Bri & Alex | Riverwood Downs Wedding in the Hunter Valley

Bri and Alex’s Riverwood Downs wedding was unlike anything else — a deeply personal, mystical celebration that blended pagan tradition, Scottish heritage and a whole lot of heart.

From handfasting rituals to Viking-inspired styling, this day wasn’t about following tradition for tradition’s sake. It was about creating a wedding that felt completely, unapologetically them.

A Venue That Matched the Vision

Before discovering Riverwood Downs, Bri and Alex visited several venues throughout the Hunter Valley. They wanted somewhere close to home, yet far enough from the city to truly switch off — a place where guests could stay onsite and be fully immersed in the experience.

Riverwood Downs ticked every box.

Set across a stunning 750-acre property in the Upper Hunter Valley, near the lower reaches of Barrington Tops, the venue offers rolling hills, a winding river, native Australian landscapes and multiple ceremony options. For a couple with many guests travelling from Sydney, the onsite accommodation and all-in-one layout made the experience seamless.

Getting Ready & Setting the Tone

The morning unfolded calmly, with Bri and Alex preparing onsite. The energy was relaxed, grounded and full of intention — setting the tone for a day built around connection rather than schedule.

Their styling leaned heavily into a mystical, whimsical aesthetic. Dark earthy tones, dusty blues, deep forest greens and native textures ran throughout the day. Viking influences were woven in through braiding, kilts, crystals and florals — including Scottish thistle — all thoughtfully curated to honour both of their backgrounds.

A Ceremony Full of Meaning (and One Unforgettable Moment)

The ceremony took place in a shaded glade on the property, bathed in warm afternoon light. The couple began by lighting a candle in memory of a loved one, grounding the ceremony in remembrance and presence.

As part of their vows, Bri and Alex planned to include handfasting — a traditional ritual from which the phrase “tying the knot” originates. Friends and family were meant to place cords over their joined hands, offering blessings and connection.

And then… a moment of panic.

The cords had been forgotten.

What happened next was one of the most powerful moments I’ve witnessed at a wedding. Guests immediately stood, removing their ties and offering them instead. In that instant, the ceremony became even more meaningful — literally bound together by the people closest to them.

There were tears, laughter, vows, kisses — and two people becoming husband and wife, surrounded by genuine community.

A Viking Hall–Inspired Reception

The reception took place in Riverwood Downs’ beautifully rustic Woolshed, styled as a Viking hall. Four long banquet tables filled the space, with Bri and Alex seated together at the front — a choice they couldn’t recommend more.

Each table was themed around a book or film meaningful to their relationship, decorated with trinkets, moss runners, candles and soft lighting. The result was intimate, immersive and deeply personal.

Dinner was catered onsite by Riverwood Downs, followed by heartfelt speeches from family, the maid of honour and best man.

The Moment That Stopped the Room

One of the most emotional moments of the night came during the reception speeches, when Bri’s younger brothers spoke about their late father.

They shared that although he couldn’t be there in person, he could still sing for her — and played a recording of him performing Parallel Lines by Keith Urban through the speakers.

The room fell silent. Bri sobbed. And in that moment, he was there.

It was incredibly moving — a reminder of how powerful weddings can be when they’re built on truth and love.

Dancing, Firelight & Letting Go

Their first dance was to Fair by The Amazing Devil — a song about loving every imperfect part of someone. From there, the night unfolded exactly as it should have: drinks flowing, dancing, laughter and, for the late-nighters, a bonfire down by the river to keep the celebration going.

Final Thoughts

Bri and Alex’s Riverwood Downs wedding was proof that the most powerful celebrations don’t come from perfection — they come from intention, flexibility and trust.

From a postponed Covid wedding to forgotten cords, every twist along the way made the day richer, not weaker. This wedding worked because it honoured who they are, where they come from, and the people who shaped them.

Riverwood Downs was the perfect setting for a wedding like this — immersive, natural and deeply grounding.

If you’re planning a Hunter Valley wedding and want coverage that honours real emotion, cultural storytelling and meaningful moments, you’ll find everything laid out clearly on my wedding photography pricing & packages page.

THE COUPLE - Their Story

Before finding Riverwood Downs, Bri & Alex viewed many wedding venues throughout the Hunter Valley. They wanted somewhere close to home but far enough away from the city to switch off and enjoy the special day. The option of onsite accommodation for the guests was also crucial. The multi-award-winning Riverwood Downs had all these things! A stunning riverside venue, rolling hills and an Australian native landscape full of golden earthy tones & rich greens.

How did you meet?

We met in Year 8, our last names both starting with G. We were sat together alphabetically for most of our classes and became close friends rather quickly. We joked, debated, and teased each other, but we connected with music. We both love old jazz music, which wasn't exactly the norm for teenagers in 2014; we would share headphones at the back of the class, show each other our favourite songs, and discuss why we loved them. As the years went on, we started sharing music in the car after school and talking for hours parked at this little park that eventually became 'our park'. We were friends for 6 years before deciding to be more than that, we moved in together that year, and on our anniversary, we went down to 'our park' for a picnic. It was a beautiful sunny day; we put out our picnic blanket and our food, lay in the sunshine and listened to music. Then when we poured a drink, Alex said that he had "been asking a few people a question lately, and they said yes, now there was only one more person to ask", and he got the ring out of his pocket and proposed. It was the most perfect days I ever had until our wedding day. We had planned our wedding for October 2020, and we ended up having, as many people did, to postpone the wedding due to Covid-19 to August 2022, which in the end, was better than it could've ever been.

