While Australians everywhere were celebrating our national day with barbecues and beer, SA couple Rebecca Engledow, 25, and Ashley Altus, 24, were getting hitched in a romantically styled – and classically Aussie – country wedding.
A date they won’t forget in a hurry.
They first met at a mutual friend’s nuptials in the very church where they would later exchange vows in front of 80-odd guests.
Ashley, a farmhand, proposed under the guise of chopping wood in the pair’s favourite paddock on his family’s farm. While taking a break, they sat in Ashley’s car – student Rebecca on his lap – and through the speakers Train’s “Marry Me” played, prompting Ashley to get down on one knee.
Rebecca says, “When it got to the chorus, he gave me this little look I will never forget, sat me down, went on one knee and – asked me to do just that!
“We celebrated with happy tears, then by building a fire and watching the sun go down whilst drinking champagne and eating a beautiful meal he had prepared.
“Not bad for an afternoon chopping wood!”
When it was time to start planning, sticking to their budget was a necessity. The pair used local suppliers, friends and family, and did lots of shopping around and DIY projects to achieve a dream wedding which, incredibly, totalled just $8,500.
With the chance of scorching Australia Day temperatures, the boys opted to go jacketless with shirts, vests and trousers from menswear store, Ed Harry.
Henry Roth helped Rebecca choose her embroidered organza gown at a designer day at Adelaide Brides and Bloom. “There was champagne and nibbles and it was a really fun atmosphere,” she recalls. “All the staff were so patient.”
Sticking to a budget was a top priority however the couple’s one splurge was flowers, using Gawler Flower Gallery to provide fresh bouquets of lisianthus and antique roses, and buttonholes for the boys.
Ashley and Rebecca purchased all the outfits for their bridal party themselves, including the pretty lilac bridesmaids frocks from Tea Rose.
Up-and-coming photographer Kelsey Marshall of Elevation Photography shot the pair’s wedding, locations including local parks, and oddly, a beautiful nursing home. “She has a gift!” praises the bride.
Photos courtesy of Elevation Photography.
