Dani + Tim by Janneke Storm

Tim and I met at one of my university house parties. He wasn’t actually invited but turned up anyway with a couple of friends from school. He ignored me at the time but looking back, I think he was just nervous. Thankfully, our paths eventually crossed again and the rest is history.

We’ve been together for 10 years and live in Brisbane with our border collie Pepper. I own a fashion boutique on James Street in Fortitude Valley and Tim is an environmental scientist. We both love food, fashion, music and nature.

Tim and I were hosting our first family Christmas when he proposed. I had a really big surprise for him that year. We’d talked about getting a puppy for a long time so I decided to welcome a beautiful little blue border collie to the family. I wrapped up her food bowl and hid it under the tree for Tim. Right after he unwrapped the present, he suddenly looked really nervous. Little did I know, Tim had his own surprise prepared for me as he dropped down on one knee in front of our family and friends. He always has to upstage me!

We chose to have a destination wedding but wanted to make sure it was somewhere accessible to our friends and family. Tasmania holds a special place in our hearts thanks to its perfect mix of food, wine, art and nature. We fell in love with the Old Farm in Port Arthur and booked the venue without even paying a visit. It was even more magical in real life. I’d always wanted to plan my own wedding and the old barn was perfect because it was a blank canvas. I kept the styling simple with earthy hues inspired by the venue and surrounding nature.

I loved the planning process so much that after the big day, I even considered jumping into the wedding industry head first! It took me a while to find my dream dress, as it wasn’t something I had thought much about. My style is usually very relaxed but the Alon Livne gown I chose was the complete opposite – fitted, sheer and very sexy. When I walked out of the fitting rooms, my mother and bridal party welled up. That’s when I knew I had found the one.

The speeches were a real highlight. They had us laughing, crying and at one stage, all of our guests were singing. Tim’s sister Rose and her partner Luke topped off the day by performing ‘Flume’ by Bon Iver. They’re really quite a talent. We hadn’t planned a first dance so Tim asked the band to play something romantic and they delivered with Aretha Franklin’s ‘A Natural Woman’. It was a really beautiful moment, even our grandmothers got up for a boogie! Nothing has really changed since getting married other than the fact we now get to call each other cute (very adult) names like Husband and Wife.

photographer Janneke Storm / bride’s dress Alon Livne White from Helen Rodrigues / groom’s suit Tony Barlow / location The Old Farm / flora The Romantics / entertainment The Outfit and Rosie and the Quest ring By Baby / shoes Zara / jewellery Tilly Jewellery from Wolfe and Ordnance / makeup Bridgitte K Makeup / hair Kell at Lyla Clare / bridesmaid attire Hansen and Gretel (dresses), Nakedvice (shoes), Tilly (jewellery) all from Wolfe and Ordnance / groomsmen attire Tony Barlow / menus Ivory and Stone / printing State of Elliott / catering Sarah Glover of The Wild Kitchen / ceramics Sole Ceramics / celebrant Fiona Giltjes / hire Salters Hire, Table Art and Event Art