Set up by Shannan’s “beautiful grandma” at her 21st birthday, the bride and groom (now a lawyer and management consultant) confess to being two Type A personalities, meaning, “we had a very well organised wedding and basically lived by the extensive spreadsheet/ task list we created in the lead-up.” It certainly paid off when you see these nuptials. And the lovely Stories by Ash was there to make sure we did. Scroll down for all the beautiful pics and our chat with the duo…
MEMORABLE MOMENT “In Johnny’s job he spends a lot of time making PowerPoint decks for clients, and early on in our relationship he promised he would make one for me one day (a romantic gesture from a management consultant). We did speeches on the Friday night before our wedding (at a dinner with our families and bridal party) and true to his word, he had created this Powerpoint presentation for our wedding that was a pitch for the ‘Merger of Equals’ that was our marriage including detailed reasons why the deal should ‘close’. Long track record (seven years dating), strong supporting infrastructure (our close relationships with our families) etc. It’s honestly the best speech I’ve ever heard (probably mildly biased)!”
LITTLE LOL “We invested in dance lessons for our first dance – but living in a small apartment in Sydney we struggled to have space to practice at home. Our friends let us use their rooftop to practice, and one Saturday afternoon we did a lift (that ended in a kiss!) and we immediately heard whooping and a round of applause. Neighbours partying on a nearby roof were cheering us on!”
THE VENUE “The moment I got out of the car I knew The Old Dairy Maleny was where we were going to get married. I immediately got goosebumps and fell completely in love with the breathtaking views of the Sunshine Coast hinterland. It was absolutely stunning. Jo and Ari (owners) and Caroline (manager) were incredible, kind and so helpful! We also got the venue for four days (we did a recovery breakfast on the Sunday for everyone), which was fantastic and allowed us the flexibility to do DIY decorations, have multiple celebrations with our loved ones and have time to ourselves at our venue basking in the post-wedding glow!”
FAVE DETAILS “The sunset on our wedding day was incredible (and perfectly captured by our amazing photographer, Stories by Ash, so we get to relive it whenever we look at our photos). Our florals by Heavenly Blooms – I never thought I would get emotional about my bouquet but when I saw it, I burst into tears, they were so gorgeous! Johnny’s mum and sister did all of our table decorations for us which were beautiful and a reflection of parts of our upbringing and my mum dried and preserved rose petals from her roses at home for about a year so that we could use them as confetti! All of her efforts were worth it – they were a lovely touch on the day.”
THE DRESS “My dress was from Helen English in Paddington, Sydney and it was more than I ever could have hoped for! I instantly fell in love. It was easily one of the best decisions I made – her gowns are incredible quality, beautiful and Helen is also lovely. It was like going to see a friend whenever I went in for a fitting. She was also very accommodating and altered my dress as many times as I needed. I had a pearl button from my mum’s wedding dress attached to my belt and a piece of lace from Johnny’s Nan’s wedding dress sewn into the lining. I’m a very sentimental person so I loved having those personal touches as part of my dress.”
REFERENCES “It was a bit of a mix! I spent a lot of time on Hello May which is where we found some of our key vendors, and then we also got some great recommendations from friends, colleagues and also our vendors we had already booked – a huge and valuable source of knowledge.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “First, be really clear from the outset what you do and don’t value (i.e. what you’re willing to splurge on and what you’re willing to compromise on or cut completely). Second, spreadsheets are your best friend. Third, try not to let the little things stress you out too much in the lead up (this is from someone who did exactly that), because on the day you will be so happy you won’t even notice the little thing you thought was a huge deal weeks ago.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Our photographer, Stories by Ash, was incredible. She’s both an amazing photographer and a great person so we feel very lucky to have had her as part of our day. The whole team at the The Old Dairy Maleny were amazing. I was also blown away by Kate Ellen Makeup Artistry and hairstylist Nikki of Sass + Nikki. They were both so talented, incredible to work with and wonderful women. Finally, Penfolds Catering, was fantastic. The food was delicious and generously sized (we even asked them for one of the recipes) and they had very effective bar staff that ensured everyone stayed appropriately hydrated.”
Stories by Ash is one of our all-time fave photographers and if you have fallen in love with her snaps from this wedding, be sure to check out more over on her Directory listing with us here. But first…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Stories by Ash Florist Heavenly Blooms Stationery Paperless Post (Invitations), Berryberrysweet via Etsy (Menu) & Marry Me Paper Boutique via Etsy (Seating Chart) Place Cards DIY (Kmart) Wishing Well Decal Watts & Co via Etsy Printer Officeworks Ceremony & Reception The Old Dairy Maleny Catering Penfolds Catering Cake Friend
Cake Topper Kristal Creative via Etsy Sound Hire Alfie’s Event Hire Celebrant Dan Ford Rings King Street Design Transport G&D Ross Dance Teacher Move Dance (Jess Prince) THE BRIDE Bridal Gown & Veil Helen English Robes Le Rose Shoes Loeffler Randall Accessories Angus & Coote (Earrings) Hair Sass + Nikki Makeup Kate Ellen Makeup Artistry Bridesmaid Dresses Bec + Bridge, Shona Joy, Zimmermann Bridesmaid Shoes Own Bridesmaid Gifts Rebellious Grace (Earrings) THE GROOM Suit, Shirt & Bow Tie P. Johnson Cufflinks Cerrone Shoes R.M. Williams Watch Tissot Groomsmen Suits P. Johnson Bow Ties David Jones