Lison & Julian

With shimmering sequins, deer and heartfelt stories, it’s no wonder that Lison & Julian’s sparking Gum Gully Farm wedding stole my heart. Lison and Julian chose Shot from the Heart  to photograph their day.

Lison reminisces on the story of how she and Julian came to be. “Julian and I met in the library at university. We were both studying for our exams and as tables were scarce, we happened to be sharing the same one.

Our relationship could have never been, if not for our friends who played cupid.
It was raining heavily that day and I had forgotten my umbrella so I arrived at the library completely drenched. I quickly sat down and was so focused on drying my books that I did not hear Julian when he tried to strike up a conversation. He took my silence as a sign that I was not interested and assumed that I was a snob!

When I finally settled into my seat and laid eyes on Julian, I remember getting butterflies in my stomach. I tried making eye contact with him but had no luck so I thought he hadn’t noticed me. I was disheartened but that didn’t stop me from telling my friend about the handsome boy from the library!

With her help, we were introduced to one another three days later while were, again, at the library.”


Lison chose a gold sequin gown from Rachel Gilbert , which was altered by Bridal Alterations. She tells “I was at the Rachel Gilbert warehouse sale with three of my sisters and my two-year-old nephew. I wasn’t expecting to find anything and at that point in time, I had the colour ivory in mind for my wedding dress. My younger sister/maid of honour pulled the dress out from the rack knowing how much I loved sequins.

As soon as I put it on, we were all in agreement that it was a beautiful dress but it was only when my nephew gently caressed the sequins and told me that I was pretty did I know it was the one!

The dress had a few tears and patches of missing sequins but luckily for me, I was recommended an amazing seamstress. Dana from Bridal Alterations tailored the dress to my height, used the beads and sequins from the scrapped fabric to fill in the bare patches, and stitched up all the tears.”

Elsa & Gray and Chloe Melles styled the florals for the day. The bride explained “I have always loved effortless bouquets – the ones that look like they’ve been picked from the garden and bundled haphazardly together with their long stems and loose foliage. I had a preference for peonies, carnations, poppies and baby’s breath and wanted a predominantly pink/coral bouquet with hints of white and blue as it complimented the bridal party’s clothing, and stood out against the colours of the farm.

Chloe really took the time to listen to what I wanted, discussed with me what flowers would be in season, and what she could do to help create the bouquet I wanted. She did an amazing job and I remembering texting her (and anyone else who would listen) that I had just received my dream bouquet! Words can’t describe how beautiful her flowers are – you just have to see it!”

Lison walked down the aisle with her parents to Enya’s “Only Time”. She explains “It was very important for me to have both my parents walk me down the aisle.
When I reflect on my life, I often think about the wonderful experiences I have had, the opportunities that have been afforded to me, and the love that I have been surrounded by.
All of this has been possible because of the sacrifices my parents have made and the immeasurable love that they have given my five siblings and me. I wanted my parents to walk me down the aisle because they are very special to me and have been by my side all my life and this event was no different!”

Jason Tuazon-McChenye officiated the ceremony, Lison telling “We had our ceremony outside in the garden under a large tree decorated with colourful paper fans. As soon as I walked in with my parents, it hit me that I was getting married to this wonderful person and suddenly I was crying!! I tried to keep it together all the way down the aisle and ended up pulling a lot of strange faces (something that Julian and I laugh at now when we look back at our wedding photos).

The most memorable event during our ceremony was when I was putting the ring on Julian’s finger, I was tearing up so frequently that I had to pause to blow my nose. I then realised that I had nowhere to put my used tissue so I placed it in Julian’s suit pocket. I went back to holding his hands and staring into his face until he pointed out that I had not finished my job of putting his ring on his finger. Everyone burst out into a fit of giggles and I remember looking up at Julian’s smiling eyes and thinking that it’s moments like these that I live for.”

Lison and Julian held their wedding at Gum Gully Farm. “Gum Gully Farm was the first and only venue we looked at as we fell in love with it straight away. There’s a very homely vibe to the venue and the people – tea and coffee were always offered, no request was too big or too small, and every part of the farm was beautiful!”

Of their photographer, Lison remarks “Our photographers were Karen and Ell from Shot from the Heart Photography who are a mother-daughter team. They were amazing to work with as they were so relaxed and were wonderful at capturing all the special details of the day – big and small.

We really love their style! All their photos are so dreamy and whimsical!

What stood out to us aside from their beautiful photography was their ability to read people. Karen and Ell diffused a situation that could have easily dampened the mood of the day before it became an issue. We really appreciated how much effort they put into making our day wonderful outside of their roles as photographers.”

The bride changed into a lace dress from Dotti  for the dancing which kicked off with the first dance, Lison remembering “Julian and I danced to ‘All of me’ by John Legend.

We only decided to do a first dance two weeks before our wedding. Luckily for us, our friends, Brad and Karolina, were able to teach us the basic steps of rumba through Skype (as they lived interstate). We only had two opportunities to practice together before the big day but we did ok!

We only had one hiccup at the end of the dance when Julian dipped me. As I came back up to meet him, his button got caught on my dress and we were stuck in that position for some time before my sister was able to undo us! The guests thought it was hilarious as anyone who knows us knows that unfortunate events are a common occurrence in our lives!”

Julian adds “After our mishap during the first dance – where my button got caught in the lace of Lison’s dress – we had a laugh about the situation. I think this moment was beautifully captured because the way Lison is smiling and looking at me in this photo, is the same expression she gives me in our every day lives when we’re sharing a laugh.”

Congratulations Lison and Julian! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Shot from the Heart  for sharing today’s beautiful celebration!