Estelle + Ryan by Monique Maarschalk

Everything was grounded in the breathtaking beauty of the setting

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Ryan and I are both architects, and share a passion and curiosity for design that takes us all over the world. We also happen to run an architecture office together, Bate & Peter Architects, where we get to pursue that shared passion through designing and delivering bespoke houses tailored to our clients’ lives and lifestyles.

Outside of work, we share a love of travelling, skiing and spending time with family. We love a catch-up with friends at the pub, closely followed by drinks in the park on a sunny afternoon. We also discovered early on that we share a particular fondness for hot springs. Seeking them out has become a favourite pastime, and a fun way to explore a new city or country together.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Ryan and I met at university. I had just transferred from Brisbane and was starting my Master’s degree in Melbourne when I spotted him on the very first day of classes. That first impression is stamped in my memory like a little video clip I’ll never forget. Straight out of a rom-com, the tall, dark and handsome romantic lead enters stage left, surrounded by a group of friends laughing hysterically at some hilarious joke he’s just told. The picture of confidence and cool. He’s so damn tall and handsome, and his outfit is so edgy, all black and so… Melbourne! I was immediately intrigued.

Ryan had also clocked me entering the classroom at that same moment. From his telling, he was immediately mesmerised by my eyes. We quickly bonded over the fact that we were both living with our grandparents, swapping travel stories, a shared love of skiing (or snowboarding, in Ryan’s case), and, most importantly, a shared appreciation for family and friends.

By the end of that first semester, we were together, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. Eleven years on, we still feel a little like those young twenty-somethings, discovering the wonders and joys of life together.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

Each element of the wedding was beautiful in its own right, right down to the glassware, but together they created a wonderful sense of cohesion. Fundamentally, though, everything was grounded in the breathtaking beauty of the setting. Everywhere you turned, you were surrounded by the Italian Alps, and that landscape informed every design decision.

The ornate church and Palazzo are steeped in centuries of history, with intricate detailing and materials that reflect the region’s natural landscape. The florals were seasonal, drawing together colours from the surrounding landscape with those found in the medieval buildings and their frescoes. Even the more contemporary elements, from the bridesmaids’ dresses to the mass booklet graphics, took cues from the colours and forms of the region, both natural and man-made.

I think it was this relationship between the setting, architecture and styling that made the visual experience feel so cohesive and considered. More than that, it gave the wedding a strong sense of place and a connection to something much deeper and richer than the day itself.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

At first, we tried to plan the wedding ourselves from Melbourne. With the wedding taking place in a small town and relying on local vendors, managing everything remotely quickly became stressful.

Enter Sara: our wedding planner and all-round get-it-done machine. Working with her and her assistant, Adriana, was one of the highlights of the process. They matched our excitement and made planning fun. We wanted a wedding that embraced its setting and was full of joy, and Sara understood that instinctively. I loved how collaborative the process became. Whatever idea I threw her way, she embraced and made it even better, while bringing plenty of wonderful ideas of her own.

We also loved imagining the experience our guests would have and thinking about how to make the day as easy and enjoyable for them as possible. We chose a reception venue in the heart of town so everyone could walk home. I also wanted my bridesmaids to choose their own dresses, from the fabric and design to the colours within our pastel palette, so they could feel their absolute best on the day.

My biggest advice is to trust the process and keep coming back to what matters most to you when the details feel overwhelming. Having a clear sense of how you want the day to feel gives you a reference point for making decisions. Just as importantly, find people you trust and enjoy working with. It makes the whole experience so much more rewarding.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

Our florist, Opherlia Floral Studio, was a perfect example. Eleonora has a wonderful intuition for flowers and considers the overall context when developing her arrangements. My brief was minimal: use seasonal flowers and create arrangements that would sit in harmony with their surroundings. I shared the two venues and the pastel palette for the bridesmaids, and she developed a concept that struck a lovely balance. There were beautiful statement pieces, like the church entrance, alongside more understated arrangements that complemented the ornate spaces. For the dinner tablescape, she let the candles take centre stage. She was also incredibly generous with her time throughout the process, and I felt very lucky to have her bring the vision to life.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

If you can’t tell by now, I’m a very sentimental person. So, when my Grandmother suggested I wear her mother’s veil, I did get a bit teary-eyed.

