Natalie + Garry // A Refined Rustic Wedding at Bracu Estate

Hidden amongst the hills of rural Bombay lies the sprawling Olive trees of the picturesque Bracu Estate. Complementing the estate’s rustic surrounds, Natalie & Garry exchanged vows inside the billowing drapery of the Pavillion, before an arched arrangement of cascading greenery and classic blooms.

Washed in crisp tones of green and white, Bracu’s classic design needed little styling to accent the space. A textured runner of olive foliage decorated the tablescapes, creating a stunning synthesis, dotted with candlelight and modern glassware.

Artfully capturing every detail was photographer Zanda Photography

How did you meet and how long have you been together?

We have been together 9 years in June (2023). We met through the pocket trader (Australia’s version of Trade Exchange) when Garry responded to my ad looking for a housemate in 2011, Garry had just moved from NZ to Australia a month or so before. We lived together as housemates for 3 years, we lived very separate lives during the 3 years, Garry worked away and I wasn’t home often, we rarely hung out.

3 years later, we were both home and decided to watch a movie one night on the couch, and after an hour or so Garry started playing with my hand (he to this day disputes this fact and says it was me who made the first move). Over the next few months, we began spending more time together we kept it quiet from our mutual friends for some time while we figured out what our relationship was, once we started officially dating it was clear our end game was to spend the rest of our lives together.

How would you describe each other?

Natalie is an amazing person with so much love to give, she is the rock of our family.

Garry is calm, thoughtful, hardworking and balances me out and always makes me laugh even when I don’t want to.

Tell us a little bit about the proposal and your engagement?

We travelled to America for a holiday December 2018, as someone who is slightly obsessed with Christmas, I wanted to spend Christmas in New York. On Christmas eve we were in Central Park and Garry suggested a Horse and Carriage ride. So we went and got hot chocolate and found a carriage. The driver kept talking and interrupting Garry whenever he would try and speak to me, eventually we got a moment of silence and Garry pulled out the ring he had been carrying around America for 4 weeks and in his pocket for 2 days in New York waiting for the perfect time to propose. Garry is not a romantic but he absolutely outdid himself for the proposal. It was beyond perfect!

Why did you choose your destination?

Years before we were engaged, we had surprised Garry’s mum by flying over from Australia for her 60th Birthday which was held at Bracu, and I fell in love with the Olive trees, so when it came time to choose a wedding venue it was at the top of our list, after visiting a couple of other venues nothing really compared. Bracu complimented our wedding style and colour scheme perfectly.

Tell us about your wedding style. What influenced your planning for the day?

Our wedding style was classic and elegant, we wanted a style that would stand the test of time which definitely worked in our favour with 2 years of postponements we didn’t make too many changes during that time from the initial style consultation with Two Foxes.

What was your favourite detail from the day?

So many favourite details of the day, some of the small touches were custom napkins with a cartoon of our beloved pup who was back home in Australia and couldn’t be a part of the day. Instead of dessert we only served our amazing wedding cake and handed our choc bars to all of our guests, the brides favourite NZ treat. We also played “hype” songs for each person giving a speech that reminded us of each person.

What was your favourite moment from the day?

We had 9 attempts at getting married due to Covid, our first wedding date was set for May 2020 and with continuous border closures we postponed / rescheduled 9 times before we were successful – The whole day was our favourite moment. We got to celebrate with the most important people in our lives and merge our families together in best way possible.

What does marriage mean to you?

Getting to go through life with your best friend.

Who were your stand out vendors?

Two Foxes Styling – Their support throughout the whole journey was amazing I don’t think we would have got through it without them.

Zanda Photography – After our original photographer dropped out after the 8th reschedule Zanda was available and our photos turned our exactly how we wanted and better.

Bad Panda Productions – These guys exceeded our expectations with the end result. They added to the fun of our day, a wedding videographer was something we added post our first postponement and I am so glad we did it is worth every cent.

I Do with Nikayla Jane – We have forged a friendship with Nikayla after her encouragement and support over the 2 years of postponements. Her personality is exactly what we needed and wanted for our celebrant.

Advice for other couples planning a wedding?

You can plan everything down to the finest detail and things will still happen that are out of your control on the day. In the end these things don’t really matter you are marrying the love of your life surrounded by the people who love you the most.

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