Melbourne bankers, Nicolette Quinn and David Makohon, were married on one of those perfect-weather days – a beautiful 26 degrees and balmy in the evening. The venue was the elegantly rustic, Stones of the Yarra Valley, with its picturesque chapel overlooking the vineyard and light-filled barn to celebrate with their 103 guests.

The Yarra Valley was always going to be the place where Nicolette and David would exchange vows. 18 months earlier, to celebrate their five year anniversary, the couple decided to take a romantic hot-air balloon ride over the region. Nicolette says, “It was a beautiful, beautiful still morning, not a cloud in the sky. David was hesitating getting into the basket – I thought it was because he is terrified of heights.”

It turns out David had more than the dizzying altitude of the balloon to be nervous about. In the quiet, still air, accompanied by 12 strangers, David asked his girlfriend of five years to marry him. Nicolette says, “David proposed to me quietly but a few people heard… there were older couples in the basket with us and some of the ladies started crying. It was still very intimate.”

With that unforgettable morning fresh in their minds, the couple took a drive out to find the perfect venue for a rustic wedding and looked no further when they drove up the tree-lined road to Stones of the Yarra Valley.

Today’s Real Wedding is by ridiculously-in-love couple Peta Lee and train mechanic, Russell Critchley – who exchanged vows in a romantic wedding ceremony at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens in January this year. Peta says, “Russell and I always found ourselves strolling through the gardens, or taking our little one to feed the ducks. The feelings we would get there were amazing, so we thought, what better place than the gardens to have our wedding.”

The couple both attended Melton Secondary College in Melbourne’s north-west, but Peta’s initial impression of Russell was that he was the “the cool kid” in school. “I remember seeing him drive around town in a hotted-up red Commodore and I used to think gee he thinks he’s so cool. It’s pretty funny that he’s the person I fell head over heels for.”

With his love of water, keen fisherman Russell, 26, proposed to Peta, 27, (with their adorable baby daughter Charli) by Erskine Falls in Daylesford. “Russell asked me to walk as close as I could to the waterfall! When I turned around he had a ring out and when he asked me to marry him, I of course said yes. We were both really emotional. On the way home we stopped at an old honey stall and got a huge tub of honey – as they say honey lasts forever!”

Peta & Russell’s pretty pastel themed wedding reception for 100 guests was held afterward at Pipers by the Lake on the shores of Ballarat’s Lake Wendouree.

Peta’s Tony Bianco shoes were “comfy and beautiful” and she “danced all night without any blisters the next day.”

Of her soft and feminine bridal bouquet, Peta tells, “I contacted Amanda from Proud Designs. I was very confused with what I wanted to go with but she put together some ideas and came up with something perfect. I loved my flowers!”

Close family friend – Sarah of Sarah’s Cakes – created the couple’s wedding cake, in which cupcakes were individually boxed, “which not only made it different but also easier for guests to take home,” says Peta.

As a fun tribute to Russell’s love for fishing and the water, Sarah added the cute little cake topper of the groom fishing for his wife with a wedding ring.

Peta and Russell chose upbeat yet romantic song, “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls for their first dance. Peta says, “While we were dancing to this Russell whispered, “This is a great choice, I love you”, and that was beautiful to hear.”

“We love the close friendship that we have for each other,” says Peta. “There is no better feeling than being best friends with the one you love.”

The story of Melbourne-based newlyweds, Catherine Coughlan and Jack Greenlagh, who held a vineyard wedding in their home town, Perth, is filled with so many romantic and thoughtful touches.

Firstly, not only did construction project manager, Jack, propose in the most romantic way – on one knee, in a row boat, on the charming Lake Daylesford – he also arranged for a photographer to be on the shore to capture the moment on camera! Catherine says, “I had no idea it was happening, I just thought it was a stranger taking photos of the scenery! Jack is a real planner.”

Or that in a lovely tradition, Catherine’s beautiful Heather Sellick couture gown was constructed using the original material from her mum’s wedding dress. The pair even wed in same church where Catherine’s parents and grandparents were married.

