AMARA X SAM

meelup farmhouse wedding wa liz jorquera photography

wedding date 26 march 2022

meelup farmhouse, dunsborough wa
113 wedding guests

Amara + Sam met at their mutual friends' beer pong party! "While this was the first time we had met, the universe’s timing wasn’t aligned and we didn’t actually start dating until 6 months later when we happened to see each other at a quiz night! I didn’t know he was going to be there, I just expected my usual crowd of friends so when I walked in, the only seat free was next to him and I just remember thinking how genuinely good it felt to see him. I remember how much we laughed about the terrible answers I was coming up with, we just had such a fun night. It was like the puzzle piece finally fit and we connected so well.

amara + sam | to the aisle australia digital wedding magazine

did you know leading up to it that Sam was going to propose?

We had plans to go away to Margaret River for my birthday and I had no idea that Sam was organising a ring that week after realising it might be the perfect time to ask haha. I started to get a small inkling something may be up when our trip ritual of grabbing a coffee to start the day was skipped by Sam which was very unlike him!

tell us about the proposal...

We went to Margaret River when we were due to go on a US trip which had to be cancelled because of Covid of course. Sam took me to Boranup Forest which has always been a place we’ve loved to visit with the towering Karri Trees. We were driving through and Sam wanted to go for a walk, so we got out and started walking up one of the trails. A while in I was getting tired and wanted to turn back, but poor Sam hadn’t found a nice spot to propose yet, but just as we were turning back the sun came out from behind the clouds and he knelt down to tie his shoelace. He then realised that would be the perfect moment to propose, so he did 😊

what was the winning factor of your Wedding venue/location?

Sam’s grandparents have lived in Dunsborough for many decades, so a lot of our meaningful relationship memories have been made there. When comparing venues Meelup Farmhouse was always just our favourite place to visit, the vibe, the décor.. it was just us! Not to mention they have Lizzie the Cow and I love cows so much, it was meant to be.

what was the most important thing you wanted to have at your wedding theme wise?

When we were looking into what sort of theme we wanted for our day, we wanted to combine my Mediterranean heritage with the locations coastal beauty. So I would say capturing the balance of those two things was key for the theme, and boy did our stylist Brodie at The Bib Approach deliver.. it absolutely blew us and our guests away.

your most faaaaave moment...

My most favourite moment really was walking down the aisle and finally seeing my handsome man after all the build-up. I was so nervous, and the moment I saw him I instantly felt so much better. Seeing our best friends and family standing by his side was one of the most magical things I’ll ever experience, feeling their hope and love for us in that moment.. will never forget it.

faaaave Wedding detail...

I honestly don’t know how to choose one favourite! There were so many amazing details created by our florists Daisies and Doors and our stylist Brodie, one of my favourites had to be the beautiful quartz rock floral arbour they put together for us. It was so unique! We also adored all the terracotta ceramic pots scattered along the tables with cascading florals, it set the Mediterranean tone perfectly. Special mention also has to go to my beautiful Maid of Honour and her mum for handmaking a wedding pinata for us that currently holds a heap of polaroids we’re going to break open on our first anniversary.

how easy did you find your dress/suit shopping experience?

We were grateful to have a really fun and easy going experience finding our dress and suit. I booked and appointment with Luv Bridal here in Perth and the fourth dress I tried on was it! I think I was just after something that just made me feel the most comfortable and confident, so once that happened I was set and didn’t want to overthink it by going to other stores. For Sam we did some online searching before deciding to check out MJ Bale, Sam was pretty clear on what he was after and settled on a classic black tuxedo with the help of the awesome staff there.

classic story you want to share...

So once our ceremony and photos were over and we arrived at our reception, we sat down to our table and moments later our celebrant came over and said, “soo you guys technically aren’t married yet, you haven’t signed your marriage certificate!” Our plan was to sign our certificate after the ceremony but before we went off for our photos, but we had completely lost track of time being whisked away for photos that it didn’t happen! It was very hilarious signing our marriage certificate on our bread rolls :P

a piece of advice that helped you the most when planning...

I would have to say being extra kind to all your vendors, even the one’s you don’t end up going with. In my experience each and every vendor we hired bent over backwards for us, and some really went out of their way to meet our needs and budgets. They have a lot on their plates and I found being understanding, honest and kind went a long way to making our day pretty darn close to stress free, not to mention the friendships that got sparked along the way. I still am in touch with some of my vendors today which is special 😊 Secondly, having a spreadsheet to keep you organised. We used Kate Drennan Photography’s brilliant downloadable budgeting spreadsheet which really helped to keep us on track.

wedding songs...
Ceremony songs: Lifetime – Justin Bieber and My Girl – The Temptations
Reception Entrance: Lightning – Bag Raiders
First Dance: Ain’t that a kick in the head – Dean Martin
Parent dance: Can’t Help Falling in Love - Elvis

stand out vendor/s for the day...

Honestly couldn’t choose a standout! Every vendor stood out for their own reasons. We had to flip our wedding layout days before our wedding due to weather and every single vendor was absolutely incredible in working to give us the most magical set up. I’d have to say a huge shout out to Brodie from the Bib Approach and Anneliese the coordinator from Meelup Farmhouse for going above and beyond in coordinating all the vendors on the day and throughout the whole planning process.