Emma and Ben’s high-flying engagement leads to chic autumn wedding

Waiting for a proposal can make a girl crazy, but Ben Minchinton delivered at the right time.

Ben, 30, met Emma Webster, also 30, while studying at Latrobe University in Victoria, where they fell hard and later lived out their dreams of travel. One round-the-world trip down and soon enough the couple were itching for the next adventure. “We gave up everything to go travelling,” explains Emma. “I had an inkling Ben might propose in Africa, but nearing the end of our time nothing had happened.”

Cue a hot-air-balloon ride: “I always wanted my proposal to be a surprise, and Ben certainly managed that,” explains the bride. “I was completely outraged when he took the camera from my hands during a dawn balloon flight in the Maasai Mara — there were lions below! — only to have him propose, cool as a cucumber, in the very crowded balloon basket without anyone else noticing. We later joked that if I’d said ‘no’ he could have thrown himself to the lions.”

The pair married at their autumn wedding on April 4, 2015 in the presence of 120 guests. Their ceremony and reception at Grange Cleveland Winery in Emma’s hometown, Lancefield, Victoria was all planned from their new home in Perth where they’d relocated after travelling. “The day of our wedding, Easter Saturday, was the type of day I think every bride dreams of; still, sunny and stunning,” smiles Emma.

Photos courtesy of Corey Sleap Wedding Photographer.

“Sometimes its hard to describe your dream dress before you see it,” recalls Emma. “As soon as I saw the ‘Carolina’ dress I knew it was the one,” she says of the gorgeous Anna Campbell design.

Emma’s bouquet was a colourful blend of natives and her favourite – king proteas. “I couldn’t believe I was going to carry something so beautiful,” she praises.

“As it was autumn, the deciduous trees around the courtyard were all changing colour. It was magnificent,” describes Emma of the vista at Grange.

“I have never felt more beautiful than on my wedding day, and my hair never budged an inch!” says Emma. It was all thanks to Livingdolls Makeup Artistry.

In lieu of favours, Emma and Ben “made one donation per table (14 in all), and chose seven charities or organisations close to our hearts.”

 

The newlyweds packed their bags for a mini-moon to Tasmania ahead of another overseas adventure later this year.