Ryley and Brandan's rustic Bonfire Station wedding

Even a state-wide lockdown couldn’t foil Brandan’s plans to propose to Ryley. “Despite intending to ask me to marry him on a weekend trip away, Brandan got down on one knee in our lounge room!” remembers Ryley. Soon the pair were planning a rustic celebration at Bonfire Station in beautiful Central Victoria.

“We were after a venue that had a relaxed, rustic vibe,” explains Ryley. “We wanted our guests to have fun and not be stuck sitting next to someone at a table! So, we opted for Bonfire Station — it fit all of our needs.”

To photograph their day, the couple turned to Hayden of Weddings By Hayden. “Hayden went above and beyond!” remembers Ryley. “He bought along his friend Josh, a videographer, who captured the whole day on film. Hayden and Josh made taking photos and filming throughout the day an enjoyable experience. We have had so many compliments on our photos.”

For her wedding day look, Ryley wore a modern two-piece gown with a full skirt and sleek halter-style top. In fitting with the rural and rustic aesthetic of the day, the bride carried a bouquet of banksias and was accompanied by her bridesmaids dressed in sage and rust tones.

The ceremony took place in Bonfire Station’s tree plantation, where guests enjoyed beverages in the shade. “Chris was wonderful,” says Ryley of their celebrant — Chris Heslip of Chris Ceremonies. “He added a little bit of humour to our ceremony, which is what we were after. Our favourite part of the ceremony was sharing our vows.”

When the formalities had finished, the celebration moved to the venue’s main building, where canapes and celebratory champagne were served. Bonfire Station’s rustic ambience was perfectly complimented by native florals and timber stylings. “We had a work friend custom make signage for the venue for us,” explains Ryley. “Using old pieces of wood, he hand-painted each sign. It really added to the rustic feel of the venue.”

After dining on a feast of souvlakis, burgers, squid and chips, and bao buns, guests enjoyed a vegan chocolate-strawberry-ripple and biscoff-buttercream cake created by Brandan’s mum. “We wouldn’t change a thing about our wedding day,” says the happy couple. “We did a lot of DIY with the set-up. We were fortunate to have the help of the lovely staff at Bonfire Station as well as our friends and family.”

If we could reccommend one vendor to all other couples, it would have to be our photographer, Weddings by Hayden. He put together a run-sheet which really helped us make sure we had everything organised for the big day. He took photos of everything, and even stayed back an hour just to capture the night antics.