Smith Wedding | Weddings in Hunter Valley

We met Josh and Emma at the beginning of 2019 with dreams of a September 2020 wedding. As with many couples in 2020, they had to make the difficult decision to postpone their special day, eventually settling on a November Saturday in 2021. And when the wedding day did finally roll around, Josh and Emma’s rustic boho wedding dreams came true.

The couple began their day getting ready in separate East Maitland accommodations, Emma and her party in the trusted hands of Kylie Edwards (makeup) and Niki Sneddon (hair). After a morning ice run to the venue, Josh and his groomsmen got dressed in their yd. attire accented with their funky Peggy & Finn ties, before departing for the ceremony in AL Kustom Kombi’s groovy red Kombi van. Josh arrived to the ceremony ready to greet his guests after years of anticipating this day, while the girls finished getting dressed ahead of their Kombi ride. Emma’s gown from Brides to Be Somersby was the perfect embodiment of whimsical-boho, while Josh and Emma’s daughters in their A Little Lacey dresses and flower crowns looked like real-life fairies. Wearing multicoloured dresses from Dee’s Pop Up Shop, the bridesmaids piled into the Kombi Van with Emma and the flower girls, ready to finally see Emma walk down the aisle.

The ceremony was held across the lake at Walka Water Works and despite rain in the days leading up to the wedding, the weather was perfect aside from a few strong gusts of wind. A large tree made for the perfect back drop, which we decorated with family photos and dreamcatchers provided by Josh and Emma, the dreamcatchers dancing in the breeze. Vintage Peacock’s mismatched vintage chairs brought in the rustic element, as well as the welcome sign from Pink Swann.

Once the girls arrived in the Kombi, they made their way down the aisle to the sounds of Hunter Valley Wedding Entertainment’s live music. Emma gave her Dad a big hug before greeting Josh with a warm embrace. The ceremony officiated by Julie Muir Celebrant featured a reading by the couple’s eldest daughter, with both girls then sitting down with their grandparents to watch as Mum and Dad finally tied the knot and exchanged Michael Hill rings. Tears of happiness flowed as Josh and Emma read their vows, the ceremony concluding with a confetti toss.

While the guests grazed from a table spread by Sharp & Co., Stories with Mel did a wonderful job (as always) capturing the family and bridal party photos. Not only did Josh and Emma’s love for each other shine through, but Mel captured beautiful moments between the daughters and the family of four that we know will be treasured forever.

After years of waiting, it was time to get the party started! Walka Water Works made for the perfect venue, styled with hire items from The Event Master, Vintage Peacock and flowers from The Flower Alley. Pizza Event set up in one corner of the room to provide some live dinner theatre and serve unlimited delicious pizzas to the tables for four hours! Williams & Co. staffed the bar and had the drinks flowing all night long after chilling in a Chilly Box Mobile Cool Room. Hunter Valley Wedding Entertainment created the atmosphere, and guests made great use of the Hunter Valley Mirror Booth photo booth throughout the night.

Our director Louise got to do what she loves and perform MC duties for Josh and Emma. It’s our absolute pleasure to MC for our couples – we love delivering a personalised evening after getting to know you so well. Once Josh and Emma’s family and friends made their speeches, Louise coordinated a wedding reception favourite: The Shoe Game. The couple also opted to do the traditional formalities of a bouquet and garter toss, however when it came time for the garter, Emma realised she forgot to put it on! Louise and the bridal party conducted a thorough search for the now misplaced garter but to no avail. So Louise made the decision to use a flower crown as a makeshift garter which worked a treat. Josh successfully retrieved and tossed the flower crown so all’s well that ends well.

The couple chose not to have a traditional wedding cake, instead making a donut tower from delicious Dough Head goodies and feeding each other donuts in place of the traditional cake-on-forks moment. The wedding guests were spoilt for choice between the donuts and dessert pizzas from Pizza Event. Everyone danced the night away, then waving goodbye to the newlyweds as they departed in a Kings Hire Car sedan headed for their accommodation.

All in all, it was a lovely wedding which we loved planning, styling, coordinating and MCing. We wish Josh, Emma and their family the best as ‘The Smiths’.

Planning, Styling, MC & Coordination Hunter Events NSW: @huntereventsnsw | Hunter Events NSW

Venue: Walka Water Works

Caterer: @pizzaevent | Pizza Event

Photographer: @stories.with.mel | Stories With Mel

Celebrant: @julie_muir_celebrant| Julie Muir

Florist: @the_flower_alley | The Flower Alley

Styling Hire: @vintagepeacockhireandevents | Vintage Peacock Hire and Events

Styling Hire & Photobooth: @theeventmasterau | The Event Master

Entertainment: @acoosticmoose | Hunter Valley Wedding Entertainment

Bar: @williamscoau | Williams & Co

Makeup: @kylieedwards_makeuptans | Kylie Edwards Makeup & Tans

Hair: @hairstylist_nikisneddon | Niki Sneddon