“Sometimes it felt more like a festival than a wedding,” says Monique and Jon of their vibrant, loved-up destination wedding in NSW. Coinciding with 10 years together, the celebration started with a Dangar Island ceremony, later moving on to a riverboat reception.
A tapestry of intentionally selected, meaningful moments, the couple shared with us how they made the day their own, with the support of friends and family who generously contributed decor, desserts and plenty of other DIY goodies. Guest are still raving about the ample interactive kids activities and, of course, that DRESS — joy in wearable form, a corset and custom skirt combo of pink and orange hues, which the bride wore with hair and makeup by Liv Lundelius.
The newlyweds also share that, while they weren’t originally planning to have photos taken, they are so glad they did in the end. “Hilary Cam and Nicola, our photographers, were amazing,” say Monique and Jon. “We love the photos and we love them!”
An island destination wedding NSW & reception cruise | Destination Wedding Location
“We wanted to get married in a location that was meaningful to us. Dangar Island is where I grew up and it was one of the first places Jon visited in Sydney when he came here from England. We thought getting married in my home town would make things easier and cheaper. But being on an island with water access only made the catering and transport really challenging. When the pieces all finally fell into place it made the whole wedding really unique. Erciyes is one of our local favourites and we were so glad that they were willing to deliver to Brooklyn, and onto the Riverboat Postman.”
A wedding ceremony inspired by culture, community and connection
“Marriage transcends time and culture and we wanted our day to reflect that. We didn’t want any patriarchal handing over of the bride. So we designed the ceremony to symbolise the act of coming together, with two parades meeting and everyone holding hands and circling around in a big spiral. It was part pagan handfasting ceremony, part Mardi Gras, part New Orleans parade, part Indian Barat. There were a lot of little kids so the plans had to be really concrete but also flexible. It all came together perfectly.”
Kid-friendly wedding ideas for an interactive celebration
“Our kids are three and six, and about a quarter of the guests were kids. So a lot of the planning was making sure that the kids would be entertained. I planned activities for them at each stage of the day. There were small percussion instruments for the parade, ribbons, flags and snacks for the ceremony, craft bags for lunch, and a colouring table for the dance party. Sometimes it felt more like a festival than a wedding. Our three year old said it was the best day ever. All the parents were relieved that their kids were having such a good time.”
DIY wedding ideas made with help from family and friends
“On the hen’s weekend, we made paper decorations and created an archway for the community hall. Our friends really showed up for us in ways that we knew about beforehand and also surprised us with making table cloths for the ceremony tables, making cakes, gathering flowers, making signs, making headwear, making beer and cider, making music, bringing wine, helping with planning, everything really.”
A colourful non-white wedding dress inspired by Labyrinth
“I was totally living out my unfulfilled prom dress dreams. I wanted to be a fairy princess in an ocean of tulle! I didn’t realise until later that I was probably imagining myself as Sarah at the goblin ball in Labyrinth. I also wanted to reject the implicit racism of the white dress, which was started by Queen Victoria as a symbol of the purity and might of the British colonial empire. Breaking that tradition made it hard to find anything readymade. So I found Asya online and got her to make something unique. We were really lucky to have custom headpieces by Rosie Boylan who is an internationally acclaimed milliner and close family friend. And I ended up wearing the corset that my highschool best friend wore to our year 12 formal.”
More coastal and destination wedding inspiration
Looking for a hair and makeup legend in the Sydney region? Contact and see more of Liv Lundelius’ work here. We can’t recommend her highly enough. If a non-white gown gets you excited check out these real brides who embraced colour and pattern. Then get lost in our glorious real wedding blog for more coastal weddings and destination celebrations.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Hilary Cam Ceremony Venue Dangar Island Park Reception Venue The Riverboat Postman Catering Erciyes Restaurant Entertainment Queen Porter Stomp, Those Folk Celebrant Skye Robertson Rings Square Peg Studios, Moi Moi Headwear & Groomsmen Buttonholes Rosie Boylan Flowergirl Dresses Arabella and Rose THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Designer DIY Flower Crown Rosie Boylan Dressmaker Asya Skirts Accessories Broken Bay Pearl Farm Hair and Makeup Liv Lundelius Bridesmaid Dresses Model Chic THE GROOM Jacket Joe Bananas Shirt & Pants Country Road Shoes Julius Marlow
