Think cosy cabin in the woods, rugged up by the fire, relaxing with a small crew of your favourite people and you’ll start to get an idea of what Joy and Jackson were going for when they planned their wedding in Queensland’s Tamborine Mountain. “We originally planned to get married at Lincoln’s Rock in the Blue Mountains and had a cabin booked for our reception, but we had to cancel that plan and make the event local due to COVID-19 and all the travel restrictions that came with it,” explains bride Joy. “Going forward, we still wanted the same vibe – outdoors, in the mountains and with a cabin reception. So we were looking online for properties in the Gold Coast that had these features.” And they found just the spot, booking a private residence on Airbnb and gathering 20 guests for a super-intimate weekend celebrating their love.
Lucky for these guys, they had some profesh photographer friends over at The Story Co. who – having a special insight into the couple’s love story – were able to document the day in all its glory. Scroll on for all the magically moody shots!
THE VENUE “With the short timeframe, we didn’t have much time to see any wedding venues in person so we looked on Airbnb for properties that suited our dream wedding description. Finding an Airbnb also meant it could be more private and ensured we could have our own program and style the day the way we wanted. Having an Airbnb was also beneficial as I [Joy] wanted to stay with my family at the property the night before in order to set up the home so it was prepared for the following day.”
THE VIBE “Simple, cosy, moody, edgy, relaxed and creative. We wanted it to be unique with some traditional elements. Jackson is super creative and often likes to do things against the grain so we definitely wanted the vibe to be different and reflect our personalities. We wanted it to be a peaceful day where we could be ourselves and take in each moment. We wanted it to be intimate and in nature, hence many of our photos are featured outdoors.”
THE DRESS “My dream dress was a simple silk design with a train, which I found online at MLM. It had slightly puffed sleeves with button details at the arms cuffs. The texture was beautiful and comfortable to wear. Since the boutique is in Sydney I wasn’t able to try it on, but the measurements online were quite accurate and made it easy to choose the right fit for me.”
DIY “The flower altars on the ground during the ceremony were a DIY project. I went to a flower market in Brisbane with my friend Renee to pick dried flowers, which she made into a beautiful arrangement that we had at the end of the altar.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “Our favours, the enamel pins, which were made by Neon Republic. Enamel pins are a unique gift and they were designed by Jackson [the groom] so they had our creative touch. The flowers were another favourite detail of mine. My mother, who worked as a florist in her 20s in Japan, exceeded my expectations. Even though she did the bouquets at my sister’s wedding the year before, which were amazing, the theme was tropical and the opposite to the look I was going for… However, she met the brief I gave her perfectly. Even though I wanted everything at the wedding to have a simple style, I love flowers so I was happy for that element to be extravagant. The brief was a bright, colourful bouquet of flowers that looked slightly wild as if they were hand-picked from a field. And it was exactly that – bright and wild.”
TALK ABOUT TRADITION “We are Christians so at the beginning of our ceremony, once I’d walked down the aisle, our pastor said a prayer and then we had my brother in law sing one of our favourite worship songs, Upper Room by Hillsong. We all remained standing during this moment and worshipped together as he played and sang. Then later, at the reception, we broke with tradition by not having a first dance. Neither of us are keen dancers and we wanted a relaxed evening reception with no pressures or unwanted traditions.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Jess from Neon Republic went above and beyond to make sure that we were happy with our neon signage. Not only did she offer to drive them to our venue, she even installed them and added such a personal touch to her business. She felt so genuine and authentic and I would highly recommend using them for neon signs.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “kept it small. It felt so special. I’m also glad we did it in August, because it was still cold and allowed us to have all the cosy elements such as coats and fireplaces, and that we got married outdoors and in the afternoon, as the lighting and property added to the serenity and made great moody photos. We’re so glad we chose our friend, The Story Co., to be our photographer because we felt so relaxed with him when taking photographs throughout the day.”
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer The Story Co. Florist Mother of the bride. Stationery Stazy Creative (the groom) Ceremony & reception Airbnb Catering Delectables by Tess Cake Cakeable Vanessa Signage & Wedding favours Neon Republic (enamel pins designed by groom) Hire Items Nirvana Weddings and Events (garden bench seats for ceremony) Celebrant Pastor Isaiah Simmons from Public Church Brisbane Rings 1924US THE BRIDE Gown MLM Veil Jenna Venter (bride’s friend) Shoes Zara Accessories Bride’s mother (pearl earrings) Hair Bride’s own Makeup Makeup by Madi Bridesmaid dresses Esther & Co Bridesmaid shoes Zara Bridesmaid gifts Saint (ceramic tea set) THE GROOM Jacket & Pants Zara Shirt Uniqlo Shoes Dr. Martens Barber Seven&One Studio Groomsmen suits Zara