And finally, that Catherine, who is a Communications Officer for World Vision Australia, took the opportunity to spread a message that she is passionate about. “The bomboniere was all ethical (fair trade) tea and coffee [sourced from T2 and Melbourne markets] in little blue bags with a description attached. It was important to me that it was ethical as this is what I do for my job at World Vision and I wanted to use my wedding to educate people on these issues.”

After a packed church ceremony at the St Albans Anglican Church in Perth (with 200 guests!), the pair headed to Sandalford Winery in the Swan Valley for a vineyard wedding reception in the rustic underground cellar lined with authentic American oak wine barrels.

We’re loving the thought and effort put into wedding proposals by our grooms!

Yesterday I posted the story of Catherine & Jack who were married in January this year at Perth’s Sandalford Winery in the Swan Valley. As promised here the proposal pics.

27-year-old Jack, who Catherine says is “a real planner”, organised for a photographer to be on the shore of Lake Daylesford in Victoria to capture the moment he popped the question on bended knee in a row boat. Catherine, 24, says, “I had no idea it was happening, I just thought it was a stranger taking photos of the scenery!”

What an amazing and unforgettable proposal to have planned. Go Jack!

Now this is what I call a vintage wedding! Coralie Zelno and Giussepe Conti, who have made Valentine’s Day their own (with their first date, engagement and wedding day all occurring on 14th Feb), held the most authentic vintage country wedding in rural Victoria earlier this year.

With a new house being built, the Melbourne couple were very conscious of budget and when they started looking at reception venues to suit their vintage country style, decided it was all too expensive. And besides, “none of them tugged at the heart-strings,” says Coralie.

It was then that Coralie’s parents offered to build a veranda onto the stable at their New Gisborn home and host the reception there. Coralie says, “The house was filled with flowers, the trees were lit up with fairy lights, the stable was aglow with candlelight, the vintage music was playing in the background and there was delicious homemade food that rivaled the best restaurants. It was everything we dreamed of.”

She adds, “One of the guests commented how authentic the stable looked and my mum laughed and said, “It looks authentic because it’s real. Two weeks ago it had a horse in it!””

So sit back and get ready to be transported into yesteryear, with these fabulous images by Epic Photography.

What a crafty bride we have today! This rustic farm wedding is set on a working cattle station inland from the Sunshine Coast at the historic Yandina Station. 27-year-old Jasmine Robson wed boyfriend of eight years, Eddie Elms (who grew up on a dairy farm himself), under a big old gum tree before 80 friends and family. 

For Jasmine, the event was a huge DIY project in an effort to “create things that were uniquely us,” she tells me. And what a great job she did. From the 100-odd tissue paper pom poms hung from the rustic old dairy, to the creative and colourful lolly buffet, this Brisbane bride worked tirelessly (and she admits, overwhelmingly) to create their dream wedding. At the end of it all, she says, “the most memorable part was the ceremony which was just about the two of us.”

Jasmine tells me she and Eddie “balance each other out perfectly – he’ll do things on the spur of the moment and I’m a planner through and through.” So it was no wonder that Eddie caught her totally off guard by organising a surprise honeymoon to Bali as a thank you for all the hard work she put into planning and styling the wedding. “We drove to the airport and even as we were lining up at the international airport I still had no idea where we were going,” she says. “Amazing surprise.”

It never ceases to amaze me the wonderful ways couples inject their own personalities into their weddings. WA couple – Lori Morey, 28 and Sam Kitchin, 33 – were no strangers to catering big events. They worked in hospitality for the majority of their careers, having met at The Vines Country Club in Perth where Sam was the sous chef and Lori was the restaurant maître d’.

So when it came time to cater their own wedding, Lori says, “We both thought we could do as good, if not a better job than the big venues.” She adds, “We decided to do a DIY wedding. I prepared most of the decorations myself and with the help of Sam’s four sisters and two nieces, Sam and I did all the catering ourselves.”

