Rustic Winter Wedding at Orchard Barn

Cass and Jake’s story began in a place built on honesty, courage and second chances. Introduced by a mutual friend who had a feeling they’d hit it off, and for them it felt quietly meaningful from the very beginning. Inspired by their love of vintage treasures and 60s–70s style, their rustic wedding was full of rich rust tones, textured florals, collected heirlooms and thoughtful nods to family and home. Every beautiful moment was documented by Victoria Baker, whose candid approach perfectly fitted the vision of the day.

Both were walking their own recovery journeys, and what started as a simple introduction quickly grew into something grounded in shared strength. It’s a chapter they’re proud of, and one that reminds them that sometimes the best relationships begin when you’re doing the work to build a better life. “Jake was deep into training for a Strongman competition, so he had a mini mohawk/shaved head combo with a muscle showing singlet, and I put on a new dress, not realising how very, very revealing it was in the chest area! He was so quiet and grumpy-looking, so I made it my mission to make him laugh. Our friend made a big deal of how low-cut my dress was and proceeded to embarrass us more than once. Eventually, I did make him laugh, and I knew that, despite his tough exterior, he was the softest, kindest, and most emotionally intelligent man I’ve ever met… plus he was covered in tats and had a sick steel bumper car! So it was love at first meeting really.”

After a week away, vintage and antique shopping, Cass could feel the proposal coming; she just didn’t know when! “We were watching Kitchen Nightmares and nibbling on fancy cheese. He was all jittery trying to get the fire going, then mumbled I just gotta do it now then… so I was left sitting there wondering what he was on about. He was gone a while, so I grabbed some cheese and began chomping away when he came shooting into the room with a little black box, tears already streaming down his face. He said something about loving me and then popped the question. The problem was that it all happened so quickly; I still had cheese in my mouth, so I just exclaimed, “Hang ON!” I have food in my mouth… then yes of course,” Cass shared.

Cass wanted Jake to feel just as special as she did on the day, so they worked together to create a bespoke suit especially for the day made of a gorgeous rust colour to complement the rustic theme of the day. “He’s never owned a suit, so we went all out! Three pieces and a shirt made. We wanted it to have that retro 60s, 70s vibe, so we were looking for something in a brown or rust colour. I came along to help because, fun fact, Jake is colourblind and sometimes he can’t see slight colour gradients. The vest we did was cream, and the lining on the suit was a blue-and-cream paisley. We went for a heart-shaped bolo tie because Jake’s beard would have covered anything else and some classic brown RM Williams boots.”

As many curvy and plus-size women can attest, finding clothing, let alone a wedding dress, that fits can be a nightmare. So the moment she spotted this incredible dress from Honeymoon Studios, she knew it was the one for her. “Being a curvy gal can be a real issue when wedding dress shopping, not enough places carry past a size 10, and most of them think I should wear a corset. I wanted to be comfortable, not dragging a dress through the countryside, drowning in a gown! I’m by no means traditional either, so most of my friends thought I was going to go for a coloured dress… but the little girl inside me said, ‘Do white.’ Also, no one would expect it. I’d been stalking Honeymoon Studios for a while and love the fresh yet classic style of the Alma. The daisies on the tulle were to die for! Only hitch was they’re Melbourne-based, and I’m in Perth, so after much debate, Jake and I just decided to make a trip of it and head over for a fitting. The dress was perfect and I knew as soon as mum gave the nod of approval it was the one! I kept a few things traditional, and Jake never saw the dress until I walked down the aisle! It was hard because it had been hanging in the closet for months before the wedding. I also picked baby blue Mary Janes and the baby blue boots as the traditional something blue, plus they matched the wagon! The sacred heart has always been a symbol I love, so much so, I have it tattooed on me, so the Ask & Embla earrings were a must!” Cass shared.

“I have to make a special mention of Pearlin, the hair and makeup artist. Not only did she completely get the hair and makeup vibe so so so right, but she was also absolutely lovely and made us feel so comfortable getting ready, a true professional.”

Zoe from Farmhouse Flowers took care of their flowers, and with only a Pinterest board supplied by Cass and a dream, she created all of these beautiful florals. “Zoe sourced everything locally and grows as much stock as she can from her own family farm. I wanted a darker vibe and love a mixture of textures, berries and nuts. We also opted for her new brass collection of vases to feature in the table setting,” Cass explained.

Orchard Barn in beautiful South Western Australia was the venue that stole Jake and Cass’s hearts from the very start. “I’m originally from Sydney, so I had to think about accommodation for interstate family and friends as well as for the ceremony and reception. We wanted to get married close to where Jake popped the question, so when I told the owners of the cottage we got engaged in our news, they suggested Orchard Barn. Orchard Barn truly delivered everything we needed! The property is stunning; they have so many beautiful backdrops for the ceremony, and the barn itself is a new addition made from reclaimed local wood from the oldest farmsteads in the area, so there’s a real history there. They also have five cottages on the property, which were perfect to house both our families for the wedding weekend. It was so easy, they provided bar staff, tables, chairs, the arbour and the barn had a beautiful fireplace to keep us warm. Plus, there are donkeys and alpacas that Petrina will let you and the kids feed and walk!”

