Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship:
We are complete opposites – Graeme spontaneous & wild, myself planned & calm. We each bring something to the relationship that the other doesn’t have. We want to build a life for ourselves whereby we create our own rules.
We currently live in a water access only property on the Hawkesbury river, think sunset dates on the jetty, fishing expeditions & happy hour on the regular. I work in a corporate role in the city and Graeme puts his Landscaping & Carpentry skills to work around the river for the locals. We spend almost all of our time with our beautiful dogs – Jaxs, Rubi and Daisy.
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:
When we got engaged we knew we wanted to throw a big party in honour of the celebration. We spent over a year enjoying the “engaged” feeling and looking for venues. We wanted the wedding to reflect both of our personalities and knew we didn’t want a regimented day – we wanted to make our own rules. We started looking in Byron Bay (our home away from home) and ended up across the River from our Bar Point house at Peats Bite. After moving to the Hawkesbury River we wanted our favourite people to feel and see what we love about the location. The venue feels like a remote island, water access only and holiday like. We wanted it to feel like a Romantic escape with pretty florals but tropical features. We loved arriving on Zephyr Charters and walking down the long jetty into the venue, everyone greeted with a tropical cocktail on arrival. The day flowed easily, there was no movement from Ceremony to Reception and the Canapes, Cocktails & Champagne flowed effortlessly from start to finish. We were inspired by our trips to Mexico & Sardinia and wanted every moment to feel like a holiday.
Tell us about your main outfits:
I found so many beautiful gowns, I didn’t think I would ever be able to decide, until I tried on the Moira Hughes Harper Gown. The dress wasn’t anything like the others I had tried and designing a couture version of the gown with Moira and the team was a beautiful experience. Graeme is alternative in every way and surprised guests by wearing a Classic black Hugo Boss suit with Hugo Boss shirt, he even wore shores on the day (which is unheard of).
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day:
The rain! Our gorgeous tropical location was hit with torrential rain, so much so that the Hawkesbury River was shut due to flooding the next day. Our amazing guests didn’t bat an eyelid and boarded the boat transfers to the venue, passing by waterfalls falling from the coastline along the way. The power outage, one of the dogs knocking over a Turkish pot at the start of the aisle and the microphone cutting out did not stop us from getting married! Our amazing friend & celebrant Zoe married us (despite Graeme forgetting his speech) and we will never forget it. Heading out for photos on the gorgeous Zephyr Charters was an incredible experience as we spent a special hour floating past waterfalls and smiling for the camera (and drinking a lot of champagne!) Unfortunately, Graeme’s brother could not make it from London, a surprise speech read out by Groomsmen Lukas bought a tear to everyone’s eyes. Every part of it was special, we loved catching up with our guests after the wedding to hear their own versions of the day, a lot of heart warming and funny stories.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together:
Have fun with it! Find a theme and venue that you both love and if possible have a planner/stylist – Little Lane were absolute lifesavers! We called upon a lot of friends and family to support us with key roles and it made the experience all the more special.
Photography: @jasoncorrotophoto | Ceremony and Reception location: @peatsbite and @zephyr_charters | Celebrant: @zoewieringacelebrant | Bride’s gown: @moirahughescouture | Groom’s attire: @boss | Rings: @troyobrienjewellery | Shoes: @sophiawebster | Jewellery: @sarahandsebastian and @tiffanyandco | Makeup: @kellybowmanmakeup | Hair: @darrensummors | Fragrance: @burberry | Bridesmaid’s attire: @becandbridge | Entertainment: Yeah Nah Nah Music and Event Entertainers | Catering and Beverages: @peatsbite | @Styling and Planning: @littlelaneevents | Styling on charter: @styled_by_her | Hire: @cloud9events and @simply.seated | Marquee: Jacques Party Hire | Flora: @wildlotusflorist | Champagne Tower: @champagnetowersydney | Day spa for bridal party: @marramarralodge