The menu included all the quintessential dishes of a gourmet Aussie barbecue. Homemade dips with Turkish bread and cheeses. Loads of fresh salads (made by Sam who is a head chef): garden, Greek, potato, and spinach and pumpkin. Succulent meats on a spit. And mouth-watering desserts such as white chocolate and raspberry tarts, passionfruit macarons and lemon slice.

Lori says their union was “not about having a big expensive wedding, but rather having our friends and family there to celebrate our day.” With the goal of creating a laid back, casual atmosphere, the reception was held at Sam’s sister’s beautiful bush property in Darlington, east of Perth, where the pair’s 100 guests were treated to a sit down buffet dinner catered by the newlyweds.

Lori has some great planning tips for other brides-to-be:

-  I used an A3 book for all my planning, including payments and receipt numbers.

-  Get going with the planning ASAP. I wrote a to-do list straight away.

-  I got all the big things out of the way in the first month by doing two or three things a week.

-  Write down everything, e.g. conversations, dates, payments and definitely receipt numbers

Many newlyweds spend their first night as husband and wife in opulent luxury. But not Caitlyn and Tony! Married in a destination wedding at the Bournda National Park on the NSW south coast, this outdoors-loving couple exchanged vows, danced the night away until 3am and then wandered back to their pitched tent in the camping ground where the majority of their 93 guests were also staying.

Decked out by family and friends with chocolates, champagne and confetti, “it was a luxurious as a tent can be,” says Caitlyn, who also bought some beautiful new linen for the occasion.

She explains, “I had originally been looking around for somewhere fancy for us to stay on the wedding night but it was going to be an incredibly large taxi fare. So we decided in the end to stay with all our friends in the campsite too. We do lots of camping so we’re very used to it.”

The adventuresome couple, who now reside on the Polynesian island of Tuvalu, met at Australian National University in Canberra, boarding at the same on-campus accommodation. They spent many uni breaks camping and surfing with friends at the national park, a favourite holiday spot where Tony was even a volunteer Camp Ground Host in the summers.

Caitlyn says, “We are both fairly laid back people and our greatest priority for the day was to have a relaxing, fun celebration surrounded by the special people in our lives.”

Canberra bride, 25-year-old Portia Kaczerepa, didn’t know what kind of wedding she would have until she went wedding dress shopping. What she learned after scouring most of the bridal boutiques in Canberra, and even a few in Sydney, was that the sleek, slimline, gown she had always dreamed of wearing was not the one that suited her best. In fact, it was the big, princess ball gown with layered ruffles and long train that took her breath away, and which sparked the idea for a modern day fairy tale wedding.

Portia, whose Prince Charming of 10 years is 27-year-old Matt Daamen (they met when she was just 15), says the couple wanted a wedding that was a little bit different. Whilst researching wedding photographers and photography styles, they fell in love with the look of magazine-style staged location photos and enlisted the help of aptly-named photographers, Creative Image, to bring their idea to life.

The result is these stunning wedding photos, drawing on fairy tales such as Snow White and Cinderella, with some vibrant and fun shots taken on the century-old carousel at Canberra’s Petrie Plaza.

The wedding ceremony was held at St Christopher’s Cathedral in Forrest, ACT. The full Catholic service included songs from the Filipino Church Choir, paying homage to Portia’s heritage (she is half Filipino, half Ukrainian and Matt is half Korean, half Dutch). The ceremony also included the traditional Filipino candle, veil and cord rituals, conducted by the pair’s chosen sponsors, or witnesses.

The candle sponsors light individual and unity candles to guide the couple in their new life. The veil sponsors pin a veil around the couple symbolising their unity and being ‘clothed as one’. The cord sponsors tie a rope around the couple to symbolise their bond; that they are no longer two but one.

“I haven’t laughed so much during a ceremony,” says photographer, Steven Murray, of Bec Crawford and Matt Carey’s hilariously fun wedding ceremony at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. These wedding photos are bound to put a big grin on your face.

