Real Weddings

Article by

Dani Connor

Posted on

05/03/2024

Posted in

Real Weddings

As well as having pretty cool jobs – Neil is the newsroom Chief of Staff at 10 News First Perth and Marty a senior zookeeper at Perth Zoo – these two also have a super-cute proposal story. During a three-week trip to South Australia, Marty proposed to Neil surrounded by 200 candles with his grandfather’s signet ring. “Marty is never lost for words but in this moment he was struggling to get his words out, and before he was able to say ‘will you marry me?’ I was already saying yes. He finally got down on one knee and asked me and I said yes once more,” Neil shares.

The wedding was just as love-filled and fab, with a black, gold and white theme no less, and lucky for us, and the happy couple it seems, James Simmons Photography caught it all on camera, so scroll down, stat.

THE VIBE “We wanted the vibe of the day to be really fun, taking traditional elements we both liked and giving them a new fresh twist. Native florals are something we both loved, and the scenery of the place really supported them. Marty’s loves a theme so much so he forcibly made all of our guests stick to a very strict dress code (formal) and colour scheme (black, white and/or gold). This created so much discussion between our guests. Mainly because they knew that if they got it wrong Marty would say something. The colour scheme for our guests helped us pick the colour for everything else, like our hired furniture. The furniture we chose was contemporary and modern as Marty liked the contrast between this and the rustic farm setting of our venue Buckland Estate.”

THE VENUE “We knew we wanted something close to Perth, as we had many interstate people coming to the wedding. Buckland Estate is located about 90 minutes east of Perth among the rolling hills in WA’s wheatbelt. For a destination wedding, it’s not too far for someone flying over from the east coast to then head to the venue.”

THE SUITS “I had been following our Melbourne suit designer Reigner Clothing on Instagram for years. When we started planning the wedding, I spoke to Neil and told him I wanted a full suit designed and made by Reigner. I never once thought of anyone else dressing me. I was obsessed with the embroidery, the beadwork and the pageantry. The process from start to finish took around a year, this included the design process and making of the suits. I think the suits speak for themselves when you look at the pictures. The thing I loved most about our suits was how much they complimented each other and reflected our personalities.”

STANDOUT VENDORS “James Simmons our photographer – James is an absolute professional and he was amazing at making us feel comfortable in front of the camera. He has a talent to get those candid moments even though he has you posed in front of him. I love the moody light and dark feel to his work and he captured every moment of our day perfectly.”

LITTLE LOL “When Neil and I started planning the wedding, one of the things I wanted was to book Ru Paul’s Drag Race Down Under contestant Art Simone as our MC. I first met Art in 2016 at the Broken Heel Festival in Broken Hill and instantly connected with her. Through Melbourne’s many lockdowns in 2020 we organised a virtual Drag Queen Bingo with Art via ZOOM. When we booked Art for the wedding, Neil told me that we should keep it a secret. Which turned out to be the worst kept secret of the wedding. Neil and I would have a couple of drinks with friends and it would come up all the time. While we were telling everyone we had booked Art, some how one of Neil’s aunts was telling other people we had booked Carlotta. I’m still not 100 per cent sure how that managed to get so mixed up.”

A WORD OF ADVICE “Give your self time and start early! Don’t feel the pressure to book in a date within the year of being engaged. Enjoy your time engaged and take your time to plan your ultimate day.”

Looking for your own list of Western Australia vendors? Head to our directory for a list of the best in the biz. You can also check out more wedding froms James Simmons – Katie & Georgia’s Margaret River wedding here, and Helen & Brad’s Fremantle wedding here.