Real Weddings

Article by

Laura Wilson

Posted on

02/09/2021

Posted in

Real Weddings

“Despite the uncertainty COVID caused, we were so glad we didn’t postpone the whole day,” says Mary and Marcus of their 2020 nuptials. “By opting for a smaller [60 strong, QLD guest list only] ceremony and an intimate reception dinner [of 20], we were still able to get married and have that memory for the rest of our lives!” They tweaked the traditions a little to suit and you can read all about it below, along with the dress experience from none other than Sphere Bridal Gallery, the incredible blooms from Mrs Gibbons Flowers and stunning stationery and signage from Laura Elizabeth Design. Alcorn Images was there to capture it all on camera, so do yourself a favour and scroll down…

THE VENUE “We were actually so close to booking a farm setting until I was looking through our photographer’s previous work and spotted The Gardens Club. We booked in to see the venue as soon as we could and fell in love. It had the greenery we loved but also the ease of being in the city for any interstate travellers (not knowing what was lying ahead of us at that point). Such a hidden Brisbane gem!”

THE VIBE “I don’t think we set out with a theme, we just told our amazing wedding planner Em (For Love and Living) everything we loved and she was able to translate that perfectly to a colour palette and vibe. We were so lucky that all our vendors were on completely the same wavelength. Despite a few of our elements being untraditional (e.g bridesmaids outfits), having that moody colour palette evident throughout made everything come together so well in the end.”

FAVE DETAILS “My absolute favourite element of the entire day were the flowers. Amber from Mrs Gibbons Flowers is a magician. By far the most beautiful arrangements I have ever seen in my entire life. She carried the colour palette throughout every floral element so eloquently. My favourite piece of hers was Marcus’ Boutonniere, it was so delicately designed and arranged. We loved it so much that we have actually dried it and it will stay on our fridge forever. Also, our wedding stationery. I am beyond lucky that my wonderful sister is also the incredibly talented Laura Elizabeth Design. People might think I’m biased, but I know after they see her work, they’d be with me when I say, she’s a goddess at what she does. The items she designed and assembled for our day were exquisite!”

DIY “We did hole-punch a LOT of dried leaves to make biodegradable confetti, something I wouldn’t recommend to any bride, took us such a long time to punch out what we needed.”

THE DRESS “My mum, sister and I went to see the lovely Sarah from Sphere Bridal Gallery on the Sunshine coast after hearing such glowing reviews from previous brides. Those reviews couldn’t have been any more accurate, this was the first and last bridal boutique we went to. I picked a few dresses off the hanger which I liked and also spoke to Sarah about what I was looking for in a dress. She proceeded to bring a handful of other dresses I hadn’t spotted myself into the change room. Once slipping this last one on, I was so taken back by the fact that the classic saying is absolutely true – when you try on THE dress, you just know. It was everything I imagined and more. Very simple but elegant, backless but classy, loose but still structured enough.”

TALK ABOUT. TRADITION… “As we postponed the big reception, we decided to incorporate the speeches from both dads, maid of honour and best man into the ceremony. Very untraditional to include within the ceremony but speeches were something we really wanted each wedding invitee to experience also. This meant after we signed our marriage certificate, Marcus and I remained seated and were able to listen to the speeches. This was such a beautiful memory, the air was so filled with love and emotions! A lot of the guests actually said this was their favourite part of the day also!”

A WORD OF ADVICE “Hire a wedding planner! They are worth their weight in gold, we wouldn’t have had a 10% of what we did have without the help of Emma. And hire on the day vendors you would actually invite to your wedding. This means you are surrounded by people on the day who you actually enjoy the company of and add value to the vibe you want on the day.”

STANDOUT VENDORS “BeccyD Makeup Artist & Hair Creative – everyone who interacted with her would back this statement wholeheartedly. Not only was their makeup perfect, she was the perfect person to be with us all morning. We were all having the best time and she was 100% there for it. Added so much value to our morning!”

Mary and Marcus’ gorge garden wedding was originally published in Issue 31 of Hello May Magazine. You can snag a copy in print via our online store here. And if you have (understandably) fallen in love with a few of this couple’s key vendors – blooms and bridal gown to name a few – you can find out more about them over on our Directory at the following links; Sphere Bridal Gallery and Mrs Gibbons Flowers. Make sure you scroll down for other weddings of theirs we have published, too. But first…