Real Weddings

Article by

Dani Connor

Posted on

29/01/2024

Posted in

Real Weddings

Together for 13 years, Ash, a partnerships manager, and Eddy, an estimator, hosted their stunner of a day at fab Brissie venue The Refinery. “It ticked all our boxes – a great vibe with an excellent team, delicious food, and dog-friendly so our pup Nero could be there,” says the happy couple, who had the good sense to hire the super-talented Mrs Gibbons Flowers to take care of the beautiful blooms.

These cool cats made plenty of other great decisions in the planning process, too – Eddy shopped his custom suit from powerhouse Aussie label M.J. Bale, while Ash chose a stunning veil from our fave Dove Grey Bridal Accessories. And they enlisted Kate Robinson to snap all the magical moments. Scroll down for all the gorgeous photos, but first, over to the newlyweds…

THE INSPO “We didn’t have a particular theme when we started planning but instead we wanted the overall vibe of the day to reflect us as a couple and to be simple and fun. We wanted it to be about those special moments and celebrating our love surrounded by our families and closest friends. We wanted to have opportunities to connect with everyone and we wanted them to feel relaxed, enjoy good food, wine and music. ”

FAVE DEETS “Amber and team at Mrs Gibbons Flowers did such an amazing job in bringing our vision to life. Our flowers were our main styling element, and it was exactly the right amount to bring everything together so beautifully. I’m still obsessed with our hanging flower installation. We didn’t end up with a particular colour scheme. Instead, we leaned right into the spring season and asked Amber to create a romantic ‘spring garden’ look. It was perfect and brought everything together. ”

THE DRESS “I tried on Prea James Bridal’s First Light 2022 collection at Sphere Bridal Gallery on the Sunshine Coast that I fell in love. I had always loved the modern simplicity of the Prea James designs and loved that they were an Australian designer. Sarah at Sphere Bridal Gallery was amazing in helping me find the right dress for me. I ended up with a skirt and top, not a dress at all. It felt like me and it was love. I wish I can wear it again one day.”

THE SUIT “I originally went with an off-the-rack suit from M.J. Bale – It was a two-piece navy suit with a modern slim fit. But as we got closer to the wedding, and after Ash had chosen her dress, the shade of navy wasn’t quite right. We went back to M.J. Bale and they were very helpful and suggested we do a custom suit so we could pick a colour and fabric that works. We went with it and the suit turned out great. With the customisation, I was able to add little details that all added up into something that was perfect for the day and something that I felt great wearing.”

A TOUCH OF TRADITION “We hosted a Chinese Tea Ceremony with our family and bridal party present to pay homage to Eddy’s Chinese heritage. It was so special. We also had a Catholic ceremony to celebrate our religious roots. We wanted everyone to feel part of the ceremony, so opted to not have a mass, and held it outdoors in the garden of The Refinery. Having it outdoors also meant that our dog Nero could be present.”

LITTLE LOL “We laughed throughout our first dance. It was a little later in the evening and we had both had a few drinks by that point, and completely forgot the steps we had practised. We winged it and it ended up being a lot of fun.”

Ashy and Eddy assembled a dream team – if you want to check out their incredible vendors head to our directory, where you’ll find Mrs Gibbons Flowers here, Dove Grey Bridal here, and M.J Bale here. But first…