Marching to the beat of their own drum, Lexi and Matt were careful to do everything their own way at their wedding. Not only did they make their marriage certificate and have a “man maid-of-honour”, they even had a shot of whisky mid-way through the ceremony! Rule-breakers right from the start, they had We Play Records supply the soundtrack for the day, and Folk & Follow thankfully caught it all on camera.
THE PROPOSAL We were way up in the mountains in Nepal, walking through the jungle- somewhat lost- but not bothered about it. Matt wanted to take a picture of me looking out towards the Himalayas (my back to the camera, and him). He was taking a little while, so I turned around and just as I did, he dropped my ring in the dirt. All I could see was him scurrying through the dust. He then quickly switched to one knee, and asked me to marry him (with a gorgeous dusty ring!).
THE DRESS When I went to Grace Loves Lace, I had two favourite dresses and it was difficult to decide, so I got both and wore one dress for the ‘first look’ and one for the ceremony. I purchased the Arlo direct from Grace Loves Lace, and the Alexandria from Still White.
MEMORABLE MOMENT Our wedding was a non-traditional, non-institutionalised wedding. We made our own marriage certificate (which is legally binding, as what constitutes a legal document is a date, and signatures). However, it meant my name did not automatically swap from Bishop to Hyland. It was the one thing Matt did want, and the one thing that I didn’t want. But, I decided to secretly change my name and handed him a copy of my name change certificate after our vows. We both burst into tears. It was so special.
WE’RE GLAD WE… We’re really glad we spent the extra money on our photos and filming, because they’re better then we both could have imagined, and we’ll have them for a lifetime. We’re also glad we booked our wedding out of peak season, and on a Friday. We saved a fortune being on the season cusp, and Friday rates were substantially cheaper compared to Saturday/Sunday.
STANDOUT VENDORS CloudHerd Film Co were amazing. Before the wedding they set up a Skype call with Matthew and I so they could get to know us, and feel out our vibe / needs / wants for our wedding film. We instantly felt like friends, not business partners and it made working with them a breeze.
A WORD OF ADVICE Ask yourself why you do things before you do it. For example, are you following tradition because you want to? Or because you’re afraid of how you’ll be perceived if you don’t. You can’t please everybody and you’ll go crazy trying. It’s your day – indulge in it.
REFERENCES I used Hello May and WedShed as my main guides, and of course, Instagram.
VENDOR CREDITS Photographer Folk & Follow Cinematographer CloudHerd Film Co Ceremony venue Sydney Park Alexandria Reception venue The Grounds of Alexandria Hire items Props to You Entertainment We Play Records Ring Natalie Marie Jewellery THE BRIDE Bridal gown Grace Loves Lace Hair Edwards & Co Alexandria Makeup The Future Mrs THE GROOM Suit David Jones