In a crowded room at a university party Imogen locked eyes on Chris and the rest as they say is history.
“He was friendly and chatted away to everyone, treating everyone the same and without any airs about him,” Imogen explains. “I watched him for a bit and then just went up to him and introduced myself.
“We talked until everybody else had left. I didn’t think I would see him again because he went to a different uni but he had friends at the same college as me and I saw him at a couple more parties.”
As is often the way, Imogen certainly wasn’t looking for love, but it found her all the same.
“The last thing I was looking for at the time was a relationship and I remember thinking early on ‘oh no, this is not part of the plan’, but it was just so easy, and still is, so I just altered the plan a little bit to fit him in,” Imogen says with a laugh.
The couple were wed this year on Bastille Day, July 14th, in Coonabarabran.
“We wanted an intimate and simple wedding that was minimal fuss,” the pair explained. “We decided to get married in Coonabarabran because it’s Imogen’s hometown and we live there, so we could just be at home, with our dog the night before the big day then get up in the morning and go.”
Being mid winter the pair opted to hold their ceremony inside St Lawrence’s church and treated their guests to a delicious, hearty homemade meal at their brunch reception afterwards at Tibuc Gardens Café, located in a peaceful bush setting near Warrumbungles National Park.
“The church has a beautiful stained-glass window and the sun was shining through it as we walked down the aisle together, which was just lovely,” Imogen says.
Imogen and Chris didn’t have a particular theme for their day, except to keep things simple and stripped back, with native flowers and greenery the only decorations in the church and at the reception. “We wanted the reception to feel like a laidback brunch with friends,” Chris says.
Guests were given little pots of succulents as thank yous, which were collected from Imogen’s parent’s garden.
For Chris, spending the morning of their wedding with his soon-to-be bride was a particularly special part of his day.
“Because Imogen and I planned on walking down the aisle together, we also spent part of the morning getting ready together – another break from tradition,” he says.
“Being with Imogen on the morning of the wedding helped with the nerves. Imogen had organised her own makeup for the day – but still needed assistance holding up the mirror so that she could do her makeup! Jack, our photographer, captured a photo of me holding a mirror for Imogen so that she could do her eye makeup. It was just really nice to sit in the living room with Imogen in the morning of our wedding; doing everything together, like we always do.”
While Imogen admits to also being a little nervous, walking down the aisle together was also one of her most memorable parts of the day.
“We were both nervous driving to the church and when we arrived the music was already playing. We barely had time to think about anything and I just remember holding Chris’ hand, looking at each other and saying, ‘are you ready? Yeah, I’m ready. Let’s do this!’,”she says.
Chris chose Rundle Tailoring to dress him for the big day. He wore a tailor made three piece suit in Holland Sherry super 120s brown herringbone twill.
Chris says his experience with Rundle Tailoring was fantastic.
“I had never been fitted for a suit before so the experience was a wholly new one. Giovanni, Kevin and Andrew were great, listening to what ideas I had before helping to select the right material and style for the suit – even down to selecting the right shade silk tie to match Imogen’s lipstick! The service was impeccable, and I think the final product speaks for itself. I think Rundle Tailoring really pride themselves in the work that they produce, and it really shows,” he says.
Rundle Tailoring Tip: Like Chris, treat yourself to a made to measure suit for your wedding and enjoy the experience.
Photographer: Jack Jones Photography // Flowers: Warrumbungle Flower Farm // Ceremony: St Lawrence’s Church, Coonabarabran // Reception and Catering: Tibuc Gardens Café // Bride gown: Q’Nique Bridal Wear from Atelier Rose Newcastle NSW // Rings: Bride’s ring from Meg Maskell Fine Jewellery, Groom’s ring from Whitney’s Jewellers Dubbo // Hair: Klipperz Hair Designs Coonabarabran // Make up: Bride’s own // Celebrant: Father Greg from Dubbo // Transport: Prugger’s Bus Service