Rural Women’s Day founder Jackie Elliot loved using local vendors at her Grampians wedding

When Jackie Elliott’s parents bought their property at Byaduk in south-west Victoria, she fell in love with the boy next door. Exactly 10 years later, to the day, Dan Mirtschin was down on one knee in a paddock where they call home, asking Jackie, the founder of Rural Women’s Day, to be his wife.

“We decided to say our vows in the garden of Dan’s family property, Fixby, in front of 65 guests on 2 April, 2022. A beautiful reception followed at my family property, Weerangourt East, in the ballroom built in 1890.

“In typical farmer style, Dan knew I was going to organise and plan a special day and didn’t think he needed to make much contribution. There was one time I was looking at colours for the flowers and he said, ‘I think whatever you choose will be just fine.’ It was then that I realised it wasn’t about the colour, but about the meaning of our flowers. I organised a flower farmer to do a workshop with my favourite ladies the morning before the wedding, in lieu of a hen’s party, and we each created a jug of flowers using greenery from our farms and locally grown proteas.

“When it came to choosing our vendors, we were very lucky despite the chaos that was happening with weddings being rescheduled for the past two years. I didn’t have a set list for who we wanted, just a list of what we needed. I first reached out to those vendors I followed and loved on social media, ensuring they were locally based so I wouldn’t have to worry about interstate lockdowns. Of course, finding vendors on my social media feed led to a team of almost 100 per cent rural women, which I love, because supporting rural women is what I am passionate about.

“Our gifts to our guests were spotted gum saplings grown from seed that Dan collected on the farm back in spring. Our day was really special, but those moments when it was just Dan and me together in the garden that our little house overlooks were truly the most magical memories we created.”

IN DETAIL

Bar: We had an open bar with a choice of ETCH Sparkling non-alcoholic drinks or Barfold Estate wines, which are made from grapes grown on a property that was originally settled by the Elliott family in 1840.

Catering: Chris Gorman from Chrissy Made, Casterton, Victoria, was exceptional in working with our ideas of canapes, using our homegrown lamb cutlets, pork and bacon. 

Celebrant: Becky Barry from Marry Me Becky B in Kiata, Victoria. We were only the second couple to book Becky as a celebrant.

Dress and Veil: My dress was a White April dress purchased from Dubois Bridal Boutique in Warrnambool, Victoria. I only decided I wanted to wear a veil the week of the wedding, so Mum and I dusted off her wedding box and found the veil that she wore 32 years ago, made by my Nanna: it was meant to be.

Entertainment: True North, a band from Warrnambool. We didn’t choose our wedding music until the night before, with covers of Elvis and Johnny Cash to kickstart the ceremony and party. We had our first dance to Cold Chisel’s ‘Khe Sanh’ — my parents’ song when they first met.

Flowers: Ashlea Ranken from Yellow House Flower Farm in Hexham, Victoria, ran a floral art workshop in lieu of a hen’s party. On that afternoon my Maid of Honour, Pip Bryant-Hill (our New South Wales Rural Women’s Day Coordinator) and I created our bouquets together.

Furniture Hire: The furniture for our wedding was hired from Rustic Wedding and Party Hire, Mailors Flat, Victoria. They offer a huge range of vintage and rustic pieces for many different events and offer set-up services in the Warrnambool area.

Hair: Hair by Peta in Hamilton, Victoria.

Make-up: NT Artistry in Warrnambool. I wanted to make sure I still felt like myself on our special day so I went for a very ‘natural glam’ look.

Menswear: All the men’s outfits were purchased from Clancey’s Menswear. Established in 1956, this is a family-owned Warrnambool business that caters for any occasion with everything from suits to streetwear.

Photographer: Alice Miles from The Miles Creative Co., Port Fairy, Victoria. Alice offers a range of photographic services for both private and commercial clients, but weddings are her specialty.

Videographer: Jackie Peacock from JP Creative, Hamilton, Victoria. Our wedding day was the first wedding film Jackie had created and she captured it in the perfect way.

Rural Women’s Day is Tuesday, October 15, 2024. To read more and find an event near you, visit the Rural Women’s Day website. 

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