Relaxed Backyard Australian Wedding

Any time we know we’ve got a bride who made all the decor and favors herself, we get an extra kick out of it. Love Katie + Sarah and Moss Industry are here to share this beautiful backyard wedding in Australia that’s just about as relaxed as it gets. No bridal party, no sit-down meal, and no unnecessary frills — just lots of dancing, love, and wood-fired pizza!

From the bride, Hayley: Hugh and I love a party, so there was no theme or style. We just wanted a big party with our favourite people and a wedding thrown in there somewhere. Food, Booze and Dancing. It was a DIY mishmash. I made all the decorations (bunting and potted succulents) and party favours (piccalilli and plum jam). We didn’t go over the top with decorations as the location was so beautiful that we didn’t need to and also I didn’t want to stress over the planning and wanted to enjoy the process so we kept it basic. Hugh and I are not very polished people, we’re a bit rough around the edges so it made sense that the day was the same. We didn’t bother with bridal parties as we just didn’t see the point. We didn’t want a sit down wedding so we got a wood fire pizza truck come and just churn out food for a few hours, it was perfect, everyone was on their feet and mingling, eating, drinking and hanging out.

I only met with the florist 3 days before the wedding and she was so cool and lovely. I wanted succulents (my favourite) and local native shrubs and flowers. I wanted the location to be incorporated and inspire the day. There weren’t many flowers, just a bouquet for me and my daughter and a couple of large arrangements at the entrance, they blended in so beautifully with the wild bushy surrounds of the property. We also got our friend Zoe to make a (gluten and dairy free for Hugh) cake covered in succulents and it looked rad!

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Yes. Don’t go overboard, at the end of the day its about you and your partner, not the table settings. Make sure you enjoy the process and don’t sweat the little things (no one else will). On the day, don’t get caught up in the running of the day, just enjoy all of it, eat the food, drink the wine, dance, hang out and have the best day ever. Too many times Ive heard that the couple were stressed the whole day and they got so stuck making small talk that they didn’t even get to eat the food, that’s just crazy! I wanted to get in on the action and enjoy the party I put so much work and love into.

View all images from this wedding in the galleryWedding Music:
Processional: “Moon River,” as sung by Audrey Hepburn
Certificate Signing: “For Once in My Life,” Stevie Wonder / “God Only Knows,” The Beach Boys
Reception Entrance: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
Choosing music was way harder than we anticipated. We’re both music lovers so it had to be right. Our favourite love songs are all tragic and intense, not suitable for a wedding so it took forever to get a playlist together. We went with classic songs so everyone could get excited and so we knew the songs wouldn’t date badly. We then had a long playlist of songs while we greeted everyone of both new and old tracks, then had an amazing cover band until 11:00pm, after they clocked off we just handed over the iPod to the crowd and had the best craziest dance party for hours.