It took the quirky and unconventional couple a few false starts before deciding it was time to get hitched. “It happened sharing a romantic take-away pizza and bottle of wine whilst watching the sunset over the murky waters of Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin. Just us, a couple water rats and some swans nearby helping us celebrate our fourth anniversary,” jokes Bec, 30 and Matt, 37.

When the couple started planning, there was no real theme they wanted to follow, “we just had bits and pieces of what we liked and incorporated them into the wedding,” says Bec. But one thing was for sure, they didn’t want anything too traditional (well, except for the marriage).

Like the invitation, for example, which read, “It’s time to stop living in sin”, informing their 100 or so guests, “There’s going to be no church, no aisle and no chairs, no bridal table, seating plan, plates or bomboniere. Just us two and a special few of you.”

Bec jokes, “Matt was a total Groomzilla. He’d been planning this wedding for years!”

Even the couple’s celebrant, Judy Aulich, was in on the light-heartedness, bucking a few traditions of her own. “I now have the greatest of pleasure in pronouncing you to be husband and wife,” she said. “It’s smooch time.”

During the couple’s vows, which they wrote themselves, Matt says to Bec, “You don’t ever question the gravity of man flu or the fact that I am never ever in the wrong.”

Bec says, “They say a successful marriage requires falling in love many times over, always with the same person. If this is the case, we’ve got it in the bag.”

450 guests. Now that’s a big wedding! In true European style, Natalie Costa and Joe Bartone, both 24, held a traditional Italian wedding in Canberra, with a Catholic ceremony conducted at St Christopher’s Cathedral (the same church where they were each baptised as children and where Natalie’s parents were also married). The reception was held at the Hellenic Club of Canberra, which opened up two of its function rooms to cater a sit-down meal for the abundant crowd.

Not only was the guest list huge, but so was the bridal party – six bridesmaids, six groomsmen, a flower girl, page boy and of course a bride and groom. There were five Chrysler sedans to fit them all in (oh, and a red-hot Ferrari too) and a towering five-tier wedding cake to feed 450 people.

The high school sweethearts treated guests to an entertaining floor show by renowned Italian wedding performer, Mario Gamma, and his long-time pal, Salvatore Coco (of Underbelly fame, and Heartbreak High back in the day). It happened to be Mario’s last ever wedding gig and to Natalie and Joe’s delight, Salvatore joined him for his final performance, where they both sang traditional Italian songs, and performed skits from their outrageous F.B.I (Full Blooded Italians) show. 

The night ended with lots of Italian dancing and singing, which of course brought out the napkins for some traditional Italian napkin waving. Congratulazioni!

Women’s footwear buyer, Alana Hamilton, and concreter, Robbie Taylor, met the old-school way – through a mutual friend – and when Alana learned that Robbie had never seen the chick flick, Grease, invited him over for a cruisey first date on the couch. Well, he must have loved it (all the cheesy singing and dancing?) because seven years later the Melbourne pair were married in a casual cocktail vineyard wedding at Willow Creek Winery on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

Alana tells us about “low-key” Robbie’s romantic, surprise proposal. “It was New Year’s Eve and I was at work. I asked to leave early and my boss said no because it was too busy. Two hours later he changed his mind so I was all excited and suspicious Robbie might propose that day (he is terrible at keeping secrets). But he had led me astray by saying we were going away with friends.

I walked out of work and there was a limo in the driveway. Being NYE I didn’t think anything of it and said to the girl next to me, “Oh who’s got the limo?” Next minute a sign went up with my name on it! I literally started squealing and jumping around and the first thing I thought was, I have no clothes with me! Ha ha.

So I got into the limo and the driver wouldn’t tell me where we were going! We drove into the city; I was crying and shaking. We pulled up outside the Intercontinental and I walked in to the check-in counter. The lady lifted the telephone and said, “Mr Taylor, Alana is here.” I went up to Room 404 (yes I still remember the room number) and there was a bunch of lilies and roses with a card saying kind words and at the bottom it read, “Come in.”

