When Dylan proposed to Brittany at Marion Bay in South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, it set the tone for their wedding to come. “The area has a beautiful coastline and national park, rough beaches that are always empty, and Dylan’s family has a house there, where we have loved spending time for many years.”
This couple kept those vibes in mind when it came to picking their venue – Avalon Coastal Retreat in Tasmania. “We wanted to go away to elope from the beginning,” they share. “We wanted to be near the beach and choose somewhere with a beautiful coastline, just like the Yorke Peninsula, so we decided on Tassie.”
With the theme of “a relaxed, stress-free day”, Brittany and Dylan called in the pros (aka planner-stylist extraordinaire Dear Leone) to do the heavy lifting, gave talented photographer Hayley Rafton a holler to snap the pics (and omg they’re gorg) and, well… that was that! A quick trip to DISSH online for the dress, M.J. Bale for the suit and, bam – perfect elopement vibes sorted.
FAVE DETAILS “Every detail of the day was perfect. Gee from Dear Leone made sure that every vendor aligned with our values and kept produce local, which included food and florals.”
THE DRESS “The dress just ended up being from DISSH! I loved the Aisle Edit DISSH had brought out and I thought it really suited our stress-free, no-frills day. I ordered it online, it came quickly and fit perfectly! It was as if it was just meant to be.”
THE SUIT “My suit was from M.J. Bale. I had no problems finding it as Brittany sent me straight there with her colour selection and I got fitted up. It was as easy as that.”
RESOURCES “Dear Leone had a few Skype calls with us and got the feel of what we wanted, and provided us with vendors. The only vendor I found myself was our photographer, Hayley Rafton, and I am fairly sure I found her on the Hello May Insta.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “The photos after the ceremony with Hayley. it was just super windy and she just put on some music and made us run, skip and jump around, which got us some really beautiful shots. It was just such a carefree moment and it honestly felt like we were just hanging out with one of our best friends.”
COOL CUSTOM “We didn’t have anything specific but Merren, our celebrant from Cinta Celebrate Love, decided to incorporate a rock-throwing into the ocean after the ceremony to symbolise new beginnings, which was lovely and thoughtful of her.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “Make sure you really stick to your own core values and that the day is about what you both want, and it will truly be such an enjoyable experience.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “Really glad we eloped! Totally us and would do it again 1000 times over if we had the choice again.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Gee, our stylist, planner and coordinator from Dear Leone – she was such a godsend. Our photographer Hayley Rafton was also amazing! We are not models or camera-type people and she made us feel so comfortable. She was also so prompt at sending us our photos – we had a sneak peek within 24 hours and all of our photos within a couple of weeks. Just unreal!”
We can totally get behind this amazing team of vendors who came together to make Brittany and Dylan’s day *chef’s kiss*, and definitely suggest you head on over to our directory to find them (along with other Tassie-based vendors). You’ll find both Hayley Rafton and Dear Leone‘s deets there, plus M.J. Bale for sweet-as suiting.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Hayley Rafton Event Planner, Stylist & Hire Items Dear Leone Florist The Floral Criteria Ceremony & Reception Avalon Coastal Retreat Catering Flint Kitchen Celebrant Cinta Celebrate Love Rings Cassandra Mamone THE BRIDE Gown DISSH Shoes Superga Earrings Bauhaus Hair Yoshimi Kumai Makeup Talia Quirk Artistry Fragrance Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb THE GROOM Suit, Shirt & Bow Tie M.J. Bale Shoes R.M. Williams