An Anna Campbell Bride and her Coachella Festival Inspired Beach Wedding

We’re destined for Australia for a breezy, boho wedding on the beach, full of tents, a sheer sparkly Anna Campbell dress and sunshine today lovelies – grab your sunnies and come away with me.

It’s a pleasure to introduce executive assistant Brooke and her beau Chris, a rope access technician, who married on 1 March 2018 at The Woods of Jervis Bay, Tomering, Australia.

The pair took music and arts festival Coachella as inspiration for their two-day celebration, with a focus on being in nature and the outdoors.

Photography Nathan Lapham

“Coachella was our initial inspiration. We wanted the two days to feel like a festival. To be honest we didn’t want anything to feel like a wedding; initially we both weren’t even interested in having a cake. It had to be outdoors and natural.”

The Woods of Jervis Bay looks like the most incredible beachside venue, with a wonderfully airy, timbered ceremony room directly on the beach. Brooke and her bridesmaids got ready in a neighbouring tipi in the most relaxed way possible. As a trained make-up artist, Brooke applied her own make-up and Studio Luxe Hair styled her hair into relaxed, boho waves.

“My bridesmaids all work in the fashion, modelling and makeup industries so they applied their own.”

Brooke’s gown is something really special; an Anna Campbell creation of a sheer, sparkly dress layered over a cute playsuit. I love the romantic sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves which flow into the daring skirt and train.

“Finding my Anna Campbell dress is actually a story of fate. I had created a Wedding Dress Inspo album on Pinterest and I had pinned a photograph of Anna Campbell’s ‘Sydney’ dress but at that time I didn’t know who the designer was and hadn’t looked into it further.”

“A few months later my aunty and I decided to meet in Melbourne for my birthday and I thought it would be the perfect time to look at wedding dresses. I went straight to Google and typed in ‘Melbourne Wedding Dress’ as I scrolled through, judging bridal boutiques by their names.”

“There was a link for Anna Campbell and the tagline read ‘Bohemian Bridal’ – just what I was looking for to suit our Wedstival-themed day. Scrolling through the design gallery I found the dress from my Pinterest album! I booked my appointment right then and there for their Armadale boutique.”

She accessorised with Windsor Smith shoes and a striking crown adorned with crystals and pearls. The bridesmaids wore cute Shona Joy playsuits in a pinky-nude hue, perfect for the beach. They all carried sumptuous hand-tied bouquets of blowsy blooms and leaves, which had been put together by Lillies & Lace Weddings.

As Brooke prepared, Chris donned a laid-back combo of white shirt, chinos and braces, all from ZARA Man. The bride has some lovely words to share about her husband.

“What I love most about Chris is unwavering faith that things will be okay, no matter the situation. He is steadfast, always. Life has thrown us some tricky curveballs, but he always has this big smile and this amazing confidence as he says ‘It’s all good!’”

The couple married in the ceremony barn before heading out to the beach with their guests, where these beautiful shore-side photos were taken. Their relaxed, boho vibe, captured by Nathan Lapham, is just gorgeous.

I love the story behind Brooke and Chris’s relationship; a real, modern-day love story.

“We were actually matched together by a mutual friend playing Cupid. I had finished working on a site in WA and had moved to Sydney. Two months after I had moved a work college contacted me to let me know he had just met the male version of me!”

“He sent me his Instagram details and told me to contact him, which I refused to do. This friend was also insisting Chris get in contact with me. Eventually we became social media friends, silently following each other on Instagram, with an occasional heart here or there for each other’s photographs.”

“One day I shared quite a personal post about my past struggles and things I have overcome in life to be where I am today. Chris read it and his heart said ‘I need to meet this girl!’.”

“He sent me such a lovely message the day he read the post that melted my heart and we began to message daily. Over the course of a month we began to talk on the phone and eventually it became daily Facetime calls.”

“My dad worked on the same site as Chris and met him before I did; I still remember the day he phoned to give me his stamp of approval. We have been inseparable since the day we finally met in person.”

“The proposal was at sunrise at Sealy Lookout in Coffs Harbour on Good Friday. It was followed by a weekend of romantic activities which included staying at the gorgeous Establishment Hotel in Sydney and watching Tash Sultana live. We had three whole days to ourselves in our little bubble of love before we announced the proposal to anyone.”

The day continued with a relaxed, al fresco feast from Smokey Dan’s, JJ’s At The Marina and Wandering Wood Fire Oven with sweets courtesy of Mercier’s Gelato and a cake created by Chris’s mum, Anka Crooke.

The party really kicked off in the evening with music from Mild Manic and live DJ sets from Exstrax and DJ Indiana. This was one of Brooke’s favourite parts of the day.

“We had a lovely antique dressing table setup with jars of glitter and face paint for guests to decorate themselves with during the reception.”

“Later in the evening, I stepped back and I saw all the glittery faces around me. Every single one of our guests was smothered in glitter and I just smiled. It warmed my heart to see everyone had embraced our vision, however different and weird it was. Everyone joined in and for two days they were free spirits with us.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Enjoy the wedding planning process; savour it. This is a time that really reveals you and your partner’s ability to work together.”

“I was working on a remote mine site for ten months of our planning period while Chris was travelling working/surfing in Chile and we still planned our perfect wedding.”

“Consciously choose to love and respect your partner daily. Don’t let how you feel dictate how you treat each other. Also, I highly recommend learning your partner’s love language.”

Well Brooke and Chris, it’s been wonderful to share your coastal wedding day. Thank you so, so much for sharing it with us. I think I’m a bit in love with your gown too, Brooke.

Many thanks too to Nathan Lapham for this divine photography. Lovelies, if you’d like to get more inspiration for your own beach wedding then take a look here.

Ele xx