My family on both sides is very matriarchal, something I feel privileged to have grown up with. My Grandma was very close to her own mother, and I love hearing her speak about their relationship with such love and tenderness. My Great Grandmother Estella is also my namesake, so I’ve always felt a particularly special connection to her.

I married exactly 100 years after my Great Grandmother Estella, and her veil had been worn by my Grandmother and Aunt before me. Wearing it made me feel part of a much bigger family history. It was also a beautiful way of having my Grandma with me on the day, even though she couldn’t be there in person. Knowing that the same veil had been worn by three generations of women in my family made it feel like I was carrying a little piece of each of them with me. It’s a connection I’ll always treasure.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Our rings were designed by the wonderful Fiona Simmons. She’s a powerhouse talent, with an artistic approach to her work driven by curiosity and exploration. We were introduced through one of my best friends, and it quickly became clear that we’d found the perfect person to work with.

A shared passion for design is one of the foundations of our relationship, so designing our rings together was particularly meaningful to us. We wanted them to be unique, but also to speak to one another as a pair. Fiona really embraced our architectural sensibilities, and the process became a genuine collaboration. We started quite abstractly, sending through inspiration images of things we liked as a couple (mostly buildings!), with very little jewellery in sight. Selecting the stone for my engagement ring was the first major decision, and after exploring many beautiful options, we landed on a yellow sapphire. From there, we developed both rings in dialogue with one another.

We took a similar approach with our wedding bands, bringing Fiona some stones that helped inform the designs. It was such a personal and rewarding experience, and we’re incredibly grateful to wear pieces that carry so much of ourselves in them.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

Photography. The photographs are what you have to look back on, so it was important to me that they captured not just the details of the wedding, but the overall atmosphere and feeling of the day. I wanted to be able to look at them and be transported to those moments. It’s also quite an intimate and, at times, awkward experience being photographed. Your photographer is alongside you for so much of the day, so finding someone we both connected with and who made us feel comfortable was equally important.

We first met Monique a couple of years earlier when she photographed my sister’s wedding in Copenhagen. She was so much fun and had a wonderful way of putting everyone at ease. The photos were amazing, too, so I made a mental note of her there and then. When she got the call-up for our wedding, she was absolutely delighted to work with us again, which made me feel like we were in the best hands.

On our wedding day, Monique was calm, capable and completely in tune with the energy of the room. She captured the atmosphere and feeling beautifully, from the bigger moments to the smaller details that might otherwise have passed us by, all without us ever feeling like there was a camera around.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

A cracker of a moment was when we managed to get ourselves unwittingly locked inside the Botanic Gardens while taking portraits. We’d ventured into a quieter part of the gardens, and the custodian had assumed we’d left earlier with the wedding party. When we went to leave, Ryan, Monique and I found ourselves locked inside. We were only a stone’s throw from the reception and could hear the saxophone and chatter from the Aperitivo in the garden, which made the whole situation even funnier. We found a stack of green garden chairs, pulled them over to the gate and settled in for a chat. In all honesty, it was a welcome reprieve in the middle of an otherwise hectic day. Some friends even managed to pass us food and drinks through the gate. We were only there for half an hour, but it became one of those completely unexpected moments that make for a great story.

On a more sentimental note, there were so many moments throughout the day that we’ll always treasure. During dinner, our singers surprised us with a serenade of Into Your Arms by Nick Cave. I had shared a few songs that were meaningful to us, and they had learnt this one especially for the occasion. Ryan and I had our own table during the reception, and as the song began, it felt as though time stopped for a few minutes and the room faded away. It was just the two of us, and I will always treasure that moment.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?

Being married is, for us, largely about celebrating our love and the life we are building together, surrounded by the people we love. It’s easy to get caught up in the pace and demands of everyday life, so we try to make a conscious effort to appreciate and celebrate the little things along the way. Our wedding was an opportunity to bring our favourite people together and share in something genuinely joyful.

In our everyday lives, we have small rituals that help us hold onto that same sense of appreciation, many of which are quite simple. One that has become particularly special is keeping the corks from bottles of wine opened on important occasions, inscribing each with the occasion and date. It started as a small gesture but has gradually become a lovely record of our life together, marking milestones from our engagement to our wedding and other moments worth remembering. As the collection grows, it serves as a tangible reminder of the experiences we’ve shared and the many reasons we have to celebrate.