Venue spotlight: The Duxton
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When Kerrie and Matt tied the knot in March this year, they wanted their day to be more relaxed than a stereotypical wedding.
After the ceremony and some gorgeous photos at the National Arboretum, they held a relaxed reception in The Oak Room and Terrace Bar at The Duxton in O’Connor. The newlyweds shared with us how they put together their perfect day.
THE SPACE
When picturing their big day, Kerrie and Matt knew they wanted to express their personalities and make it a fun event for the guests and themselves.
“We wanted a very down to earth vibe for our wedding, and we wanted something that represented us as a couple,” explains Kerrie. “The Oak Room at The Duxton, coupled with the outdoor Terrace Bar, had a very rustic feel with the new timber floors, timber furniture and leather couches. The terrace had a relaxed, chilled out atmosphere and we thought would be a good breakout spot for our guests to relax, take some photos and enjoy a drink (or two).
“We loved the flexibility of The Duxton packages, which allowed for the entire night to be catered to our personal tastes. The location also meant our guests didn’t have far to travel to their accommodation, as most were from out of town.”
THE LOOK
The couple were aiming for a rustic, vintage style, and found The Oak Room at the Duxton was the perfect place to create their dream look.
“As soon as we saw the space, we knew it was exactly how we pictured our reception venue. The reception looked amazing. From exposed timber rafters complete with fairy lights and natural plants, to the beautiful wooden tables, furniture pieces and flooring. The styling package from dream.hire.design worked really well with the venue features. We wanted to create a welcoming feel and the hanging jars, vintage books stacked on the tables combined with teacups of flowers created incredible imagery when we entered.”
THE DRESS
Just like the venue, Kerrie chose a dress that was a little bit different.
“Going into the dress process, I really didn’t know what style I wanted. Misty from Annabel’s Bridal Studio was great and so helpful, and after trying on a few simpler dresses that weren’t quite hitting the mark, it was her suggestion to pair the top of one dress, with the amazing, layered skirt. As soon as I had both on together, I loved it!
“Both dresses were from Q’Nique Bridal, and the skirt was ivory organza over a pearl satin layered skirt, and the top was an embroidered lace with cap sleeves and pearl belt. The detail of the bodice, the pop of colour, and all the layers… and by combining two dresses, I felt like I had a dress made just for me and I loved the result.”
THE FOOD AND DRINK
After consulting with the staff at The Duxton, Kerrie and Matt sampled the menu and decided on their selections well in advance of the reception. On the night, they enjoyed canapés and a sit-down dinner with their guests, but The Duxton also offers share plates and grazing style menus.
“We both love to eat and drink, so it was really important to us that our reception had this as a focus. We liked the idea of guests being able to select their own food, so the meal started with charcuterie and house made dips, followed with the entrée and main courses served sharing style. And to ensure guests could continue to mingle, drink and dance, we had dessert and our wedding cake served to a grazing table. The menu available at the Oak Room was varied, generous and absolutely delicious!
“One of the main reasons we chose The Duxton was the quality and number of beverages on offer. In addition to having the full bar open for all draught and bottled beers and ciders, there was a range of local wines (including adding moscato for us) and Veuve Clicquot for our guests to choose from.”
THE RECEPTION
On the day, Kerrie and Matt’s low-key wedding went off without a hitch. Then, the couple and their guests partied the night away in The Duxton’s comfortable and fun atmosphere.
“We arrived at the reception and found everyone was out on the terrace enjoying the weather, the comfy couches and the drinks. We also had a number of sunset photos outside The Duxton, with some really creative shots coming from simple spaces, including being a pain to the traffic as we got photos out the front at the pedestrian crossing.
“We both felt so relaxed having the reception at The Duxton. The staff were amazing with the lead up and working with us so we got exactly what we wanted, as we may have changed our minds a bit along the way. We could just tell that all our guests were having a good time, which made our night as well! We had some nerves about moving away from the traditional wedding style and venue, however, we would not have traded it for the world and we are so happy with the outcome of our big day.”
THE LITTLE DETAILS
VENUE The Duxton
CATERER Chef Scott Gooch at The Duxton
PHOTOGRAPHER Anthea and Lyndon Film and Photography
CELEBRANT Kirili Veliscek from agirlmeetsaboy
DRESS Q’Nique Bridal, from Annabel’s Bridal Studio
HEADPIECE Hair vine from Windsor Bridal Jewellery, veil borrowed from friend
HAIR Made Up By May
MAKEUP Blush Boutique
SHOES Badgley Mischka
JEWELLERY Borrowed from Bride’s mother
BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES ASOS
SUITS MJ Bale
RECEPTION STYLIST Dream.Hire.Design
FLOWERS Bouquets and buttonholes from Lilygrace Flowers
This is a sponsored editorial. For more information on sponsored editorials, click here.
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