I really wanted a champagne tower for after the ceremony – it was all stacked up ready to go, and a big gust of wind took it out just before I walked down the aisle! And, the ibis’ kept stealing the food – my poor father-in-law had to be on ibis patrol.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Lou: Leon and I live together in Adelaide. I’m a nurse and have just finished a midwifery degree and he works in WHS. We love the pace of Adelaide, it has a city vibe but is also so easy to get around, we love going down to have a walk along the beach or go for a drive through The Hills. We are obsessed with our little Scottie dog, Haggis, and just love the quiet life.
Leon: I also love tacos and music.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Lou: We met at a wedding! My friend was marrying Leon’s cousin. My friend had been saying for years that I should fall in love with this guy and move to Adelaide and join her family (more as a joke than anything). Then we met and hit it off at their wedding and it all came true! My first impression was that he was the most gentle kind person. We started off doing long distance for a year. I was still living in Brisbane, so we would take it in turns to fly back and forth. After a year of this, Leon moved to Brisbane, then a year after that we settled in Adelaide.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Lou: Actually no, not really! We had a chat about the possibility of getting married, and started to write a ‘small’ list of potential guests. We were about 120 people deep with no end in sight and we both just realised a big wedding could get so out of hand so quickly, we decided then and there to do something small. So we set a date, and afterwards we were like ‘so we’re engaged now?!’.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
Lou: The biggest thing for me was that I wanted to be a stress free bride. I didn’t want too many moving parts and I wanted it to be a fun, carefree day. The day turned out exactly as I’d imagined – it was a beautiful sunny day in the park, we had an awesome celebrant who brought the fun, we had some music and drinks and snacks, it was basically the perfect afternoon. We had less than 30 people there, but had planned an ‘engagement party’ the next night to announce that we actually go married the day before, which was also super fun.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
Lou: Photography and food! I have followed Trent and Jessie’s work for a long time and have loved watching their style evolve. The package that we went with was for a small wedding but I honestly would not have cared how much they cost, having good photos was a must for me. Initially we weren’t sure if we really ‘needed’ the video but we were SO glad we did.
We love Enoteca and used to go there often for date nights when we lived in Brisbane. They have an amazing menu and really great wine. The cellar room was the perfect size for our small wedding.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Lou: I really wanted a champagne tower for after the ceremony – it was all stacked up ready to go, and a big gust of wind took it out just before I walked down the aisle! And, the ibis’ kept stealing the food – my poor father-in-law had to be on ibis patrol.
Leon: Honestly there was no stress on the day at all. I went to breakfast with friends, went to get a manicure, showered and prepared, jumped in a cab and pulled up ready to go. It was a great day that was filled with laughs and love.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
Lou: There were so many dresses that I absolutely loved but when we decided on a park wedding I knew I wanted something fun and floral. I had followed Brooke for years and loved her style, and noticed the Flora Gown when I got really serious about looking. Brooke was amazing to deal with, although it was a little nerve wracking buying a wedding dress without trying it on! But she made the process easy and I was so happy with how it looked. My mum bought my earrings for me – I asked her to look on the website and chose her favourites, and she chose the gold earrings that had been cast using a Geraldton wax flower – a flower that had always reminded me of my mum, so that was really special. Leon really wanted to wear a linen suit to last the day in the Brisbane humidity, and Michael helped him choose a lovely oatmeal colour.
Leon: I had my suit tailor made by Michael at Beg your Pardon. The whole experience was really fun, despite having control over the whole process I leaned on him for guidance with the cut and shape and was ecstatic with the end product.
Ceremony location: New Farm Park, Brisbane / Reception location: 1889 Enoteca, @1889enoteca / Photographer + Videographer: Trent & Jessie, @trentandjessie / Celebrant: David Webber, @davidwebber_marriagecelebrant / Flora: Yvette from TYQ Bunch, @tyqbunch / Catering + Beverages: Cheese board at ceremony by Say Graze, @saygraze / Cake: Chloe from Bo and Co, @boandco.sweetbites / Leon’s Custom Suit: Michael from Beg Your Pardon, @beg_yourpardon / Lou’s Attire: Brooke Tyson Ritual, @brooketysonritual / Ring/s: My engagement was my great grandmother’s ring. The rings were made by a family friend in Adelaide, Richard Bastian / Shoes: Raid by ASOS / Earrings: Anja Jagsch, @anjajagsch / Makeup: Fairlie Exintaris, @fairlieexintaris_mua / Hair: Kell from Lyla Clare, @lylaclare