But I didn’t have a key! So I had to knock and he opened the door laughing, saying, “It wasn’t meant to happen this way, I forgot to give you a key!” Then he got down on one knee… it was so amazing yet still quirky and funny which is very true to how we are when we are together.”

Here’s a fresh and vibrant tangerine-themed garden wedding with bold floral arrangements and flamboyant print dresses. Not a hint of pastel anywhere!

Melbourne couple, Claire Johnson and Daniel Talha, both 29, met at the Victorian schoolies week in the popular coastal town, Lorne, on the Great Ocean Road. It was 2001 and the pair were staying in neighbouring holiday cottages celebrating the end of school days.

Claire tells, “We went out for about two years and then broke up for five years (but stayed friends). We got back together in 2009 and the rest is history! Because we first got together when we were so young, having the time apart was really good for us. We both got to explore the world and see what else (and who else) was out there, and then know for sure that we were meant to be together.”

It was 10 years after they met that Daniel took Claire back to those fateful cottages in Lorne for a surprise birthday weekend away, where he proposed over champagne and candles. “He is my best friend and so much fun to be around,” says Claire. He’s sensitive, caring, and also a great cook!”

Claire recalls one of her favourite moments (apart from reading the vows they had written for each other). “Instead of throwing the bouquet, I gave it to the longest-married couple in the room, who were my aunty and uncle who have been married for 55 years.”

That is bound to bestow some longevity luck upon these newlyweds! Congratulations!

People are always quick to share wedding horror stories; vendors going bust or awful service from uppity sales consultants. It put a smile on my face however to read all about Mildura (Victoria) couple, Nadia Berton and Josh Train, and their destination wedding in tropical far north Queensland.

In this story, the bride raves about all their wedding suppliers, and in particular, Port Douglas Weddings and Port Douglas Catering & Events, who co-ordinated everything to a T, remotely yet seamlessly for the lovebirds.

Nadia says, “I absolutely loved planning our wedding. With help from all the companies from Port Douglas, everything went along so perfectly, better than I could have imagined.”

The couple were engaged in August 2011 by the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, whilst holidaying with their best friends – how divine. Up until then it had been a bit of running joke among Nadia’s family (without putting the pressure on poor Josh or anything) that one day the pair would get married and have the wedding in Port Douglas so that they could all have a holiday there.

Nadia says when they returned from their travels, ring on finger, “We started thinking about where we would like to get married and suddenly Port Douglas seemed like a great idea (much to the Berton family’s delight!)”

She adds, “We decided to take a trip up there to experience this beautiful place for ourselves. As soon as we arrived, we saw the church and the goose bumps that appeared set it in stone; we decided then that Port Douglas was to be the location for our destination wedding!”

Get more destination wedding ideas here:

I get excited to see green used in wedding theming; it’s one of my all-time favourite colours – so fresh and uplifting. Melbourne couple, Katrina Duncan and Robert Pepyat infused it ever so nicely (and subtly) into their modern romantic garden wedding at the equally as green, RACV Club in Healesville, Victoria.

Katrina says, “Being a landscape architect, I just knew that I wanted an outdoor summer wedding (we got a scorcher, it was sunny and 34 degrees). When we were looking for a ceremony location, we were on our way home and happened to drive past RACV and noticed the newly renovated establishment (even though I wasn’t that keen on having a golf club wedding).

But straight away I fell in love with the diverse mix of strong architectural elements set within the undulating landscape and mountainous views and when I saw the gazebo I was sold. It was truly an amazing backdrop framed in a contemporary timber structure.”

She adds, “Another reason why we liked the venue was its ability to cater for the ceremony, reception and accommodation all in the one place and we were met with exceptional service. The food and wine were amazing; we had guests say to us that it was the best wedding food they had ever had. Most of our family stayed at the venue that night so we were able to share breakfast together the morning after.”

The boys were dressed in grey wool suits from Man to Man with slim black ties. Rob stood out from his four groomsmen in a black waist coat.

