SHANE & GARY'S TASSIE WEDDING

We love a sweet proposal story here at Hello May, and Shane and Gary’s is everything and more. “In the early stages of dating, we heard a story about two male penguins bonding,” Gary tells us. “During courtship, one penguin will present another with a pebble. If the pebble is accepted, the pair bond and mate for life. This story always resonated with us and penguins became our ‘thing’.

“Later on, Shane bought me a star naming gift for Christmas, but I never knew what to name it. The following year during a trip to Swedish Lapland to see the Northern Lights, I mentioned to Shane that I had finally named the star and figured out where it sat in the night sky. While looking up at the stars, Shane asked what name I decided on. I got down on one knee and told him I called the star ‘Pebble, because penguins mate for life’”.

Adds Shane, “I knew what Gary was asking and said ‘yes’. A few days after that we were back in Ireland for Christmas and bought each other watches to mark our engagement. These are the same watches we wore on our wedding day.” Nearly three years later, the Irish lads said ‘I do’ in a dreamy and dramatic Tassie elopement, captured by the talented Jon Gazzignato.

THE VIBE “We wanted to ditch the usual wedding traditions in favour of a relaxed intimate gathering of close friends. The entertainment we selected was an acoustic guitar player, Oscar O’Shea Music, who vowed to not play a single cliched song; our photographer, Jon Gazzignato, promised to capture unique moments rather than your usual ‘lovey-dovey’ shots; and the food and drink were to be unpretentious and free-flowing all day. In an attempt to make the day even more organic, any physical keepsake was made using a coloured theme of brown kraft paper, white, black and copper, matching the rugged Eastern Tasmanian coast in Winter.”

DIY “I [Gary] did create a surprise ‘midnight snack’ for our guests to take back to their room. These snack packs were packaged using kraft paper and handwritten labels. Both being Irish, a much-loved snack Irish snack is the Tayto sandwich (cheese and onion crisps on white bread). We had the crisps and individual Irish butter portions delivered from overseas especially to assemble the snack kits. They went down a treat.”

MEMORABLE MOMENT “I [Shane] was initially dreading the photography session, but ultimately it was a lot of fun. The emotions started to kick in as we were being serenaded out to our breathtaking ceremony location at The Burrows. There was definitely a tear or two from me during the reading of the vows. Gary’s tears finally got the better of him when we took some time out to speak with family on the video call.”

TAKE ON TRADITION “We steered away from religion but did incorporate a Celtic hand fastening ritual. In keeping with our heritage, I also wanted to include a nod to mead – a traditional Irish drink made from honey and the inspiration for the word ‘honeymoon’. I actually found a fragrance by Cartier called L’Envol, which was inspired by the honey scents of mead.”

STANDOUT VENDORS “Our celebrant Merren, of Cinta Celebrate Love, delivered an engaging ceremony and Jon Gazzignato’s photos are like nothing I have seen in a wedding album before. Bek Burrows Styling + Events styling was impeccable and her venue, The Burrows was one of a kind.”

Find more amazing Tassie vendors and epic inspo over on our directory, where you’ll find the likes of Jon Gazzignato (he really is That Good) and other local folk to make your own day every bit as magical as Shane and Gary’s.