By Luke Dennehy
Arriving in a vintage McKenzie’s bus set the scene for a perfect wedding for Healesville couple Alastair McKenzie and Chris Dawson.
The wedding took place in the gardens at Chateau Yering on Saturday March 26, under the watch of celebrant Gina Liano of The Real Housewives of Melbourne fame.
Surrounded by family and friends, including members of the McKenzie family, who started the famous Healesville bus company, the wedding finally happened after being postponed four times because of Covid 19 lockdowns.
Driving up the gardens to walk down the aisle with the wedding party in the old SW bus delighted the ensembled crowd, although it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
“The thought of coming in on the SW was romantic, but there were a couple of things we hadn’t quite thought through,” Alastair said.
“The engine is in the rear, and it radiates tremendous heat, and with all the windows seized shut there was only one window that opened so we were melting.”
It didn’t matter though as the long-term couple walked down the aisle and said their vows full of love and emotion.
The nostalgic arrival in the bus was a hit with the crowd, with locals recalling getting the exact same bus to school many years ago.
Alastair and Chris, who have two-year-old twins Tommy and Alice, recently moved back to Healesville where Alastair grew up.
“I’ve always been a country boy at heart and just love being back among the mountains and there is such a strong and genuine sense of community,” Alastair said.
So it was fitting for the pair to get married nearby in Yering.
“We made the decision some time ago to marry in the Yarra Valley as I wanted a place that was beautiful and also meant something,” Alastair said.
“We have both had some great times at Chateau Yering and we wanted an outdoor event, so it was a perfect spot.”
In the front rows at the beautiful garden wedding were Tommy and Alice, Alastair’s proud mother Karen, sisters Bridget and Kari, and Chris’s family, parents Anna and John and sister Margot.