The couple were lucky enough to have family friends provide the wedding cards – a classic Citroen, a black and yellow Camero and a Mustang.

I read loads of submissions for our Real Weddings blog, and today’s bride, Karen Sloan, who married beau, Matthew Turfrey, in a romantic Australiana wedding, sent me our longest ever submission – 27 pages! “People have accused me of having verbal diarrhoea and in this case there’s no exception,” jokes 30-year-old Karen. 

I love it, though! She offers loads of real and practical tips for other brides-to-be, including her DIY efforts in styling the Fremantle (WA) couple’s rustic Australiana wedding. She also describes how she even helped design and make her own gorgeous gown. But more about that later.

For now, enjoy the simply breathtaking photos, with Peter Adams of Memories of Tomorrow Photography, whom Karen applauds as “an absolute artistic perfectionist” and whom the bridal party nick-named “Commando” for all the stunts he pulled to get the perfect shot (ie, climbing trees and doing army rolls across the lawn.)

Of her dazzling bridal shoes, Karen explains, “Shortly after getting engaged, I walked past Wittner and stopped in my tracks. They there were, glittering and sparkling; calling to me in their pearlised pink leather and multi-coloured crystal entrusted magnificence.” She adds, “My shoes were the very first thing I bought. They were the catalyst for our entire colour scheme.”

Karen’s shoe tip: “For the reception I bought a pair of gold ballet flats… I also bought three pairs for my bridesmaids that were presented on their chairs at the reception with a little note that read, “Time to get your dancing shoes on. Meet you on the dance floor.” Truly the kindest thing you can do for these awesome women in your bridal party.”

Formal suit specialists, Spurling Formalwear, dressed the men in their ‘Sorrento’ beige self-stripe, three-piece lounge suit, with Chase Latte long tie and pocket hank.

Karen’s suit tip: “Spurling has branches interstate which meant the best man was able to be measured for and try on his suit even though he was based in Tasmania,”

“The groom chose the transport for the day after seeing a rebuilt Ford Tudor limousine at a wedding open day and instantly wanting to hop inside and try out the plush cream cushioned interior,” tells Karen. This magnificent cherry-red 10-seater limo is by AAA Executive Limousines.

Karen’s tip: “Be gentle on your groom. Make sure, as a bride, you remember it’s his day as well. So, if there’s a style of transport he’s really keen on, let him choose it.”

Now to the dress! Karen says the contemporary princess-style gown in raw silk and silk organza was designed in one night – by her – and made with love (and over 90 hours of sewing!) by her fashion-designer mother, Danielle Louise. “There was never a question of who would make my wedding dress [which included a handmade five-layer organza petticoat and cathedral-length veil],” says Karen. “My mother has been designing and producing bridal couture since I was a young girl, so her gift to me was to make the wedding dress of my dreams into a reality.”

She adds, “I recall sitting on the kitchen bench with the rotary trimmer at 1.30am one morning, cutting just some of the 85 metres of raw silk into strips for the ruffles on my dress, while laughing with my mum, whose only visible body part above a mountain of fabric, was her hair. It’s a memory I will always treasure.”

Karen tells us about her braided up-do by AP’s Hair Perfection. “Having an outdoor ceremony, I knew I would need a hair style that would stay off my face. So we went with a braided crown that swept up into a high-set roll that finished with braids continuing around the base of the hairline into a low-set bun. This was the perfect style that lasted until the end of the night.

Karen’s hair tip: “I chose a slightly mussed-up finish instead of a smooth and polished style so it didn’t matter when the wind picked up at the ceremony.”

“The bridesmaids’ matching dresses were a flowing empire line style with a sleeveless V-neck in floor-length chiffon and satin sashes of soft champagne,” describes the bride. The gowns were purchased online at JJ’s House.

Karen’s tip for ordering online: “It is really important that your bridesmaids are aware months before the wedding they must maintain their weight and size, as not everyone is able to receive free alterations as I was fortunate enough to have.”

