Natalie: Peter and I have been together for 14 years.
We fell pregnant by surprise when we were 22 and thought we’d only have a small family, but over the years we had a couple more surprises and now we have three beautiful boys. We live in Fremantle where I run my fashion brand, Wild Horses Label, and Peter works for a metal and mining corporation in Perth.
We might have done it ‘backwards’, getting married after having three kids, but actually it’s quite nice as I feel the hard part in a relationship can be when the children first come along. It really tests you as an individual, as a parent and in your relationship. I feel like we’re really strong now and we really know each other. We’ve grown together throughout the years and shared many special moments, the memories of which fill our hearts.
Anything simple and chic is 100 percent me, so I really wanted to ensure our special day was elegant and minimal, but fun. My favourite styling element was the florals by Sir Botanical. Our venue already had a cool atmosphere on the rooftop with festoon lights, umbrellas and plant boxes, so we didn’t really need to do much more. When the sun set and the festoon lights came on, I felt like we were somewhere in Europe.
Having my own fashion label, I knew I wanted to make my own wedding dresses, so I sketched out some designs and sort of went with the flow. Peter decided to go for a sleek look in a French navy colour. He tried on a few suits at Myer and some local boutiques, but then we stumbled across a Target suit when we were out shopping for the kids and discovered it wasn’t too bad — the craftsmanship was good quality, the fabric was 100 percent cotton, it fit like a glove and was a mere $150 for the whole ensemble! We did go to Myer and get a nice shirt and bow tie to finish the look.
One of my most memorable moments from our wedding day was when my sister presented me with our nanna’s sapphire necklace. I was stunned and proudly wore it all day as my something old, borrowed and blue.
Planning a wedding can be stressful, because you want everything to be picture perfect, but in our experience, the only thing that matters is your commitment to each other, great food and drinks, and having a really good photographer to capture everything on film, as you forget so easily.
To us, marriage is a meaningful way to express to everyone how we feel. Our life is sort of the same as it was before, but we have a new, unspoken respect for each other and it’s so nice to see Peter wearing his wedding ring with pride.
Photography: Courtney Illfield | Groom’s and groomsmen’s suits: Target | Groom’s and groomsmen’s shirts and ties: Myer | Bride’s dresses & reception earrings: Wild Horses Label | Hair: The Pretty Parlour | Makeup: Kinga Markovic | Bride’s fragrance: The Vow by Nicole Trunfio at Lumira | Venue, Catering & Planning: Tradewinds Hotel | Shoes: Gucci | Bridesmaids’ dresses: Bec & Bridge | Celebrant: Danicia Quinlan | Flora: Sir Botanical | Entertainment: Darren Gibbs & Jasmin Dunlop | Rings: Solid Gold Diamonds | Cake: The Cake and I | Styling: The Bride
