A couple since their first year of uni (that’s a whopping nine years in total), these two were so chill (and in tune) that they didn’t even have an official proposal. “We had been together about six years when we got engaged so we just started talking about it organically and thought it was time we may as well make things official (and have a big party!).” Janneke Storm got all the good feels on camera and we got some darn good advice from the couple, so scroll down…
THE VENUE “The Calile Hotel is so beautiful (and Instagram-able!). The staff are amazing – all our guests love them. They are so flexible in working with you to make the day uniquely ‘you’, you are never expected to fit in with the way every other couple does things. Plus the venue ticked all our boxes: Greek food (that guests are still raving about), a beautiful space meaning we didn’t really need to add a lot of decor, and a midnight curfew.”
THE INSPO “Aesthetically we took our styling cues from the colourways and textures of The Calile Hotel. In terms of overall vibe, our day was very family-focused and every choice was made to maximise meaningful touchpoints with each guest, from personal notes to each guest on the place settings, making sure we were there for most of the cocktail hour, getting ready together with our family and recruiting them for lots of DIY projects. We also greeted our guests with the help of our parents before the ceremony rather than walking down the aisle – we wanted it to feel like we were welcoming our guests into our home.”
FAVE DETAILS “We were so happy with the food. All of our guests are still talking about it! We also think that our celebrant, Rebecca Kesby, did an amazing job with the ceremony. She allowed us to bin every element that wasn’t legally required and build the ceremony we wanted from the ground up. She didn’t even mind that we didn’t want to do vows! We are also really proud of our wedding playlist, everyone loved the tunes, our handwritten personalised notes at each place-setting, and our custom, college-themed cocktails that honoured how we met. Lastly, we are really happy that we had a big joint hen and bucks party. We grabbed 16 close friends and booked an Airbnb in the hinterland for the weekend and it’s one of our favourite moments from the wedding week”
DIY “Brodie’s grandfather made his ring from wood. My dad designed all our stationery. Our friends and family assisted us in painting our centrepieces and putting together our flower arrangements. We put together our own music playlist for the day. My grandparents and I DIY’d our reception break out space of white cane furniture. Brodie’s grandmother made his wedding shirt. And I made Brodie and his brother’s pocket-squares.”
THE DRESS “I love my dress. It was quite a mission to find and the process to find it was pretty unconventional. I first discovered the dress on a second-hand site but it sadly sold by the time I had made the decision to buy it. Although I shopped around, I searched for almost a year before finally finding the dress in my size again just an hour down the road, being sold by a fellow bride who had worn it to her elopement. I’m so happy I found it and am now looking to pass it onto the next person who will love it.”
TALK ABOUT TRADITION “Being a partially Greek wedding, we, of course, did the Zorba, had five Koufeta (sugared almonds) for each guest as a wedding favour, and also did the ‘money dance’ for our first dance where friends and family came up during the dance and used dress pins to pin money to our clothes. I also wore my YiaYia’s (great grandmother’s) engagement ring.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “Prioritise good food. No one will remember your centrepieces, everyone will remember if they had to stop for Macca’s on their way home. My favourite piece of advice came from the Bridechilla podcast. It was something like, imagine the moments you most want to create at your wedding and take steps to make that moment happen. I feel like it’s a good reminder to not lean on the aesthetics too much and to also not just assume or hope that moment will organically happen on its own – take matters into your own hands!”
If you love what you see from photographer, Janneke Storm and are still looking for a lens lady to shoot your day, head to her Directory listing with us here for info, a bunch of real weddings and contact details. But first…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Janneke Storm Florist Brisbane Flower Market (DIY) Stationery Family Printer Print Together Ceremony, Reception & Signage The Calile Hotel Other Desserts Triton Greek Food Markets Entertainment Oli Samson Celebrant Rebecca Kesby Rings By Baby (Athina) THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Zimmermann (Second Hand) Shoes Aje (Ceremony) & Country Road (Reception) Accessories Tilly Jewellery (Earrings), Molten Store (Silver Stacker Rings) Hair & Makeup KM Makeup Studios THE GROOM Jacket Jacket Country Road Shirt Handmade Pants Outland Denim Bow Tie David Jones Shoes Florsheim Grooming La Motta’s Hairstyling For Men