Here’s what Karen and Matt used to style their rustic Australiana wedding reception:

Organic coloured materials  -  Hessian table overlays  -  Ribbon & twine tassels for the bridal table  -  Tissue paper pom poms in kraft and cream  -  Fairy lights  -  White laser paper hearts  -  Hessian bunting  -  Twine trim flower jars  -  Mini cork-clip-boards for the seating chart finished with rattan bows  -  A handmade wishing well using a vintage hat box lined with hessian and bunting, adorned with thick ribbons in cream and peach  -  Lanterns from Bunnings and Kmart, lightly spray painted in metallic gold  -  Polished wood rounds to add height to the table centrepieces.

And the tips don’t end there. Here is some more wonderful wisdom from this enthusiastic bride:

* We wanted to give our guests a chance to mingle prior to the bridal party entrance so we served a cocktail-style entree at the same time as the pre-dinner drinks.

* If you choose to have a family member or friend as a videographer, ensure they use a tripod, and an external microphone if you have an outdoor ceremony.

* Make sure your bridal party and family are included in the planning with you but be clear and firm about the items you are certain you want.

* It puts you in a sticky spot if your partner finds out about a hidden cost that hasn’t been discussed prior. Always discuss ideas before confirming with suppliers. Don’t spend what you don’t have.

* Be flexible with your suppliers, particularly if you’re on a tight budget.

* Make sure you both agree on important decisions such as money, children, living arrangements, employment and anything else that affects marriage prior to the wedding.

* Post-wedding, thank all of your guests and suppliers who helped make your day the amazing occasion that it was. No matter how long it takes, it’s better late than never.

There’s lots to love about today’s not-so-traditional Real Wedding. The super cute tea-length wedding frock. A lively brooch bouquet made with family heirlooms. And bursts of anti-bridal bold colour-combos in purple, red and blue (how cool is the 1938 royal blue Buick?)

Our couple, Adelaide born, Courtney Young and Canberra based, Mario Gamma met on a company sales conference in Melbourne – they both worked for the same construction company. They hit it off and started a hush-hush (from their bosses) and short-lived long distance relationship. So did it fizzle out? No! Courtney moved to the ACT after just six months. “Long distance relationships are so hard,” Courtney says, “so we decided to just give it a go and I moved to Canberra.” Now that’s what I call commitment.

Who knew a sales conference would be a great place to meet a potential life partner? But it definitely worked out for this easy going couple. They were engaged 18 months later (and are now expecting their first child together!) and held an intimate winter wedding for 54 guests at boutique hotel, Mt Lofty House in the Adelaide Hills.

Their wedding was atypical of traditional unions, it was held in winter for a start, but maybe the fact that Mario had worked in the wedding industry for so long as an entertainer and MC (more about that here) meant he’d seen soooo many weddings and just wanted something low-key and a bit different.

Their beautiful photos are captured by Steven Murray of Creative Image Photography.

I guess only a seven-time world BMX champion could pull off a wedding day stunt like this one!

Legendary Canberra BMX racer, Leigh Darrell, wed girlfriend, Sarah Maiuto, in March this year. It was a classic affair – an elegant wedding styled in pretty pastel tones (just how Sarah wanted it) – but Leigh (and photographer, Steven Murray) got to have some boy fun of their own, taking Sarah and the bridal party out to Leigh’s local BMX track on the day.

27-year-old Sarah says, “I wasn’t too sure about tramping around a BMX track in my wedding dress. But BMX is such a massive part of Leigh’s life and I’m so glad we did it. It’s great to have these photos to look back on.”

Leigh, 25, started riding as a young child, winning his first Australian title when he was just five years old and the world title not long after that. Seven world titles and 12 national championships later, in a sport that took him and his family around the world competing, Leigh retired from full-time racing to pursue a (more practical) building career. He has recently started his own building company, Leedar Constructions. Sarah praises, “I am so proud of what he has achieved. He is and always will be successful in whatever he pursues. He is such a hard worker and always puts his family and friends before himself.”

