A Backyard Bach Wedding: Sometimes Simple is Perfect

‘We’re getting married at a family bach in Leigh,’ said Sarah and Andrew when we met last year. I loved that idea so much!

Takes a whole lot of stress out of trying to find a venue and when I think of the family baches in my life, and the incredibly beautiful memories that they hold for generations of family … I thought it was a perfect choice for a wedding for so many reasons.

Photography: Wild Folk

Plus – Andrew proposed to Sarah on a jetty at a bach at Lake Rotoiti.

That’s my soul place – I spent all my summers there growing up and it’s very special to me … so we immediately bonded over that and were a great wedding team!

And I have to tell you how creative Andy got for his proposal … I love this!

He lit candles all along the jetty, he’d even tied string around a bottle of champagne and hung it into the water at the end of the jetty to chill. How’s that for impressive!

So these two definitely had a bach theme going on throughout their engagement – wedding journey.

Their wedding bach was tucked up on a hill in Leigh … at the end of the road, a few steps away from the gate … was a grassy gentle slope, tipping into a stunning panoramic view of the ocean that I knew would make an exquisite background for their photos.

Before I knew it, I was sitting on the verandah with members of the family, chatting about the day, the history of the bach and hanging out with the furry family members as well who had special roles in Sarah and Andrew’s ceremony.

The day had such an easy, chilled vibe about it already and it only got better as I walked out into the backyard to see how they had set things up.

There were vintage style chairs, little bunches of flowers in bottles, a driftwood arch which was a gorgeous way to bring the beachside into the backyard and the caterers had the tables set up in the garage, ready to carry out to reinvent the ceremony area into a dining area during the cocktail hour.

They had a bar set up which was already serving drinks and when Sarah finally walked up the aisle for her ceremony with her dogs … (both fur babies had flower garlands that matched the vibe of the day … and the blue of Sarah’s stunning blue shoes which I absolutely loved!) – the vibe was so relaxed!

 Sometimes, simple is best … and on this day, it was absolutely perfect.