Why the Hunter Valley? What drew you to the region?

We looked at many venues before finding Riverwood Downs. We wanted somewhere that required little to no travel on the day, away from the city, so you wouldn't have to even think about the world outside of our special day when you got there. We also wanted a place where everyone could stay and didn't have to travel too far after the reception. Riverwood Downs had all these things and the best value for everything that was offered and the things we wanted. Besides the fact it is stunning with the big river running through the property, rolling hills on your way in and the best of Australian native flora landscape.

Tell us more about the ceremony?

We had our ceremony in a shaded glade on the property. The weather had held out for us, and we were getting the gorgeous afternoon sun for us all to walk down the aisle. We started our ceremony by lighting a candle for our family member who was no longer with us. I am pagan, and my husband is Scottish, so we decided before our vows to incorporate the beautiful tradition of Handfasting, a practice from which the phrase 'tying the knot' originated.

We have a strand of cord for each of our selected family and friends to come and place over our held hands which are then tied together, giving their blessing and being able to have a small moment with us in our ceremony. A gorgeous, intimate moment, you would think, except for when our celebrant Francine announced, "Alex and Brianna have decided to incorporate the ritual of Handfasting into their wedding today." I realised I had completely forgotten to bring the cords. Panicked, I looked at my mum like a deer in headlights, and she stared back at me the same; both wide-eyed, I looked at my soon-to-be husband and said through my gritted teeth, "I forgot the cords". I was so disappointed in myself that I told the celebrant we could give it a miss as I had no solution and no idea where the cords were. Then the unexpected happened. Our guests started taking off their ties and bringing them to us so we could still do our special little ceremony!

It was the most overwhelming feeling of love and community, having all our family and friends devise a way for us to do what was important to us. Now it was even more special as the blessings we were given were with cord provided by those closest to us. Our ceremony continued and it was perfect; we laughed, cried, kissed, and became husband and wife.

Tell us more about the reception?

The reception kicked off in Riverwood's massive, gorgeously rustic Woolshed. We set out our setting 'Viking hall' style, with four long tables and just the two of us right up the front on our table. Each of our tables was individually themed based on a book or film Alex and I had shared in our time together, with small trinkets, books and decorative lights to fit each. I could not recommend sitting with just the two of you more for the reception. We finally got to sit together and enjoy our day, having quite a few glasses of wine and seeing all our amazing guests. We had a few beautiful speeches from family, the maid of honour and the best man before a super delicious dinner catered by the staff at Riverwood.

Our first dance was to 'Fair by The Amazing Devil', a song about the feeling of being so in love with every little annoying and amazing part of someone that it simply feels unfair. It was a magical night full of lots of drinking and dancing, and as the reception came to an end, the late-nighters got to continue the party with a bonfire down by the river.

Describe your styling.

My style was themed in the mystical, whimsical fairy tale with a colour palette of dark woody browns, dusty blue, navy, sage and deep forest greens. I wanted the style of our wedding to be a reflection of us, our heritages and the things that brought us together. Our styling had a heavy 'Viking' influence as it was a good combination of our heritage and affiliation; this involved lots of hair braiding, kilts for all the groomsmen and the groom, crystals in the bridesmaid's and brides' hair, and native florals mixed with Scottish thistle. The styling of our reception decor was the stories that brought us together; each of the tables had a different 'story' theme decor, all with moss table runners and candelabras to tie each of them in to match.

Where did you go for the wedding dress & attire?

The wedding dress was a strapless, champagne-coloured trumpet with a floral pattern lace overlay made by the beautiful women at Atelier Rose in Newcastle. When I asked about adding a billowed sleeve, they were more than happy to help me create gorgeous detachable sleeves that matched the dress perfectly.

My bridesmaids were given a colour palette of blues and could wear dresses that fit their style, body type and comfortability, which showed they all looked stunning. The groom wore his clan kilt, and instead of the more formal suit jacket, we went for a traditional Gillie shirt to give it a more relaxed look without losing the style. We put the groomsmen in a plain black formal kilt and monk collar shirts of different colours to suit the bridesmaids.

Which moment do you find most memorable?

At the reception, my little brothers gave a speech. In this, they spoke about how much our dad, who we had lost to a struggle with his mental health, would have loved to be there. And how he was planning with my brothers to sing on the day. The boys said at the end of their speech that "he obviously couldn't be there today, but it doesn't mean that he can't sing for you", and played a recording of my dad singing Parallel Lines by Keith Urban over the reception hall speaker. It meant so much to me to hear him on my wedding day as I just missed him so much and wanted him there that I sobbed when they did this for us. It was really special.

Any wedding tips for couples?

Believe that everything happens how and when it's supposed to; you can't predict things, no matter how big or small, like a global pandemic or forgetting some cords. So be flexible and control what you can. We were lucky that we had already planned most of our wedding when Covid hit, everything we had already organised would still be the same the day would be another 2 years later, but we wouldn't need to sort out all the things we already had.

When I forgot the cords, everyone came together and made the ceremony even more special than it could have been before. Our wedding day wouldn't have been the magical day it was without the bumps in the road that we managed together. Everything will work out exactly how it's supposed to.