“Love is a force more formidable than any other.

It is invisible – it cannot be seen or measured,

yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment,

and offer you more joy than any material possession could.”

– Barbara de Angelis

Be still my beating heart.

This wedding is one of the most magnificent weddings that has ever come across my desk.

I love the warmth, the love, the happiness of this stunning couple. A beautiful country wedding with touches of glamour, elegance and fun.

Thanks to the gorgeous Mr & Mrs Barnes for sharing their special day with The Central Nest. We wish you (and your growing baby bump) all the best for your futures together xo

The Love birds: Tess & Martin Barnes, married 18 January 2014.

Ceremony & reception: Waldara, Oberon.  The bridal party enjoyed staying at Waldara for the whole weekend.

The property has two houses- a homestead, where the ladies got ready and a barn house, where the men got dressed. The ceremony was on an island, in the shade of some big old trees (as it was forecast to be in 38 degrees that afternoon!) The bridal party and the guests then had drinks and canapés in the garden of the homestead which overlooked the property.  The reception was in a specifically designed barn (which was completed just in time-the day before!!)

The dress: The bride says the dress was the first one she tried on! It was a Maggie Sottero gown which had a couple of alterations including changing the back from lace up to lace covered buttons. She also chose to wear capped sleeves for the ceremony and then look them off for the reception.

Groom & wedding party attire: Suits from Jack Holman’s Menswear.

The bridesmaid dresses were originally found on Pinterest! After extensive searching online the bride was able to locate them locally in Orange!

The Flower girls wore dresses from Myer.

Hair/makeup: Kayla and Melissa from Luxe Hair and Body did an amazing job on hair and makeup.

The bride wanted an elegant and soft look and was extremely happy with the result. The luxe girls travelled to Waldara and the bride says their relaxed personalities added to a beautiful morning preparing!

In the weeks leading up to the wedding the girls were pampered by the lovely ladies at Beauty 4U.

Food: Felicity Thompson and her team created a delicious menu using fresh local produce.

Canapés –
Chicken, dill and rocket mini sandwiches.
Corn blinis with avocado and cherry tomato salsa.
Crispy pork belly with caramelised dressing.
Coconut prawns with mango mayonnaise.
Homemade sausage rolls with char grilled tomato chutney.
Chicken balls with roasted red capsicum relish.

Main course –shared platters in the middle of each table
Whole fillet of beef, with mini potato galette and roasted truss tomatoes.
Salad of mixed leaves with avocado, caramelised walnuts, nashi pear and shaved Parmesan.

Dessert–  An extensive dessert table prepared by Legall Patisserie
Date and crème brulee tart
Crème brulee
Lemon tart
Coffee choux
Raspberry almond tart chocolate choux
Macaroons
Japonais
Fruit flan
Toffee Choux
Wedding cake

Midnight Snack – Narromine smoked ham, with crusty bread rolls and chutney.

Cake: Cakes by Katrina.

Photographer: Jennifer Stocks Photography and Katie McKay Photography.

The bride says she was over the moon with the photos captured. She says the photographers were so much fun. Tess didn’t want to miss out on any of the party so the photographers managed to take photos during canapés! It was perfect!

The bride and groom say that the photos were a perfect reflection of the day. There was so much fun- no standing in a line posing! They really show the happiness of the day, everyone is smiling and laughing the whole time.

Cars: They had golf carts to take the girls to the Island. Family members were the drivers.

Stationary: The groom’s mother designed all the stationary. This was particularly lovely as she designed a logo with the bride and groom’s names on it with an olive tree in the background (Martin’s grandmother’s name was Olive). This logo was used on the invitations, menus, the order of service fan, kids colouring in book and the thank you cards. They bride and groom also has stubby holders and etched wine glasses made for the guests using the logo.

Music: Kyle Manning, a family friend sung and played the key board as the bride walked down the aisle and signed the registry. His band arrived later that night and had everyone up dancing for the entire night!

Special moments: The bride and groom say “the best thing about our wedding was of course the outcome, being married! However, our favourite thing on the day was having all of our favourite people in the same place, at the same time! That is a once in a lifetime occurrence and we are so grateful that all our friends and family could be there to share in the best day of our lives!”

Guests: 125

Stockists: Reception/ceremony: Waldara, Oberon | Dress: Abbey Bridal – Maggie Sottero gown | Suits: Jack Holman | Flower girl: Myer | Hair/makeup: Luxe Hair & Body | Beauty: Beauty4U | Dessert: Legall Patisserie | Cake: Cakes by Katrina | Photographer: Jennifer Stocks Photography & Katie McKay Photographer |Music: Kyle Manning