Adventurous couple Capen & Will are big fans of nature and the outdoors and it was a non-negotiable that their wedding by held outdoors under the trees. The goal was a magical, whimsical and dreamy garden celebration and as you can see in these images by Sydney wedding photographer AMELIA SOEGIJONO it was all that and more.
Prior to the Sydney event, this gorgeous couple actually eloped to remote Fogo Island in Newfoundland just a few short months before their daughter Sawyer made her arrival. "We love that we had our elopement ceremony just for us but we wanted to celebrate our marriage with our family and friends. We planned to have our dream wedding in Sydney at Will's family home – where we fell in love. It was the most magical day. It was so incredible having our baby girl in the wedding and I cannot wait to tell her all about it one day. Our wedding was put together by so many family members and friends who all worked together to make the day beautiful and meaningful. A lot of friends and family traveled from the U.S. to celebrate and the Americans and Australians all had an awesome time getting to know one another. Everyone danced and partied until the early morning. It was a day filled with so much love that I wish I could relive over and over again!"
HOW DID YOU MEET? Will and I met in a chance rooftop meeting while I was traveling in Sydney, Australia. He was this tall, handsome, blonde, sweet and funny Australian man who came over to say hello while I was reading a book at sunset. I was hooked on him pretty immediately but had to go back home to Boston to finish school. We spent the next year talking and getting to know each other through long conversations on the internet until he took a trip and visited the States. We met up in New York and San Francisco. Spending this time together we both knew we wanted to be together but there were some things holding us back. A couple months later I was planning to visit my best friend who was living in Sydney at the time. Because my relationship with Will continued to get stronger, I pushed my flight forward so that I could be with him. We started dating as soon as I landed in Sydney and we have been inseparable ever since. I didn't come home after 3 months like I was planning to. I continued to live in Sydney with Will for a total of 10 months until we both made the move to New York City together.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL: We have been living in New York for the past 3 years. Will fills my life with so much love, laughter and adventure. Our biggest adventure has been the arrival of our sweet baby girl, Sawyer. We found out we were expecting a baby a couple months before Will was going to propose. Once we found out, Will flew me up to my family lake house in Canada and proposed. I was completely surprised and so happy! We planned to elope in a far away place before the baby was born. We got married at one of the four corners of the earth on Fogo, Island in Newfoundland and Labrador – three months before Sawyer was born. It was such an amazingly romantic day exchanging vows in the snow by the sea.
TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS: I actually bought a wedding dress at Kleinfelds – it was a sample and it was beautiful but I kept looking around. Then one day I found this gorgeous dress by Eddy K on BHLDN’s website and it was so beautiful I got it sent to my apartment. I was going to return it if I didn’t love it. When I tried it on, I knew it was the dress. It fit me perfectly,
did not need any alterations and it just felt more like me.
DID YOU HAVE ANY DIY ELEMENTS? We had family and friends working at the house days before the wedding in order to put it all together. Will has this beautiful, old house with so much history and it is filled with incredible pieces. We used so many items from the house to tie everything together. So much of our wedding was DIY – flowers for the tables, centerpieces, decorations for the reception, the reception bar, two remote bars before and after the ceremony, all the fairy lights and lighting, hair & make-up, cornhole boards, stations for guests to do activities and tons of small decorations and details were done by friends and family! Will’s parents did SO much for our wedding. We are so grateful to them for letting us have our special day at the house – they put in hours and hours of work organising, planning and working on putting it together and taking it down days after the wedding was over.
FAVOURITE DETAIL OF THE DAY: It is so hard to pick a favourite detail! Because so much care and attention went into all of the decorations it is hard to pick just one – It honestly was all a dream!
DESCRIBE YOU WEDDING FLOWERS: I love pink! My flowers were beautiful, pink, unstructured and whimsical. I loved them. I also loved that all of the girls wore flower crowns – such a feminine and dreamy touch!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUT TO A COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? I would say if you are feeling stressed, to try to relax and breathe – it will all come together and it will be the best day ever!
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? The ceremony was our favourite part. It was so meaningful, emotional and beautiful sitting under the arch at Will’s house pledging our love to each other. Having that moment in front of all the people we love is something we will never forget.
A huge thank you to Sydney wedding photographer AMELIA SOEGIJONO for letting us share this truly stunning feature with our readers. If you're a Sydney bride be sure to check out more of Amelia's work in our vendor guide. As a wedding photographer Amelia is invested in your love story. "Working with you is not just another job to be completed but it is truly an honour and a gift and my life's work."
You might also want to check out this Stunning bridal shoot amongst wild horses and golden wheat fields.
