An intimate South West Sunday wedding at a heritage listed church, a vintage sky-blue Volkswagen Beetle and a special handfasting ceremony.

Amanda + John's Old Church Thomson Brook Wedding

South West locals, Amanda and John, met online but realised after a few weeks of talking they lived down the road from each other. John’s Mum always said the perfect girl was just around the corner – and she was right!

Photos by the amazing Fox Fotograf

They chose Old Church. Thomson Brook for their ceremony for its rich history and picturesque location.

The vibe

“We wanted a country wedding with an intimate vibe. We ended up getting married in front of 50 of our closest family and friends."

"We are both lovers of romantic and rustic themes. Our wedding décor was mostly DIY, with Amanda creating the invitations, reception styling and confetti."

"We incorporated a hand fasting and vows to Amanda’s son, Ari, as part of the ceremony. Not only was our wedding a joining of two people, but it was also the confirmation of a family unit. Ari was given a bracelet to commemorate the occasion, too."

The proposal

Amanda had been dropping not-so-subtle hints for months, even declaring she might take matters into her own hands on the ‘Leap Day’ of 2020. John proposed just in time through a love note on February 29. Amanda woke up to the note with a pen for her answer and her engagement ring.

John was quietly waiting in the wings to see her reaction before getting down on one knee. In possibly the sweetest gesture ever, before proposing, John asked Amanda’s young son, Ari, if he agreed to his mum getting married.

"The location is special to both of us as Amanda was raised in Donnybrook, Western Australia and used to frequently visit the location with childhood friends while staying at a nearby farm. John grew up in rural New South Wales, in an area that is reminiscent of Thomson Brook.”

Right on time

"Amanda arrived in a vintage, sky-blue Volkswagen Beetle, just! The car stalled at the reception venue, two minutes down the road and almost didn't start again. To make matters worse, there was no phone reception in the area to let anyone know. Luckily, the car started again after a few minutes and Amanda arrived – right on time."

Best memories

"We had a Sunday afternoon wedding with grazing tables and a coffee van at the reception. It was a beautiful, intimate celebration with the Father of the Bride and Father of the Groom giving speeches."

"The handfasting was a really important part of our ceremony and will always be a highlight of our special day. Amanda created the handfasting rope, intertwining certain colours to represent different aspects of their relationship which was explained as part of the ceremony."

Amanda and John have since framed and displayed the handfasting knot in their home as a reminder of the day and their relationship.

“We had our reception at the nearby Brookhampton Hall, another historic location with beautiful wooden floors and high ceilings.”

Stand out vendors

"Fox Fotograf and Enchanting Petals were an amazing duo, completing both the photography and flowers for our special day. They both took on our ideas and wowed us with the final products!"

"Bryanna Wright was our celebrant and we couldn’t have asked for a better person to join us in marriage. Bryanna clearly explained the process and supported us in writing our personalised vows as well as the set up of our ceremony. She was personable and funny, perfectly describing our relationship during her 'Love Story' and going above and beyond as soon as we reached out to her in the months prior to our wedding."

Photographer Fox Fotograf

Ceremony venue Old Church. Thomson Brook

Reception venue Brookhampton Hall

Flowers Enchanting Petals

Celebrant Bryanna Wright

Catering The Travelling Grazer

Cake The Gourmet Slice Company

Furniture Hire Lonsdale Party Hire and Hire In Style

Dress Bunbury Bridal

Shoes eBay

Suit Johnny Bigg

Accessories Lovisa