Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship:
We are high school sweethearts, who got to know each other through sport.
We had a shared love for basketball but we have also both fallen in love with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and were lucky enough to go to Japan to compete. Although we are highly competitive we always know that we will be there to help push each other to achieve our goals. We also have our fur baby, Nyla, who is just the most loveable “nugget” in existence.
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:
We loved the idea of an industrial styled wedding, so when we found Two Ton Max we fell in love. We didn’t want to take away from the amazing industrial look of the venue so we went with a very minimalistic style, mostly just using florals for decoration. We also made our own table numbers with our photographs from over the years, we thought it added a nice personal touch.
Leading up to our wedding it had been quite stress free and exciting, however the week before the wedding was probably the most stressful week of our lives, with COVID possibly being the reason we would have to cancel our day. We had put so much time, effort and money towards this day and it was looking more and more likely that we would need to cancel. We were receiving phone calls and text messages from family members wondering if the wedding was still going ahead. Only a few weeks before hand we had already had family from overseas cancel their trip.
Tell us about your main outfits:
I know there are so many brides that have said “it was the first dress I tried on” and they somehow knew it was the one, and I remember thinking it was such a cliché and that would never happen for me. It wasn’t the first dress I tried on but it was the first dress I saw and I fell in love. It wasn’t something that I had pictured myself in as I thought it was too much. I went to Fairytale Boutique in Moonee Ponds and was lucky enough to also meet the designer Jack Sullivan on the day. He asked me to try the dress on because I would be the first potential bride that he would see it on. After I had tried his gown on there was no chance that anything could compare. When it came to the shoes, I was all about comfort. I had bought some heels but changed into my Nike kicks during the reception so I could dance the night away.
Groom: I honestly wasn’t sure what colour I was going to wear, but I knew that I was going to wear a tuxedo. I went looking around to see what there was or what I could potentially mix together. I realised that I really wanted to wear grey, but there weren’t any grey tuxedos out there. So I decided that I would need to get a custom suit tailored. I had never had a suit tailored before and the experience that I had with Ryan from MJ Bale was amazing. He went through and explained my options and all of the things that needed to be done. I went with a grey tuxedo and pants, with a charcoal waistcoat, white shirt and an ivory bowtie. I have a mate that hooked us up with shoes from Julius Marlow for the grooms-party.
We decided to go with reverse colours for the grooms-party attire, charcoal pants and a grey waistcoat. We also got some cheeky socks too, I wore some black “Mr. Right” socks and the grooms-party wore grey “what a catch” socks. Everything came together really well.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day:
The day itself was just so memorable, the fact that we were able to go ahead with it. The few days leading up to the wedding, there were all these restrictions that came into play that we thought we would not be able to even go ahead, or we would have to request some of our family and friends that they could not attend due to the guest restrictions.
The moment for myself (Tanya) that felt like this is all real and that I would actually get to marry Ryan today was when I put my dress on with the help of my bridal party and hearing the limo had arrived and that we actually have to go know. Up until the point it almost felt like there was still the possibility that I would get a phone call from the event coordinator to tell us the bad news.
The moment for me (Ryan) that it felt real was not until I was standing at the end of the aisle looking down it at my beautiful bride. As I said on the night, “she always looks amazing, but tonight you look far beyond that. I am a very lucky man”. It had been eleven years coming and it felt so good to finally be able to call this wonderful lady my wife.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together:
Remember that your “big day” is only a tiny aspect of your lives together. Don’t let the planning and stress overwhelm you and remember why you have chosen to have this day. Always talk things through, do not go to bed angry, laugh together and don’t let the little things pass you by, appreciate each other and remind one another why you love each other. Don’t be afraid of what the future may bring. As long as you have each other’s backs and you both know it, you will have an amazing life no matter what you are doing.
Venue: Two Ton Max | Videographer: Honeycomb Productions | Photographer: Michelle Grace Hunder & Briars Atlas | Celebrant: Shannon Jeans | Entertainment: Mercury DJ | Hire: Luna Twelve | Flora: Clover Flower Co | Catering + Beverages: Refresh Hospitality | Cake: SMR Cakes | Bride’s Dress: Jack Sullivan Bridal | Groom’s Suit: MJ Bale | Ring/s: Uniform Black | Bride’s Shoes: Naturalizer | Groom’s Shoes: Julius Marlow | Makeup: Sarah Jane Makeup | Hair: Dream Catcher Bridal | Bride’s Fragrance: Chloe | Groom’s Fragrance: David Beckham | Bridal Party Attire: Cocktail Boutique & Taro Cash
