Buckland Estate Wedding Open Day 28th Aug 2022

Last Sunday (28.8.22) was West Coast Weddings (Photo - Video - Drone), first attendance as a Buckland Estate wedding vendor at their open day and it was such an absolutely wonderful experience, with lots of interesting vendors and gorgeous wedding couples coming through this charming private country Estate. I think I want to move in and live there!!!!!

For those who have not yet visited this magnificent and stately Victorian Georgian Manor, you don’t know what you are missing! Established in 1836 it was one of the largest and most impressive private buildings in Australia set on 21 hectares in the Avon Valley. It simply oozes class and elegance, whilst retaining that country feel, and has breathtaking scenic views. Couples are spoilt for choice with several different indoor and outdoor options for your ceremony and reception and of course those all important wedding photos. Frankly it’s a wedding photographer and videographer’s paradise - next time I'm bringing my photography gear with me!

Buckland Estate has a range of accommodation for up to 60 guests, including within the main house itself, Daisy and Dempster Cottages and Glamping (for those who don’t mind shared facilities)!

The owner, Russel and his lady wife, were just fabulous hosts, treating us like old friends, and the Estate Manager, Di, made us most welcome. They were all so helpful in getting us set up in the stately Dinning Room - the ambiance was simply stunning to showcase our Albums, Artwork and Videos.

The event was organised by the awesome and talented pair, Sarah and Holly, from Confetti and Co, and their fabulous team who all worked tirelessness to ensure everyone had an enjoyable day and created the vibe for the whole event - providing exceptional wedding couple customer service.

Vince and I started the day enjoying the sunrise, and later with a complimentary coffee and hot chocolate (I don’t drink coffee) from Mia San Mia Coffee - that’s got to be good! We met Nikita (Celebrant) from Nuptials by Nikita who loves doing country weddings having grown up in the wheat belt - she’s a natural for it!

Because we were indoors, I didn’t get much of a chance to get out and mingle with the other vendors, but when I briefly did, I was astounded at the variety, creativity and expertise available from these hand-picked vendors for Buckland Estate by Confetti and Co - only the best of the best are invited!

Kirk Samuel Goodsell (Celebrant), the consummate, authentic, modern professional (whom we have personally used in the past), is always a pleasure to catch up with. I got to meet his opposite number, the out of the box, hilarious, Eddie Lemos Couto (Celebrant) for the first time with his adorable, cutie-tootsie Schnauzer sidekick! (Sorry, I can’t remember his name but it’s some type of food!)

On the subject of dogs - Buckland Estate welcomes them (and horses), and I am often asked by brides about including their animals in their wedding (since I am also a qualified pet photographer it’s a great blend for a wedding). I had a really good natter with Shannon, from Walks and Borks, who is a wedding dog wrangler extraordinaire, about how she can help couples to include their precious Fur Baby in their weddings - we also chatted about our own Fur Babies - of course! I think she and I will become “Besties” before too long!

The models who were the Bride and Groom for the day were dressed by Loui Col Designs and the Suit Vault, with hair and make-up by Stella Artistry. This fabulous pair really looked the part - absolutely glamorous and gorgeous!

I got to meet the lovely Sarah, the vocalist and harpist, from Harmony Sounds and Cheralyn, the electric violinist, from Varley Stings who’s energy was just unstoppable all day! Seriously, these girls know how to make a string really sing!

As I took a very quick wander around the grounds I got to sample some yummy finger-food from Sultan Pepper and saw the quaint Fire Truck Pizzeria and Locale Kitchen which were hugely popular.

Confetti and Co had set up a stunning example of reception styling along with Black Label Events and Harvest Hire and Style showcased some of their furniture offerings

I got to see Envy Event Group with their music set up, was entertained by the Champagne Wedding Duo and listened to solo guitarist Kitt Byfield Musician.

The stunning floral display on the veranda doorway was done by Poppys Flowers and the fragrance of the Jasmine wafting in was so relaxing all day - they provided the other florals around the venue as did Natural Floral Artistry

We also got to catch up with a few of our esteemed colleagues - Melissa, from Melissa’s Photography, Kirsty and Chad, from Rose and Rhyme Photography and Adam, from Infinite Productions.

I had a wonderful surprise on the day - one of my brides from an upcoming Buckland wedding, Sarah, dropped in with her Mum and I was so excited to finally get to meet her in the flesh (as she lives up north we have organised things remotely so far)!

At the end of the day some of the vendors shared a glass (or two) of bubbles courtesy of Sharka and Blake from the Little Tap Trailer and yummy baby cupcakes created by the gifted Janelle, from Cakes by Dark Cherry! What a great finish to an AWESOME day!

I know there were a ton of of other amazing vendors I missed - sorry - but hopefully next year I can organise some free time to move around, mingle and get some professional shots of people rather than the lightning quick happy-snaps I took for the blog from today!

Thank you so much to Russel (Buckland Estate), Sarah & Holly (Confetti and Co) for hosting and organising this fabulous open day, and for including West Coast Weddings as one of their hand-picked vendors - we feel honoured and privileged.

I can’t wait to follow up on our “Meet ’N” Greet” appointments over the next month with couples interested in finding out more about how West Coast Weddings can make all their magical wedding photography and videography dreams come true!