First featured in issue 15, Kyra and Austin’s engagement wasn’t a full-on affair. No rose petals, flash mobs or kiss cam question popping here. Just two people in love making the decision to spend the rest of their lives together. £There wasn’t a proposal! We aren’t really big into traditions, and just did it the way that we thought suited us. We decided to get married together. The day that the engagement ring arrived in the mail though, I couldn’t help myself and I may have been down on one knee in the middle of the lounge room, explains Austin, who along with his wife-to-be planned the ultimate DIY celebration.
£That wasn’t the original plan but we, like most couples, were pretty shocked by how quickly you can blow your budget. It was important to us to not get into debt and what we really cared about was creating an environment where we could celebrate our relationship with those we love in a real and down to earth way, the pair tells us, with a ceremony by Paul Voge and floral chandeliers at the top of their wish list.
£We had seen some epic photos of weddings with amazing floral installations and fell in love. When we looked into getting them made – let’s just say they were significantly out of our budget. We didn’t let that stop us though, we just decided to make them ourselves. Looking back, that was a pretty ambitious idea but the whole thing became an awesome family project.
That it did, Kyra’s dad designed a suspension beam with floral foam cages and rigged it up to the marquee while her mum sourced the native foliage. £The day before the wedding, everyone got together to construct these masterpieces and unbelievably, they came together! Having everyone working on the project was definitely a highlight of the weekend I think everyone was thinking, how the hell is this going to work!’ But somehow it did, and not a single leaf fell out onto anyone’s head, says Kyra, who was never very interested in donning a big white dress.
£The wedding grew closer and closer and I hadn’t seen anything that felt very me’. It took me a while to figure out ?how to be myself and also be a bride. I think I found the Rue De Seine Chloe’ dress online when I was Googling if it ?was a faux pas for the bride to wear red lipstick. The slightly gothic, romantic style was definitely my thing and I knew that I would feel like myself walking down the aisle in that dress.
Keeping in that lax mindset throughout the planning process, this pair encourages others getting hitched to keep things in perspective (and hire a great photographer like Jess Jackson). £If you manage to remember what the day is actually about then the little things won’t matter so much and you’ll be able to relax and enjoy the magic of the day.
Want to see more gorgeous weddings like this one? Pick up issue 15 of Hello May via our online store today and postage is on us! Keen for more inspiration? Check out Issue 16 on sale now and stocked in newsagents nationally. Search for your nearest stockist via suburb or postcode here or shop online with Mag Nation or via the HM online store here.
CREDITS Photos Jess Jackson // Dress Rue De Seine via Still White // Shoes Nina Armando // Earrings Adorne // Rings Satomi Kawakita and Antique via Precious Stones Jewellers // Suit Roger David // Tie ASOS // Flowers Rocklea Flower Market // Ceremony and reception Goremans Road, NSW // Catering Crusta Woodfired Pizza // Cake Let Them Eat Cake // Prop and furniture hire Tilly and I // Marquee Mullumbimby Hire // Celebrant Paul Voge.