eating M&Ms and popcorn. We will remember this as one of the best parts of the Wedding – relaxing and hanging out with those closest to us after the excitement of the day.

What advice would you offer to other couples planning a Wedding? There are a lot of external and internal pressures to have the perfect Wedding. Remember that this is your day and therefore, should be a reflection of you and your partner, your relationship and your values. We suggest putting your resources towards what is most important to you and saving on the things that you don’t actually care about. For us, great food and drinks were musts. Not only were these the majority of our budget, but they also required a significant amount of time and thought to plan. On the flip side, we saved time and money by not having a wedding cake, as neither of us felt strongly about it – instead we had locally made icy poles.

Oh, and don’t forget to have some fun while planning. Sure, the big day is the reason why you are planning, but enjoy the process as well - it’s a unique and amazing experience that in hindsight goes by quickly, so soak it up.

Any stand out vendors for the day? Someone that went above and beyond? We were stoked with all of our vendors – we picked good people and let them do what they do. That said, we continue to be impressed with Ashleigh and Holli from In the Wilds of Someplace. Their photos are incredible and do a superb job of capturing the day – plus, they’re awesome people.
DENMARK WA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE WILDS SOMEPLACE DIGITAL WEDDING MAGAZINE