Kirsten & Shane

The bright and beautoful colours in Kirsten and Shane’s classic coastal wedding are enough to send our colour loving hearts into a flurry- bright orange, pinks and blues weave their way throughout this very festive wedding day all captured beautifully by Zoe McMahon Photography.

Kirsten kicks off the story with the tale of how they came to be. “We met at the local pub, our friends were dating at the time and introduced us. One of Kirsten’s closest friends had mentioned just a few nights earlier that “Shane is a boy version of you, you will get along so well”. We began dating but it didn’t go anywhere, a year later we started dating again and 5 years later we are married.”

The bride chose a lace dress from Fashions by Farina “The dress was simple, flowing and was comfortable. I wanted a dress that was comfortable, flowing and simple. I had a small obsession with the back of dresses and this one fit the bill perfectly. I went with my mum and Maid of honour, Holly, to find a dress. Found it at the first place we visited, after trying on about six dresses. It was easy and stress free. I had a fair idea of the style I wanted but was open to what they had to show.”

The bride walked down the aisle to The Beatles “Here Comes The Sun”.

Kirsten and Shane chose Sanctuary Lawn, North Head, Manly  for their ceremony, noting “The ceremony venue was amazing. The view captured much of the harbour and out to sea – this was a main part of why we choose the venue. Milestone Events set up the chairs, arbour, signing table, etc. The blank canvas of the lawn allowed us to set it up as we wished, the simple white chairs and arbour, allowed the view to be the main focus.”

Joanne Dunn officiated the intimate ceremony, the bride telling “We wanted our ceremony to be filled with love, family and friends. We wanted our parents to be apart of it, and choose Shane’s Grandmother to say a reading and Kirsten’s godmother to say a blessing. We had a sand ceremony, which included our parents, and we ensured our nieces and nephew were included as flower girls and ring bearer. The ceremony was intimate (also due to the cold weather bringing everyone closer for warmth..), family orientated and allowed our guests to feel apart of it. Our celebrant, Joanne Dunn, created an atmosphere of ease and walked Shane and I through the whole process, helping us to create the ceremony we wanted.”

Of Zoe, the couple’s photographer, Kirsten remarks “Zoe (and Kyle) was absolutely amazing. She captured our day in a way we couldn’t even have imagined. She created an atmosphere of ease, allowing us to feel relaxed and enjoy the moments she captured. Zoe was great from the initial communication, always responding to emails or calls quickly, and answering questions as required. The photos we have received from Zoe are absolutely beautiful and we are so happy that they are a lasting memory of our day/night. We would recommend Zoe so highly to anyone looking for a wedding photographer, and would definitely use her again in the future.”

The happy couple celebrated with their guests at Milestone Events, Kirsten telling “The venue is set in the old sergeants mess hall at North Head. The venue allowed for an intimate dinner setting, Shane and I felt we were able to connect with all of our guests throughout the evening. The Milestone team went above and beyond, answering endless questions, organising styling of the reception venue, food, drinks, ceremony set up and clean up. The night ran smoothly, with Miles and Tessa ensuring that everything ran to schedule. Tessa set up the venue beautifully, with tea lights and gorgeous flower arrangements. The food was to die for, endless comments from guests are a testament to this. Marion (the chef) created share platters for each table, allowing guests to have a little of each main dish.”

The couple made table numbers out of cement bricks, place cards and their seating plan. Sweedibles delivered a three tier semi-naked cake decorated with bright flowers.

The newlyweds chose “Latch” by Sam Smith sung by Baker Boys Band for their first dance, reminiscing “Our first dance was intimate, our family and friends stood around the dance floor. Shane and I had not practised anything and just moved to the music and with each other. Our bridal party and parents joined us on the dance floor during this song, and other guests were welcomed onto the dance floor soon after.”

Congratulations Kirsten and Shane! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us! Thank you also to Zoe McMahon Photography for sharing today’s celebration!