Natural attraction: Holly and Riley’s native bush wedding

Holly and Riley let the beautiful surroundings do the talking at their native bush wedding.

“Our wedding venue, Moama on Murray, was perfect – surrounded by gum trees and riverside – it really spoke for itself,” Holly says.

The couple met in their hometown, Echuca, about a decade ago and headed just across the mighty Murray River for their March 29, 2019 celebrations.

“Soon after we got engaged I moved to Edinburgh for 10 weeks for work. At first, we thought we’d wait until the following November to get married as March seemed too soon. Then we decided, what the hell, let’s get it done! The best thing about having four months to organise a wedding meant we were so decisive,” Holly says.

Styling for the day complemented the bush setting, with native flowers in soft pinks and reds, rustic timbers and a relaxed marquee reception.

“Our mantra for the day really was, ‘oh well, it’ll work out’. And it did. A big celebration with our closest family and friends – what’s not to love?” Holly says.

“We’ve never felt so special to be surrounded by our favourite people enjoying good food, flowing drinks and a boogie on the dancefloor.”

Photos courtesy of The White Tree.

“I absolutely adored my wedding dress,” Holly says. It truly felt like ‘my dress’ – as soon as I tried it on, mum cried. The long sleeves and high neck were so elegant, while the flowers and split made it modern and fun.”

“We didn’t really have a theme,” the bride says. “We let the bush setting speak for itself and complemented it with stunning native flowers.”

“A highlight for the day was my friend driving us girls to the ceremony in his restored bottle green Mini Cooper. I hate being late so of course we beat some of the guests and had to cut some laps around the resort while they caught up,” Holly recalls.

“We met in a pub 10 years ago in our hometown, Echuca,” Holly says. “With a love of travel, there was never a rush to get married – much to the dismay of our friends and family! Finally, in July 2018 Riley popped the question during a holiday in Byron Bay. Turns out he had purchased the ring in April but was waiting for the ‘right moment’.”

Holly warns future DIY couples to try to stay organised. “If you are doing everything yourself, write a list of what you need to do, especially when setting up the venue the day before. While it was all OK in the end, we were a bit too relaxed with timing and what we needed to get done. As a result were were still setting up the marquee at 7pm the night before the wedding!”