David and Corinne first met 6 years ago when they worked together at the (sadly) now closed Krypton Discs in Glenelg. Their mutual love of music drew them together and so it was only fitting that their wedding day had some healthy doses of quality live music as well.

They took their special day to the next level by introducing an upmarket (with mismatched vintage furniture from By The Oaktree & toilets that worked!) music festival vibe complete with picnic blankets and an awesome food truck at Karka Pavilion in the Belair National Park.

Corinne and David had to work extra hard to ensure the event came together - given the less than stellar weather of the week leading up to their wedding. And I know that a lot of engaged couples would love to know where to begin with planning a celebration like theirs.

So our Bride and Groom have kindly pulled together their thoughts and best tips for creating your very own relaxed wedding festival - enjoy!

Photos (all except the collage) courtesy of Mark Simmonds Photography.

First up: The Location

Karka Pavilion is such a beautiful and unique place to host a wedding.

Located 4km inside Belair National Park, the pavilion and grounds are in a gully which is bordered by natural bushland and tall bunya pines.

The pavilion itself is more than 100 years old and features high ceilings, wooden beam structures and leadlight windows; adding to its rustic charm (great building = less time & money to dress-up the space). The building offers a very simple yet functional layout with a bar, kitchen preparation area and main entertainment space.

It was ideal to be able to store (hide) all of the drinks, food and platters etc. in the kitchen preparation area and bring them out at the appropriate time.

The all-weather versatility of Karka Pavilion was crucial to the smooth running of our wedding.

Toilet facilities are available and are adjacent to the pavilion. The main area is very generous in size (approx 13m x 6m) and could support either a cocktail or sit-down style wedding.

Depending on availability, some trestle tables and benches are available.

Catering

The kitchen area consists of just a bench and a sink. So we hired a fridge for food items and had ice buckets to keep the beverages cold.

We got our favourite food truck to serve our guests and contacted a local café to prepare the canapé desserts.

We hired bar staff to serve our guests and to make sure the area stayed clean and tidy and a family member oversaw the kitchen duties and deliveries - everything ran pretty smoothly.

Regulations

As the pavilion is in a National Park, their hiring conditions are a little different than your standard wedding venue. Curfews, accessibility for guests and suppliers, removal of own rubbish, noise restrictions and of course, fire bans are a few of the considerations you need to work with.

You may need to seek written permission from the park in advance if you intend on using marquees, generators and/or speakers.

Although it should go without saying, be sure to read through all terms and conditions before signing the contract.

Park Closures & Fire Bans

It's important to understand that, for reasons of public safety, full park closures can occur with very little notice. Planning your wedding date outside of fire ban months is highly recommended! We chose our October date for this very reason.

Unfortunately, closures can also occur in the event of flooding and severe storms. Due to heavy rainfall and the infamous State-wide blackout, the park was closed for three days in the lead up to our wedding day.

Trees had fallen blocking roadways and creeks had overflown, flooding our ceremony location.