Leah and Gerard

I am in love with today’s wedding- it captures everything I love about Australian weddings! The beautiful landscape, the laid back friendly nature, the faces of a ‘cracking up’ bride and groom and the flowers- oh there are beautiful Australian natives!

Leah and Gerard kept their wedding eco-friendly and intimate to keep in line with how they think about the world.  Leah says” We loved being true to our values of protecting the environment where possible, this element was extremely important to us. We wanted to show our guests that you can have a wonderful wedding while being sensitive to the environment.

One of the greatest decisions we made was to have a small, intimate wedding. By having only 35 guests it meant we could easily spend quality time with all our guests and truly relax and enjoy every moment of the day…which we did!”

Leah and Gerard met “At The Troubadour, Fortitude Valley. We met on one of the third anniversary’s of September 11 (2004)”

Photos today are by Todd Hunter McGaw- who I can really only describe as rad! Each photos has such a radtastic relaxed feel to it- the feeling of the wedding shines beautifully through their captures.

Leah wore a strapless gown from the Wendy Makin Bella Donna collection. Her bouquet and hairpiece of Australian natives was created by Mondo Floral Designs.

Leah and Gerard were married at Halfmoon Hideaway. Leah says “Halfmoon Hideaway is set on an organic beef farm with stunning views of the Glasshouse Mountains. We were married under an amazing old Moreton Bay fig tree located on the property set beside a lake.”

Leah walked down the “aisle” with her father to “Be Mine” by David Gray.

The couple were married by Val Downes. The groom’s (Gerard) younger brother (Lachlan) read a passage from the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Gerard gave this book to Leah a few weeks after they first met- a sentimental touch!

Having those closest to them present is one of Leah’s favourite memories. “The most special thing of all was having a very select group of people that truly mean a lot to us together in one place and to see the enjoyment on their faces throughout the day – we have some amazing memories from that day…there was a lot of love in the room!!”

Leah and Gerard loved the location of their wedding. Leah says ” It was beautiful location that speaks for itself. Not only was the location magic but Gillian from Halfmoon Hideaway could not have been more helpful and flexible to ensure the day was exactly how we had hoped. We did nothing to the setting other than place chairs at the reception and a few hay bales around the place, other than that nature did the work! We were so fortunate to have a crystal clear day where you could see as far south as Brisbane.”

A small cottage on the Halfmoon Hideaway grounds was the perfect place for Leah and Gerard’s reception. Leah says “There is a small self-contained cottage on the farm which is where we held the reception – this space was perfect for our small wedding size of 35 guests.” In lieu of wedding presents, the couple asked guests to carbon offset their travel to the wedding.

Leah and Gerard worked hard to ensure the food and wine at their wedding fit with their own personal culture. Leah recalls “We personally researched (ie tasted!) all the wine and beer ourselves to ensure it was the best organic/ bio-dynamic wine and beer on offer. In fact, many of our guests claimed they did not have sore heads the next day, proclaiming ‘it’s the organic!’” Little Cakes made a chocolate wedding cake covered in fresh raspberries.

Leah explains how they carried the eco-friendly nature through the rest of their wedding “The majority of the food at the wedding was sourced from local farmers through an organisation called Food Connect. We get our weekly fruit and veg box from them too and their produce is always super fresh and very tasty!

All the wine and one of the beers were either organic or biodynamic. So apart from them being great tasting, that means the farmers use natural farming techniques to improve soil fertility and to keep their crops healthy instead of introducing synthetic herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers into the environment.

Our caterers (Swish Catering) used recyclable bamboo plates for the cocktail reception and sourced organic meat and local seafood where possible (in addition to using organic fruit and vegetables). They also sourced the ice cream for the wedding cake from the local Maleny Colin James ice creamery.”

For their first dance, Leah & Gerard danced to “Sail Away” by David Gray on the balcony of the cottage.

A big thank you to Leah and Gerard for sharing their wedding day with us on Polka Dot Bride! Congratulations! Thank you also to Todd Hunter McGaw (and Alyda!) for sharing today’s photographs!

Photos by Todd Hunter McGaw

Want More? Check Out These Posts:

1. Leah and Ben
2. Leah and Rana’s Intimate At Home Wedding
3. Stephanie and Joseph – The Celebration

Thu and Mark

A beautifully sweet Perth wedding for you today with lots of heartfelt touches and golden glowy light- the perfect mix!

Thu and Mark have known each other almost all their lives! I love their story as told by Thu. “Its a bit of a soppy story – Mark and I went to the same school and hence have known each other since year 5. Naturally in class we were always seated in alphabetical order so that the teachers could learn students name easily and being a S (Mark) and T (me) he always sat behind me in class. Mark probably spent too much time staring at my hair than the blackboard. We did become the best of friends (and yes dated for a bit during high school too!) but after graduating we went to discover what life outside the 4 walls (or school fence boundary line in our case) had to offer and inspire. We met up again and being inseparable from then on and as they say the rest is history.

