General News
18 October, 2025
Farmyard charm meets elegance at Warracknabeal wedding
It mightn't be the beginning of a typical fairytale, but it's a love story all the same, as Hannah Lowe and James Hewitt said "I do" recently.
The pair met at an agricultural conference in Ballarat in 2019, after a friend of theirs introduced them, and, little did James know, as luck would have it, Hannah had just moved to Warrackabeal for a half-year graduate rotation.
Five years later, James secretly travelled to Hannah's hometown of Avoca Beach, in New South Wales, for a beach proposal as the sun settled across the ocean.
He had organised a photographer to capture the surprise, along with a celebratory dinner with family after the proposal.
Fast forward just 12 months later, and the pair wed on October 4, 2025, at Warracknabeal's Anglican Church.
The big day came much to the delight of Hannah's parents, Bronwyn and David Lowe, of Avoca Beach, along with James' parents, Deanne and Alan Hewitt of Areegra and Jeparit.
The day was officiated by Reverand James Wood, as Hannah's bridesmaids, her sisters Amelia and Isabel Lowe, along with her cousin Emma McPhereson, gave the couple their blessings to be married.
Hannah and James' nieces, Grace and Phoebe Hewitt, were flower girls for the occasion, while the couple's nephews, Lucas and Henry Hewitt, were pageboys.
As groomsmen, James decided to have his brothers Gordon, Jonathan and Thomas by his side.
The bride looked beautiful in an ivory mechano Karen Willis Holmes gown featuring an a-line skirt, boat neckline and capped sleeves, while her bouquet consisted of a classic garden style design, with white ranunculus, lisianthus and Lilly of the Valley.
A delphinium offered a bit of blue to complement the bridesmaids' floristry.
The bouquets completed the bridesmaids' look of elegance, but simplicity, as they wore matching light blue Mossman gowns featuring a high neck, while the men looked dapper in traditional dinner suits from Eddy Elias Menswear, Geelong.
After a week of less-than-ideal weather for a wedding, Hannah and James were blessed with a beautiful spring day and a breathtaking sunset for the occasion.
The ceremony began at 1:30pm at the Anglican Church with a live violinist greeting the 80 guests as they arrived at the church.
After the ceremony, guests were transported by bus to a marquee reception held in a paddock planted with wheat at the Hewitt family property in Jeparit.
Hannah and James have enjoyed spending time on the farm together, so it was important they celebrated the occasion with family and friends in a place so special to them.
The day went off without a hitch, with the highlight of the reception being a surprise fireworks display over the wheat crop.
It proved a breathtaking spectacle not only for the bride and groom, but for the guests as well, some of whom had travelled as far as New South Wales, Queensland and London.
The day was beautifully captured by Ali Bant of Smith&Archer.
The newlyweds are enjoying a safari honeymoon, travelling through Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, stopping off in Mauritius on the way home.
On their return, they will settle back into life, but this time as husband and wife, at their established home in Warracknabeal.
