Samantha & Andrew’s Dream Wedding at BeeKeepers Inn: A Love Story

Originally built in 1859, The BeeKeepers Inn is a uniquely diverse country location in the heart of Central West NSW. Surrounded by 20 acres of lush landscape, an orchard, gum trees, and established gardens family and friends got to enjoy this beautiful setting for Samantha and Andrew’s wedding.

With the large red barn doors of the 1859 Brewing Co building as the ceremony backdrop, it was the perfect background for Samantha and Andrew to exchange thier “I do’s.

The classic wedding colours of navy and white that the couple chose came to life with the pop of yellow from the sunflowers the bride and her wedding party carried.

After the ceremony family and friends got to have some fun playing party games and enjoying freshly popped popcorn from the old-time machine.

Wedding Photographer

De Lumiere Photography

Wedding Locations

The BeeKeepers Inn

Brides Look

My style was very rustic vintage for the day, I wanted to be comfortable, preferably able to use the dress again and still feel bridal. I chose a dress off Etsy, handmade in Italy consisting of a skirt and two tops. I had a half flower crown of baby’s breath with pearl accessories. Because of the height difference between me and Andrew I had two pairs of shoes: super high heels for walking down the aisle and the first dance, and flats for pretty much everything else.

The Grooms Look

Andrew wore a blue suit with suspenders and a bow tie to complement the vintage theme and allow for a more casual look later in the evening. He also carried an engraved pocket watch. The blue was chosen to go with the yellow sunflowers.

Wedding Party Fashion

The bridesmaids wore navy dresses that were comfortable and flattering on all body shapes. The groomsmen wore the same outfit as Andrew but without the suit jacket.

The Theme or Wedding Decor

The theme of the wedding was probably closest to rustic vintage. I made a lot of the decorations myself and kept it pretty simple: old books, baby’s breath, upcycled jars, and chalkboards. I had a lot of fun being creative on a budget. I even hand-made packets of sunflower seeds as wedding favours. We wanted it to be sweet and simple. We loved the BeeKeepers Inn from the moment we saw it and its small size allowed us to keep it an intimate and personal event. We also wanted it to be fun so we hired a popcorn machine and some party games.

The Ceremony

Above all, we wanted to keep our ceremony short and simple. Andrew and I were able to choose all the elements of the ceremony script which made it really personal. Tanya made this easy with a bunch of examples we could choose from or alter. We were able to ask for all our family and friends to consent to the marriage instead of just our immediate families and we were able to do our own vows (which promptly resulted in a lot of tears). It felt very genuine and suited us perfectly.

The Importance Of A Good Celebrant

Tanya was incredibly supportive and helpful in designing a ceremony that suited us and made us feel comfortable. She also met us at the BeeKeepers the day before and made us do a rehearsal (something we didn’t think we needed but absolutely did, thank you for that). She was ready with tissues for happy tears and made sure that our voices could be heard without breaking the moment by handing us microphones. She also dealt with the sound of truck airbrakes remarkably well. I would say finding a celebrant you click with and feel comfortable around is a very important part of having a wedding go well.

Personalising The Wedding

We wanted people to be comfortable and have a good time, so we provided a lot of fun and useful things like blankets, popcorn, and games. I spent months working on the perfect playlist to make sure people danced and had a good time (which absolutely worked).

Your Favourite Moment

My brother did a spontaneous speech which was honestly the best speech either of us had heard. It blew us away and was an absolute highlight of the night.

Your Wedding Day Advice

You don’t have to go big to have a good time. Also sometimes the things that go wrong are the things that make good stories.

Unexpected Hiccups

Our bus to take guests home broke down after we left, but the Beekeepers opened the bar back up and everyone had a great time!

Your Wedding Team

Venue: Beekeepers Inn

Florist:  Vanessa Pringle Floral Designs

Photographer: De Lumiere Photography

Celebrant: Tanya McDonald Building Forevers