These two had planned their wedding pre COVID, but hey, they say life is what happens when you’re making other plans, and these two are glad they went ahead with it anyway. “We consider ourselves lucky that we were able to have such a memorable day with our family. We will probably just invite our friends to join us on our 1st wedding anniversary for a low-key celebration.” The restrictions lifted slightly just before their day with 10 guests allowed, so family was able to attend, with the exception of Emma’s sister who dialled in via Zoom. One of our fave photographers, Damien Milan, was the man behind the lens and we’ve got it all to show you below…
WHY AN ELOPEMENT “When our venue advised that they needed to close and asked us to postpone, we decided that we wanted to go ahead and get married even if it was just the two of us. Being married is important to us and so we tried to look for the positives in such a unique scenario. It meant the day would be more intimate and some of the stresses of arranging a celebration for many people would be reduced, allowing us to remain present and enjoy the day together. The uncertainty of when we would be able to celebrate as we had originally planned was also a factor in proceeding with our original date. We understand this doesn’t work in everyone’s circumstances, but for us we are pleased we went ahead.”
THE VENUE “Centennial Parklands is close to our hearts – we often walk around there and couldn’t think of a more appropriate place in the middle of the city we met and live in, but still private and secluded enough among the Pine Grove.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS… “One of Dave’s groomsmen held an iPad with my sister on the other end and she did a reading for us. It was so important that she was part of the day and really special to hear her voice and see her face. We even hit record on the zoom meeting and now have a very wobbly, but amazing memory of our wedding captured from her perspective. Also, musician Patrick James. Patrick was the first concert we went to together and we had decided that I would walk down the aisle to one of his songs. Dave hadn’t told me that he was actually going to be the one playing and so surprised me on the day! Our friends also arranged a video with messages from the friends and family who were unfortunately unable to join us to celebrate. It’s a great keepsake and there were some really creative videos.”
THE DRESS “Rachel Gilbert. It took me a few shops to find it. I went to a few stores and realised that I was after something simple and elegant and no fuss.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “Were able to go ahead with our wedding. While it wasn’t what we originally had planned and it was a hard decision, the unique and intimate nature made our day so special.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “All of our vendors were amazing and it was extra special that many of them were existing connections of ours. Our photographer Damien Milan was excellent and really captured all the moments, allowing us to share them with all of our friends and family who were unable to make it.”
If you’ve fallen in love with the pics from this post, check out more from photographer Damien Milan right here. You’ll find links to a bunch of other real weddings that he has shot as well as contact details, but first…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Damien Milan Florist Grandiflora (Bouquet, Button Hole & Confetti) & Mother of the Bride (Reception & Ceremony) Ceremony Pine Grove, Centennial Parklands Reception Private Property Catering Italian Bar Cake Gracious Honey Entertainment Patrick James Celebrant Sally Young Rings Temptation Jewellery THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Rachael Gilbert Accessories Atelier Romy Hair Capelli by KLP Makeup Cassie Dionne Makeup Bridesmaid Dresses Shona Joy & Bianca Spender THE GROOM Suit, Jacket, Shirt & Pants Mitchell Ogilvie Tailoring Bow Tie & Cufflinks Declic Shoes R.M. Williams Grooming Aiden Xydis via The Men’s Grooming Room Groomsmen Suits Mitchell Ogilvie Tailoring