Danielle + Ashley by Ashleigh Haase

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship… 

It sounds cliche, but we truly bring out the best in each other and balance each other out to make a pretty great team. We really are each other’s biggest fans.

Dani loves that Ash is always the life of the party, is spontaneous, thoughtful and always full of surprises. Ash loves Dani’s positivity, bad jokes and passion for everything she does. Together we enjoy nights out with our friends, live music, big walks with our dog Stanley and exploring new places together. Our relationship is full of laughs, love and terrible dance moves.

Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details

Our wedding day was absolutely beyond our wildest dreams! We can wholeheartedly say we wouldn’t change a single thing. We wanted a day full of laughing, dancing, love and fun and that is exactly what we got. We decided on having a ‘first look’ and were so thankful for having a little bit of time just the two of us (with our gorgeous little dog Stanley) before everything officially kicked off. Our vendors were absolutely incredible and nailed the finer details. Our photographer, Ash Haase, really took the time to get to know us and by the time the day rolled around it felt as if we had been friends for years! Our photos have completely blown us away – we didn’t know it was possible to capture the feeling of a day so perfectly in still images. 

Another stand out vendor was Haank Events, who went completely above and beyond to reflect our personalities in the styling. The book wall that they created was our favourite detail of the day and we still have guests commenting on how much they loved our setup. Our florist The Refined Bloomco created the most beautiful bouquets and arbour decoration imaginable and Baker Boys Band had the dance floor in full swing the minute the formalities were over. Initially we thought Sunbury might be a little far for our guests to travel, but after our first look at the homestead, it was a complete no brainer. We wanted to make fun and spending time together as newlyweds the focus of our day and we are so glad that we did. Our cheeks are still sore from smiling and we would go back and do this day over and over in a heartbeat if we could.

Tell us about your main outfits:

We were both looking for something that was a bit of fun and a little bit different. Dani fell in love with her dress from Boom Blush the minute she saw it online and took a huge risk in purchasing it without ever seeing it in person. With the full support of her bridal party, she was so glad she did, it was perfect in every way and different to anything else she’d seen. Ash was set on wearing colour and Andre J made all of his burgundy suit dreams come true. He was also pretty chuffed to be able to undo his bow tie when he kicked into party mode.

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?

There are so many! The whole day is just one big happy blur. We loved having a first look and getting a bit of time to just soak up some alone time before things got busy.

We also loved having a little surprise picnic in the garden before our ceremony with our bridal party. It was the perfect opportunity to just hang out, pop some prosecco and make sure we all had something to eat before all of the formalities started. 

Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together? 

Our biggest tip would be to make sure you spend as much time as possible together on the day and remember that it is about the two of you so do everything your way. Make sure you eat, sneak off at some point for a bit of alone time and dance the night away together. For anyone considering having a first look, we would highly recommend this too! 

Ceremony and Reception Location: Emu Bottom Homestead – Sunbury | Videographer: Anders Ashby Media | Photographer: Ashleigh Haase | Celebrant: Nicola Garrard | Entertainment: Baker Boys Band | Styling: Haank Events | Hire: One Big Day | Flora: The Refined Bloom Co. | Catering: The Epicurean | Cake: Samantha Karakinos | Picnic and Grazing Table: Event Pop Shop | Bride’s Dress: Boom Blush | Groom’s Attire: Custom made by Andre J | Bride’s Ring: Custom made by John Stanley Diamond | Groom’s Ring: Master Jewellers | Bride’s Shoes: Forever Soles | Groom’s Shoes: Shoes: Oxford | Bride’s Headpiece: Kezani Jewellery | Makeup: Ash Briggs | Hair: Rachel Anne Evans | Maid of Honour’s Jumpsuit: Seed | Bridesmaid’s Dress: H&M | Bridesman and Groomsmen Attire: Connor