The pair got together at a 21st and four years later, Leigh would surprise Sarah with a belated Valentine’s Day getaway to Melbourne – and Phillip Island – to see the Penguin Parade. “I LOVE penguins!,” says Sarah. “We watched as they came up onto the beach at sunset. Afterward we walked along the boardwalk and the next thing I knew, a ring was in front of me and Leigh was asking me to marry him!”

It’s ANZAC Day and to commemorate, I have a very classic and resplendent military wedding to share. Our Darwin-based Army couple, Amanda Pilgrim and Mark Pearson, are both members of the Australian Defence Force – Mark is an Army Officer and Amanda is an Exercise Physiologist.

They wed last year in a tasteful and traditional affair, held suitably in the Officers’ Mess at the Keswick Army Barracks, in their hometown, Adelaide. “It was very different to the standard reception hall, that’s for sure,” says photographer, Kim Stevens.

After a traditional Catholic ceremony at Mark’s former school, Rostrevor College, the couple arrived at the Officers’ Mess to begin their military-inspired celebrations.

Amanda tells, “Mark and I greeted all the guests as they arrived at the reception, who then moved into the anti-room, which is a room in the Officers’ Mess with a fireplace and chesterfield chairs. Canapés and champagne were being circulated and the guests started to wonder if we were having a cocktail function as they couldn’t see any tables set.

Then our MC, Mark’s brother, asked guests to move towards the dining room; at this time a huge red curtain was drawn, revealing the dining table. It was set up in a U-shape, with candelabras, silverware and sparkling glasses. You could hear the wow factor around the room; the revealing of the dining area was a real highlight.”

The couple incorporated another tradition of Officers’ Mess functions into their celebrations – replacing champagne with port for the bridal toast, adding one of many unique elements to their military-style wedding.

We’ve had a few unconventional weddings lately and here’s another unique couple who took a time-honoured tradition and did it their own way.

Sydney scientist and academic, Tyler Troy, proposed to his girlfriend of seven years, Sophia Johnson, in a way that only a scientist can – through a telescope which beamed “Will you marry me?” up onto the moon. Well, not exactly, but tax consultant, Sophia, tells how her inventive husband made it happen.

“It was a regular Friday night after work in August. We ordered takeout and the telescope was perennially on the veranda, so I didn’t expect a thing when he said the full moon looked amazing and that I should have a look.

Tyler managed to put a tiny message inside the telescope, so that when I looked through it up at the moon, it looked like a message on the surface! It blew me away.

When I turned around he had a little ring that he had handmade at work – aluminium, plated in gold, with a little gem super-glued on! It wasn’t very sturdy for every day but I was blown away by his effort and creativity. I subsequently bought a beautiful tanzanite ring at a local jewellery auction.”

Around the same time, Tyler accepted a post-doctorate job in chemistry research in San Francisco and the pair, both 29, set out to plan two monumental life-projects at once – a wedding and a move overseas. “It was intense,” says Sophia. But there are only smiles, love and happiness to show in the photos of their relaxed, “hippy” park wedding and backyard cocktail reception.

Sophia wore a latte coloured lace gown from Sydney boutique label, Lover. “It was one of the first dresses in the first store I visited that I loved. It was so different to a standard wedding dress. I agonised a bit over the decision, but after viewing what felt like a million other ones, I came back to it.”

She adds, “My advice is go with your gut when you find ‘the one’ – it doesn’t matter what others think, it’s about loving it.”

Back at their Glebe home, Sophia and Tyler celebrated with their 110 guests, with a cocktail menu by Portions Catering.  Mixed hot-and-cold canapes were served – the coconut prawns were a favourite – as well as mini desserts such as brownies, lemon tarts and pecan pies.

Later in the night, the couple’s neighbour arranged “an amazing little make-your-own BBQ roll buffet with amazing flavour combinations like beef with homemade tomato chutney, prawn with papaya salad and falafel with tahini,” says the bride.