“Everlasting Light” by The Black Keys began to play as Cass and her big brother, Tony, walked down the aisle. “It’s always been a song that really touched me, and when I shared it with Jake, he cried, so I knew it was the right track. My father passed away in 2019 after a long battle with Kidney disease, so my big brother Toby walked me down the aisle, and my mother Karen gave me away.”

While not religious, Cass and Jake still wanted their ceremony to be meaningful – just short. “Emma Dickson, our celebrant, was amazing. She really guided us through everything and nailed our love story. We wrote our own vows, and we were just so happy. We both just have so much gratitude for the life we live and know how lucky we are to have found each other after some pretty life-altering rock bottoms. We have an ongoing joke about Jake being the one who always cries, but I lost it walking down the aisle, seeing the love and support from all our family and friends. I spent most of the ceremony reminding Jake to breathe and wiping tears off his jacket.”

Instead of flower petals or confetti for their ceremony exit, Jake and Cass spent months sourcing bells from op shops and vintage fairs for guests to ring. “We included a silver and brass bell of my grandfather’s from his time in the navy, and collected some really unique brass, ceramic and crystal ones. Symbolically, bells are traditionally used to cleanse a space or ward off evil spirits, so they added a little bit of my witchy rituals into the ceremony, but they were also way better for the environment,” she explained.

Of all the shots in their gallery, Cass’s favourite has to be these ones of her and Jake in front of the lake. “With my back to the camera, my hand on his chest and him looking down at me so lovingly. Ergh melts my heart! Jake’s is the one of us leaning on the car in the forest. The sun setting through the trees, he took off his jacket and again my hand is on his chest, and he’s looking down at me lovingly,” she shared.

“We have to have a special mention of the photo of Jake, Mum, and me laughing hysterically!”

Jake has a 1968 Ford Wagon that he and his dad, Darryl, built together, and he wanted to include it somewhere in this special day. “I wanted to incorporate it, of course, but also add a really rustic 60s – 70s dark boho vibe to the day. All the colours were chosen to clash and drew inspo from the fabric and furnishing style of the time. We’re both really into antiques and vintage shopping, so I really wanted it to be like you had just stepped into our home.”

And obviously, this inclusion was his favourite detail of their rustic winter wedding! “He loves that car, and it’s super special to him. We love crusin Freo in that beast! I love how happy it makes him, and I’ll never forget that grin he used to have when he picked me up when we first started dating. He had to drive it 3.5 hours down to Orchard Barn with no aircon, power steering, suspension or a demister, I’m pretty sure the radio broke halfway down too!”

Victoria Baker was the photographer for Cass and Jake’s rustic winter wedding, and the duo couldn’t have loved her more. “Victoria was a gem! We barely knew she was there during the ceremony, and she prepped us so well with what to expect for our family shots. All I told her was that I love more candid shots and the important things I wanted to include, and she really delivered. She knew the property really well and loved including the wagon!”

The decorations were entirely sourced and styled by Cass, including the incredible “Til Death” sign she found at Kings of Neon. “There is a place in Nevada called the Neon Graveyard where all the vintage Vegas signs go to die. I wanted to recreate that and include it at the reception. The Til Death was from Kings of Neon, but I had to figure out a way to hang and display it without causing any damage to the barn. I wanted it to be a photo op for us and guests. I bought a gold flower stand online, and jazzed it up with some sheer embroidered material I found. I loved it and the clashing of the rustic and the neon,” she shared.

“I also did all the different graphic signage for the menu, mocktail bar, etc., and chose a bunch of retro styles to clash as well as add a polaroid station as a fun, kitschy guest activity, that doubled as our guest book. Our favours were these rechargeable little neon light globes with a heart shape inside that Jake and I found at JBHIFI that went so perfectly with the Til Death sign we had to have them but they were scarce and we ended up spending a whole day rushing around Perth to try and find 40 of them!”

There were a few sentimental touches found throughout the day, like the memorial photos along the fireplace, and Cass and Jake’s rings being made out of panned gold nuggets from her father. Jake’s father, Darryl, and his partner, Maria, had the rings made for us, and it was so meaningful. My friend and tattoo artist, Katherine Prue, suggested we make up a stamp for our favours as well. She designed it incorporating both our styles, and we inked it on all our favour bags. It was like having our own family crest!”

While neither Cass nor Jake are big dancers, they did walk into their ceremony as Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” played. “Joe, our DJ, is a close friend, and he did an amazing job with our odd request to ensure the tunes were only 60s/70s rock and blues. It really added to the overall vibe, and later on, he added in some funk, soul and disco.”

All of their delicious catering was done by Supper Road, and all of their guests were absolutely blown away by the canapes and the oyster bar! “We chose what they call a Beggars Banquet which included three mains and three sides served on sharing platters to the table. They went out of their way to ensure Jake and I got a box of canapes to eat, so we didn’t miss out, and the dessert bar was soooo good. When we got back to our cottage, they had wrapped up all the leftover oysters for us to share that night!”