The Italian countryside has long been a dream destination for travelers. There’s a rustic charm to this region and an elegance and sophistication beneath its homespun ambiance. And now, you can find the same environment right here in Australia. 

Redleaf Wollombi, a luxurious country villa just outside of Wollombi township, has truly captured the beauty of this picturesque province. 

When you step on-site, it’s like it transports you to a different time and place. It’s private, peaceful, and the style and look of the building is incredibly unique to Australia. And to add to the European countryside atmosphere, it’s a short drive from popular Hunter Valley wineries – perfect for a wedding weekend activity like a bridal luncheon or rehearsal dinner. 

The villa is idyllic for intimate weddings of up to 60 guests. It can accommodate up to 12 guests spread over bedrooms. And an outdoor ceremony (that can be tented) and indoor reception. The property is yours to bring your wedding vision to life – whatever that may be.

Styled Session

Featured in Style Me Pretty

Along with Opulent Events and Floral Collective, I had the opportunity to create a styled wedding editorial that showcased the fine art style of an intimate European elopement – set against the backdrop of this exquisite venue. 

We wanted to create something unique and to show couples examples of how they could use the venue to bring an elegant and timeless look and feel to their intimate day. And to highlight the surrounding environment and textures this unique venue has to offer. 

Style Me Pretty recently featured our editorial and described it as “…feeling as if we’ve taken a trip to Europe in the summer.” I couldn’t agree more!  

To create this look, Floral Collective used antique-looking urns overflowing with flowers as an altar focal point for the ceremony. And Opulent Events set up chairs to create an aisle that looked out toward the sprawling acreage.

For the reception, we styled a long, kings table with a linen tablecloth. Polished silver cutlery, terracotta-coloured napkins, earth-toned candles, crystal wine glasses, and organic flowers – and bread, fruit, and wine scattered on the table to be enjoyed as well as used for decoration. It all came together to create a warm feeling of an intimate celebration with family and friends gathered around to eat, drink, and celebrate. 

We also created a vignette of seating in the sideyard of the villa. And brought in a white moped to really seal the deal of designing a European-style event. Because what’s more Italian than a moped in the countryside?!

About the Venue (And Our Experience Working There)

What’s lovely about this venue is that the owner hands over the entire property for couples to plan their celebration around. The villa and natural surroundings serve as the perfect muse and make for the most stunning photos. 

The house has a living space with a large wood fireplace and picture window, a TV room, dining room, library, billiards room, (6) bedrooms, (3.5) bathrooms, and a chef’s kitchen. 

The grounds are also home to the Garden Room – separate from the main villa and appropriately named from the surrounding gardens. And in case you have more than 60 guests, you can accommodate more people by having a tent brought on-site.

Couples should keep in mind the time of year they host a wedding in Hunter Valley. Although the venue itself may be reminiscent of a warm, sunny day spent in Italy, the Hunter Valley area can get quite cold from May through August. 

But whatever the weather, couples planning their wedding should keep Redleaf at the top of their minds. It offers such a unique palette of colours and textures to work with, both in the villa and gardens, and that itself makes for some stunning wedding photos. And should the weather be warm, the atmosphere at night is ideal for an al fresco dining experience. 

When organizing our styled session, The venue organizers were accommodating to our requests and open to our ideas. They were warm, lovely to work with, great with communication, and quick to get back to me with any questions I had.

Overall, the whole experience is a relaxing and enjoyable one for everyone. I can’t recommend this venue enough!

If you love the photos you see here, and are interested in hiring a photographer who can capture the fine details, please contact me! And I’ll make sure to provide photos you’re sure to fall in love with. 

See the full gallery HERE!

Vendors

Videographer: Anchored Cinema Florist: Floral Collective Hair and Makeup: All Made Up Calligraphy: Azalea Calligraphy Suit: Rundle Tailoring Venue: Redleaf Bride: Eden Playford Ring Box: Filles Box Styling & Rentals: Opulent Events Silk Ribbons: Song Bird Silk Gown Designer: Tanzilia

See The Real Wedding Of Boban and Steph Here