Meet Shannon and Andrew, who planned themselves a full-on festival wedding for a whole weekend of married fun. And folks, they had it ALL – glamping tents, a poolside bush retreat, a magical secret ceremony spot, beautiful wedding bands by Black Finch (some of the best in the biz, we must say), even some planet-friendly biodegradable confetti courtesy of The Whole Bride.
But the bride got especially close to the venue owners, she tells us. “Later in the evening, I went to ask Brendan and Edwina (the owners of Toolangi Heights) a question and found them lying in bed. I told them I was envious as my feet were killing me and they said I was welcome to join! So I had a short time out lying down with them in bed. Very funny and I promise it wasn’t awkward!” Lol, we believe you gal! The pics by Gold and Grit Photography ar proof this day was nothing but fun, love and good times.
THE VENUE “We knew we didn’t want a traditional style wedding and wanted to create a relaxed festival atmosphere where people could camp or glamp over a whole weekend. Toolangi Heights was the first venue we looked at and it was still in construction! Despite this, we could see the vision and fell in love at first sight. It was the perfect blank canvas and gave us the flexibility to pick and choose all the details. The best part was the natural swimming pool and spa, which all our guests were able to enjoy over the whole weekend.”
THE THEME “Our theme was fancy festival vibes! We met at Meredith Music Festival 10 years ago and our relationship has been built on having fun and going to festivals so the idea of creating our own with all our favourite people was the only way we wanted to get hitched.”
TAKE ON TRADITION “It was really important for us to incorporate a tea ceremony, which is an Asian tradition where the bride and groom serve tea to their parents and other family members to show respect and gratitude for all the years of love and care. In return, the couple receives well wishes in the form of gold jewellery or a red packet filled with money, which symbolises the union of the two families. We chose to do a more relaxed style tea ceremony which was incorporated into the main ceremony for all our guests to witness.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “I loved that my whole family including my parents walked down the aisle separately and I walked down myself. No one was giving me away except myself! Our celebrant speaking Chinese and seeing the big smiles on my family’s faces was also a standout, as was Andrew saying ‘I do’ in Cantonese, I snorted a little too loud at this!”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Stina aka Gold and Grit Photography was much more than a photographer and such a calming presence. She wasn’t about forced poses and beautifully captured all the raw moments. Ben, our videographer (Tie The Knot Wedding Films), plays netball with my sister so he felt like an old friend. Christine Kha, our very bubbly celebrant, made our ceremony extra special as she was able to incorporate Asian traditions the way we wanted to and taught us to say ‘I do’ in Cantonese, which was one of my favourite/ funniest moments of the day. We also really connected with Toolangi Heights owners Brendan and Edwina – we were the first to have a wedding there in two years and they really went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect.”
If you’re ready to pull together your own A-list team of vendors, check out our directory, where you’ll find the likes of Gold and Grit Photography, Black Finch Jewellery, The Whole Bride and so many more top recs.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer: Gold and Grit Photography Cinematographer Tie The Knot Wedding Films Florist TD Flora Ceremony & Reception Toolangi Heights Catering Cookshop Rotisserie Cake Mothers of the couple Lighting & Sound Hire Warehouse Sound Systems Entertainment Fee B-Squared Celebrant Christine Kha Rings Black Finch Glamping Tents Swell Shelter Biodegradable confetti The Whole Bride THE BRIDE Gown Zimmermann Alterations Linda Jane Doble Veil Linda Jane Doble Shoes Tony Bianco Earrings Kitte Hair & Makeup Lucie Stauff Fragrance Le Labo Bridesmaid dresses Ginia via Before March, Finders Keepers via BNKR Bridesmaid shoes Billini Bridesmaid gifts Kitte (earrings), resin wall hangings (bride) THE GROOM Jacket, Kilt, Kilt Accessories & Shoes House of Henderson Shirt David Jones Tie OTAA Groomsmen Kilts Australia Wide Kilt Hire Groomsmen gifts Wilkins and Kent (wooden native animal pins), Denver & Liely (whisky glasses)
