After Will proposed to Leah at a romantic sunset picnic, this happy couple started planning their bright waterfront cocktail wedding. They put together a simple recipe for a beautiful day – lots of colour, canapes, candlelight, chocolate and champagne – making the most of their relaxed location and keeping things on track even when some original plans fell through!
The Planning
“We wanted our wedding to be fun! Nothing too formal or serious and a style that reflected us as a couple. We wanted our guests to be able to mingle, dance and eat in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.”
Finding ‘The One’
“Not having any idea of what dress I wanted to wear and the fact that I liked so many different styles made this process quite difficult, and at times overwhelming for me. I’m also extremely indecisive which didn’t help! The girls at Wendy Makin were absolutely amazing, nothing was too much trouble. As I tried on dresses, I spoke to my bridesmaids about which features I liked. Next thing I knew, there was ‘The One’ hanging in front of me – Marianne had taken note of the features I loved and pulled it off the rack – the girls and I had skimmed straight past it. That I was able to customise my dress exactly how I wanted made me so comfortable and confident in my decision.”
The Flowers
“Ella from Little Duck Botanicals was amazing. After our original florist had to unfortunately cancel a few weeks before the wedding, Ella saved the day. I found her on Instagram, sent a few photos of what I liked and she created the most amazing bouquets and table settings. I could never have imagined them turning our so perfect. The bouquets featured a mix of David Austin roses, ranunculus, cluster roses, hypericum spray roses and dahlia.”
Sweet Serenade
“One of our groomsmen, and good friend performed our processional song. It was such a beautiful touch to have two very close friends have such an important part in our wedding. We were so appreciative of all the time they spent practicing and setting up on the day, it was beautiful.”
The Ceremony
“Having one of our closest friends marry us was one of our favourite moments. We went through a few wording options and bits and pieces we wanted to include and she wrote the rest as a surprise – it was the most incredible gift. We had so many people come up to us afterward and say how beautiful the ceremony was.”
Special Soundtrack
“We really enjoyed choosing the music – we would make a night of it and go through old playlists and albums over a bottle of wine. We chose songs we loved and had shared with family and friends over the years!”
The Bridesmaids
“This was probably the easiest part of planning our wedding! With two of my bridesmaids living overseas and all four being different body types, we were a little worried when it came to finding dresses, but all of the girls were so relaxed and easy going when it came to styling! We wanted to go with a neutral colour like navy or grey and something the girls felt comfortable in and would be happy to wear again! When we were in Review, one of the girls picked a dress off the rack, tried it on and they all loved it – it fit each of them perfectly! They also each chose their own hair and makeup style.”
The Groomsmen
“The boys all wore black suits from MJ Bale and custom made bow ties from Fergus and The Cat. Will changed in to his ‘party bow tie’ for the reception.”
The Styling
“We wanted a romantic and fresh feel for our wedding so opted for clean white furniture and colourful blooms! We also loved the idea of a casual, cocktail style reception so had couches, ottomans, bar stools and tables scattered throughout our venue. We used candles, chandeliers and festoon lighting to create a romantic feel. Noosa Waterfront Restaurant was fantastic as it had both an indoor and outdoor area, with a beautiful spot for our ceremony and views of the gorgeous Noosa River.”
Meaningful Moments
“Having all of your closest family and friends together, from all over the world in the one room is the most incredible feeling. One of my favourite memories was when ‘Horses’ by Daryl Braithwaite came on, and absolutely everyone was on the dance floor. I looked around and was hit with the most overwhelming feeling of happiness – there may have been a few tears! Speeches were also a highlight. Everyone said the most beautiful things and our best man, James, had us crying with laughter the whole time!”
Best Advice
1. Do a little bit at a time and don’t force it. It can be very overwhelming and it’s a process you should enjoy!
2. Don’t sweat the small stuff, at the end of the day, it’s about you and your partner celebrating with family and friends – it can’t get much better than that.
3. Do a spreadsheet to keep on track – Will was all about the spreadsheet and budget and it really helped. It can so easily get very expensive!
Location: Queensland | Photography: When Elephant Met Zebra | Venue: Noosa Waterfront Restaurant | Invitations: One Sweet Day Invites | Celebrant: Vogue Vows | Furniture Hire: Splash Events | Flowers: Little Duck Botanicals | Dress: Wendy Makin | Bridesmaids: Review (Dresses) & Paula Hall Designs (Earrings) | Hair: Bye Bye Birdie Hair | Makeup: Elle Woodgate | Suits: MJ Bale | Bow Ties: Fergus & The Cat