Real Weddings

Article by

Dani Connor

Posted on

21/09/2023

Posted in

Real Weddings

As Ariella walked down the aisle towards her forever person, Ryan (at one of our fave Queensland venues, The Calile Hotel), she was serenaded by a choir! Yes, gal – we are SO here for this kind of big-day energy! “One of the most special moments was the choir [Chorus Collective] that sung me down the aisle – it was a really ethereal moment having them sing one of Ryan and my favourite songs [Joji’s Like You Do], in such a key moment,” says the bride.

These cool cats made plenty of other great decisions in the planning process, too – Ariella shopped her stunning gown from powerhouse Aussie label Grace Loves Lace, and they enlisted the super-talented George Bowden to snap all the magical moments. Scroll down for all the gorgeous photos, but first, over to the newlyweds…

THE VENUE “We were living in Melbourne, but most of my family had moved to Queensland, so when it came time to decide on a wedding venue, Ryan and I thought a destination wedding would be a beautiful break for our friends and family. The Calile Hotel was the first venue we looked at and instantly fell in love with. We both loved that it was non-traditional and also so beautiful – the architecture, the rawness of the materials used, and the greenery that grew around the walls and exterior of the space.”

THE DRESS “My wedding dress was from Grace Loves Lace. I knew I wanted a simple and elegant gown with long sleeves, which had some unique elements to the design. I loved the off-the-shoulder vibe. It was just by chance that I was on the Gold Coast and had seen that Grace Loves Lace just released a new range of dresses, including Anu – a beautiful silk, long-sleeved gown with an open back. I went to the Burleigh Heads Boutique to try it on and bought it immediately. I was IN LOVE! I had such a lovely experience, Grace Loves Lace were so thoughtful and accommodating.”

FAVE DEETS “The flowers were INSANELY BEAUTIFUL. I was set on having these dramatic, ethereal floral arrangements with greenery and luxe white flowers, which included a big half-arched arrangement for the ceremony – Kat from Garden Graffiti made the most beautiful ceremony flowers, and gave me the most luscious beautiful arrangements of orchids for my bridal bouquet. And my most fave detail – we chose to serve a midnight snack. This obviously had to be chocolate brownies and espresso martinis provided by The Calile Hotel. By the end of the night there was not a brownie or martini in sight – the best idea ever for a wedding snack!”

LITTLE LOL “As special as it was to have 12 flowerkids on the big day, one of younger boys decided that it would be a smart idea to announce to the officiant mid-ceremony that he had to use the bathroom. Luckily, this was just before our vows and the entire audience found it amusing. It is safe to say, I am very glad his older sister was close by to pull him back before things got too detailed.”

DIY “Ariella had this vision for the ceremony seating – she wanted bench-type seating she had seen in a fashion show, so I decided to make the wooden benches with my dad. We made 12 large white wooden benches over a month , and sent them up to Brisbane for the big day. It was definitely one of the most beautiful elements of our ceremony.”

A WORD OF ADVICE “We recommend every married couple have a few minutes alone after the ceremony to just take in the beautiful commitment you have both made.”

STANDOUT VENDORS “We both LOVED our photographer George Bowden and our videographer Cam Armstrong from CJ Visuals. They went above and beyond to make sure every special moment was captured but also those moments you don’t even think about capturing like both of us simply walking down the hallway- and the next thing you know is we have these incredible candid shots that we absolutely love. The quality of their work was amazing. They made the entire process so enjoyable and were so energetic… BEST VENDORS EVER!”

If you are still on the hunt for three of your key vendors – photographer, venue and bridal gown – look no further than these that come now highly recommended from this cool couple. George Bowden Photography, The Calile Hotel and Grace Loves Lace. They are friends of Hello May, too, and you can find more from each here, here and here on our Directory. But not before you check out the rest of Ariella and Ryan’s big day below…