HARPERS BAZAAR // REAL BRIDE : Sophie & Jamie's Romantic WA wedding
BAZAAR BRIDE: SOPHIE AND JAMIE'S ROMANTIC, RURAL WEDDING IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
AS SEEN IN HARPERS BAZAAR
With a touch of Italian charm.
When a chance encounter during a weekend away bought Sophie Heath and Jamie Clough together, there began the start of a relationship that would blossom at some of the most picturesque spots Western Australia has to offer.
First, where it all began— Dunsborough—a coastal town and one of the state's most popular holiday destinations thanks to its white sand and crystal clear waters; the engagement at Margaret River, where a tour of Moss Wood Wines ended in Clough getting down on one knee; and finally the wedding— held in the grounds of Tannamurra Homestead in the Swan Valley—arguably the most special location owing to the fact that the property is owned by the groom's family. On the day itself, guests got to witness the full splendour of Tannamurra's gardens with an outdoor ceremony and a reception held in a clear marquee. Dinner and dancing enjoyed under the stars made for a magical conclusion to the day. To see all the photos from their wedding and the highlights the bride's own words, keep reading.
On finding the dress
I was incredibly lucky. The perfect dress was the very first dress I tried on! I knew that I liked the idea of tulle and I was open to the idea of not having a white dress. So when I tried on the blush tulle Marella gown at the Moira Hughes boutique in Sydney it felt as though it was meant to be. When the girls put on the veil I had that bridal moment that everyone talks about and knew I had found the dress.
On how they met
Jamie and I met through friends on a chance encounter in Dunsborough, south of Perth. I was there for a girls weekend at a friend's house (or so I thought) and in walks Jamie to spend the weekend with my friend's brother. We clicked straight away, and six years later we would be getting married.
On the proposal
We were in Margaret River for a weekend away with friends. After a tour of Moss Wood we went for a walk through the vines and he got down on one knee and proposed then and there.
On the location
Tannamurra is Jamie's family property. He has so many cherished childhood memories growing up there and it has been a common place of so many special moments of our relationship.
On the overall vision for the day
We wanted our wedding to feel intimate, filled with our beautiful families, closest friends, great food and fantastic wine. Tannamurra, the property, holds so many special memories for us and the house and gardens are so beautiful we really wanted to lean into the natural beauty of the place and let it shine. Romance was a focal point, and as much as possible we wanted our guests to feel as though they were dining in the garden under the starry night sky. The reception was in a clear marquee with mood lighting inside and low candles on the tables, while outside the trees were lit up with fairy lights. It was so magical, it really felt as though we were dining under the stars.
On her arrival and exit from the ceremony
I stayed at the property the night before the wedding with my bridesmaids. We then got ready at the property so we didn't need to travel far. Our entrance was walking out of the house and through the garden to the ceremony. The boys got ready on a boat in the Swan River before driving up to Tannamurra.
On the accessories
I sourced some vintage 1920s star hair clips that I loved and I was lucky enough to borrow a beautiful diamond tennis bracelet and I was gifted diamond earrings for the day. I don't have any living grandparents, so most special to me were my grandmothers' wedding bands, which I had sewn into my dress. It was nice having them with me through all of the moments of the day.
On the guests
We had 120 people. We both have large families so our wedding was never going to be small, but it still felt intimate with half of our guests being family and the other half friends.
On the food and drinks
The food was Italian themed. The freshly made ravioli filled with burrata and the honied semifreddo were definitely highlights. We quite selfishly chose all our favourite wines also. At about 9pm we had espresso martini's served on the dancefloor which were a big hit with all our guests.
On the cake
I have a chocolate obsession so it was always going to be a chocolate cake. The brief was nailed with a two tier layered chocolate mud cake with chocolate ganache.
On the flowers
I opted for a beautiful organic style bouquet in whites/creams, vintage, blush tones and rich burgundys. I had lots of fragrant garden roses and lush foliage in rich tones. For the venue, we had lots of garden inspired greenery with pops of florals in dusty pink and burgundy. We also adorned the dining tables with olive branches that were picked from the property only days before.
On the photography
We are terrible at taking photos of ourselves so we wanted to make sure we got some beautiful couple portraits. We also wanted lots of black and white photos as I think they are so timeless. Teneil gave us that and more.
On the entertainment
During the ceremony and the pre dinner drinks we had a string trio play. They played lots of modern music. There's something really cool about hearing your favorite pieces of music on violin! At the reception, our DJ, Aslan, was absolutely amazing. He had everyone up and dancing on the dance-floor before the mains had even come out!
On the first dance song
'A Sky Full of Stars' by Coldplay. Jamie loves Coldplay, and I knew that if I was going to convince him to dance with me it would have to be a song that he loved.
On the most memorable moment of the day
The walk down the aisle was a very emotional and unexpected moment for me. I hadn't really contemplated how overwhelming it would feel having everyone's eyes on me. Luckily I had dad there with me to nervously cling on to. As soon as I saw Jamie though it was like everyone else fell away and I could relax and breathe normally again. There were so many memorable moments of the day, but I loved our vows. We did alternating vows, which makes you feel very connected to your partner when going back and forth. I think it really reflected who we are as a couple. Also, all of the speeches during the reception were actually amazing—I think I laughed and cried in equal measure!
But most of all I just loved all of the love and joy that surrounded us on the whole day and especially on the dance-floor. I felt like everyone was having just as much fun as we were and that was so special to us.
On her advice for future brides
If I could only choose one tip to give it would be to get a good wedding planner. Until you go through the process you don't realise that planning a wedding is a full time job, especially in the 3 months leading up to the wedding.
THE BRIDE'S LITTLE BLACK BOOK
Bride's dress: Moira Hughes
Shoes: Freya Rose
Hair: Shelby Graham
Makeup: Brittany Mason
Veil/accessories: Veil by Moira Hughes
Engagement & Wedding Ring: Linneys Jewellery
Flowers: Poppy's Flowers
Groom's suit: MJ Bale
Bridesmaids' dresses: Camilla and Marc
Wedding ceremony and reception: Tannamurra
Photography: Teneil Kable
Catering: Comestibles
Invitations: Paper Fusion
Wedding Planner and Stylist: Nina Ma'Belle Weddings
Transport: Hughes Limousines
Musicians: Dolce Ensembles DJ: ASLAN
Event Production: OMG Production
As seen in Harpers Bazaar
Story excerpts taken from the article that appeared on Harpers Bazaar January 2020
BAZAAR BRIDE: SOPHIE AND JAMIE'S ROMANTIC, RURAL WEDDING IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
With a touch of Italian charm. BY GEORGIE HAIGH
https://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/bazaar-bride/tannamurra-homestead-wedding-19738