I had always thought Nonna was the absolute coolest, however, when I got to know her kindness and heart, that was the initial attraction. I was completely unaware that Nonna had a crush on me.
Marlee – We’ve been together 14 years. We love going out to eat, travelling, hanging out with family and friends, and our dog Lenny. We met in school in 2003, and started dating the year we left school. I had always thought Nonna was the absolute coolest, however, when I got to know her kindness and heart, that was the initial attraction. I was completely unaware that Nonna had a crush on me.
Nonna – I always thought Marlee was really pretty and cool. I loved her style and remember her being really smart. On our last day of school, all the girls went to Manly Beach to celebrate. I wanted to tell Marlee I had a huge crush on her before we went our separate ways. My memory is a bit blurry, but it involved a bottle or two of sparkling wine and revealing my secret to her friends. Bravery took over that day – my friends may have told me not to do it because she was ‘straight’ at the time.
In 2022, we travelled to the US with Marlee’s brother and his partner. I already knew I was going to propose and had spoken to our families before we left. I decided Joshua Tree National Park in Palm Springs would be an epic place to do it. Marlee had no idea I was going to propose when I pulled out the ring.
We wanted our wedding to be personal and to feel like an intimate party like we’d taken all of our favourite people out to dinner. We chose Matteo Downtown, who does the most amazing Italian food. We wanted everyone to leave with full bellies and big smiles! I was set on having lots of candles and mood lighting, and given we were sharing an Italian feast, it worked perfectly.
Marlee – One thing we were happy about was getting a content creator. Nonna thought I was insane and so bougie for booking Henry, but he turned out to be the best decision. We got three short videos the next day and posts, as well as lots of raw video footage. The wait for professional photos can be hard, so having the content to look through on the plane the next day was amazing. Also, it meant we could relax and not have our phones out, knowing that Henry was taking it all in. We cut things out that we didn’t personally care about, like cars (we took Ubers), smoke machines and fireworks. Instead, we spent on food, drinks, photography and music. We had the amazing Stringspace in the garden at the ceremony, which added to the magical vibe and then Soul Empire, a soul band, at the reception, which was fun.
PHOTOGRAPHER Matt Godkin, @mattgodkinweddings / CEREMONY LOCATION Lindesay House / RECEPTION LOCATION Matteo Downtown, @matteodowntown / CELEBRANT Aniella Batten, @aniellabatten_celebrant / BRIDES’ DRESSES About Phaedra, @aboutphaedra / MARLEE’S SHOES Jimmy Choo, @jimmychoo / NONNA’S ACCESSORIES Sarah & Sebastian, @sarahandsebastian / BRIDAL PARTY SIR., @sir__; Aje., @_aje_; Gingham & Heels, @ginghamandheels; MJ Bale, @mjbale / PLANNING & STYLING FÖLA Styling, @folastyling / FLORA LULE Artistry @lule_artistryandevents / RINGS Kate & Kole, @kateandkole / VIDEOGRAPHER Joyride, @joyridefilms / CONTENT CREATOR Content by Henry, @contentbyhenry / PHOTOBOOTH Toast Photobooths, @toastphotobooths / ENTERTAINMENT Stringspace, @stringspace; Soul Empire, @soulempiremusic / HIRE Moments to Love, @moments.to.love_ / BAR Shake & Strain, @shakestrain / CAKE Flour and Stone, @flourandstone / STATIONERY & SIGNAGE One Mimosa Please, @onemimosaplease_ / NAPKINS Mrs Tablescape, @mrstablescape / MAKEUP Rochelle Spotswood, @heyimrochelle_ / HAIR Salon Naydene, @salonnaydene / MARLEE’S FRAGRANCE Mohave Desert by Byredo, @officialbyredo / PET SITTER Wedding Paws, @weddingpaws / CEREMONY POEM Words By Lisa, @words.bylisa