We still talk about it to this day, the day when I got asked if I wanted to go and work in the London office and the first person that I called was Mark. He was having a bad day at work and immediately his answer was yes lets do it! We had only been living in our house for 4 months, not even enough time to have created a dent in our new sofa but we sold everything and started the adventure – from driving around Ireland, meeting Lenin (embalmed) in Moscow, Christmas markets through Germany, tulips in Amsterdam, hiking through Cinque Terra in Italy, weekend trips to Paris, visiting the home of IKEA in Sweden and everywhere else in between…oh and also working of course! We lived in tiny apartment in West Kensington and although life was simple we had each other to laugh with. We learnt a lot about each other these two years.

We were living in London when Mark proposed. It was Valentines day and both being not big celebrators of the day it was just another day for me so certainly it was a huge surprise. It was a freezing Saturday night and Mark proposed to me in Trafalgar Square – the heart of London which has seen many historical moments staged here so in some way we were creating our own bit of history to add to it!

My response to Mark was: If I say yes, can we go home and will you make me a cup of tea!”

Photos today’s are by White Tulip Photography who again presented me with a beautiful wedding to showcase. Mandy works hard at capturing the real moments between couples and the real people in each wedding with a lot of thought, a lot of passion and her own talent.

I love a bride with coloured shoes and Thu searched long and hard for hers! She says “I had talked about having red shoes for as long as I have been engaged. Culturally red is a lucky colour. I searched high and low for shoes for months and months, on the Internet and going to every store waiting patiently for each change of season to find the shoes. I found the shoes when I least expected and where I least expected. I certainly believe in good things come to those who wait. I added my own personal touch by sticking on the buckles. They were more photographed on the day than my dress by the guests.”

Thu and Mark married at The Quarry Ampitheatre .”We love the outdoors so naturally it had to be an outdoor venue, something different, with a relaxed atmosphere and the Quarry Amphitheatre just ticked those boxes for us when we saw  photos of a wedding we were invited to while living in London that was held there. It love at first sight or at least over the Internet.”

Thu and Mark kept their wedding as eco friendly as possible. “Our wedding was very much planned about being environmentally conscious and hence a lot of DIY came into play an important role. We used recycled paper and envelopes for our invitations, our save the dates were made from seeded paper encouraging guests to plant and grow a eucalyptus tree. We had collected and washed what felt like a million glass jars which we subtly decorated with twine with tea light candles inside and placed these. Glass jars lined the isle down the steps with Australian native banksia and wattle flowers which filled some of the jars too. Our table decorations were more glass jars with twine around them and tea light candles which were surrounded by gum tree wreaths. We gave away native Australian tubestock to guests as wedding favours. Where ever possible our wedding was super green in more ways just a colour!”

Thu didn’t carry a traditional floral bouquet, instead she made one herself! “I made my own wedding bouquet as wanted to keep it on my bedside table after the wedding as a reminder of the day. What’s more beautiful is that in the morning as the sun shines through it reflects off the beads making the room sparkle which is always nice to wake up to added to that waking up next to hubby.”

Just before I walked down the aisle, brother Glen turned to him and pointed out some words that were inscribed on the limestone rock up high. They read “The point of no return” and Mark’s response was “Yes please, bring it on!”

Friends and family traveled a great distance to show their support for Thu and Mark. “We had five of our guests make the big trip from London including Mark’s older brother Glen (Best man), my older sister, my bridesmaid Kasia who went the long way around and did the US, Canada, New Zealand, Brisbane then Perth and Mark’s other brother (Groomsman) Ryan came from Beijing, China. Guests also came from Queensland, and family came up from Denmark…not where Queen Mary lives but from down south in Perth, I thought I would give them a mention as I know it is a very long drive!”

The cake, like the rest of the wedding, was a family affair! Thu says “Mark’s mum made our wedding cake. A labour of love in religiously pouring brandy on it over many months and decorated with paper bark and an assortment of native nuts and flower. Mark’s dad made our cake stand from some old wood tree trunks from a black boy and also the cake serving trays.”

I love when a first dance song choice holds a special meaning to the couple. Thu says “Our first dance was to a song that was actually from a movie that we watched on our first date…the first time round in high school! We danced to Frank Sinatra – The Way You Look Tonight and practised in the dining room the week before.”

Congratulations Thu and Mark! Thank you for sharing your wedding day on Polka Dot Bride! Thank you also to White Tulip Photography for today’s images!

Photos by White Tulip Photography

Want More? Check Out These Posts:

1. Lisa and Mark – The Celebration
2. Lisa and Mark
3. Nat and Mark’s Vintage Brisbane Wedding

Cary and James served local food and drink to keep their wedding eco-friendly. Cary says “James and I made all of the wine that was served during our reception dinner. All of the wine available at the bar was produced at Sharpe Hill Vineyard, located just a few miles from the farm.”

The couple pinned photos of themselves growing up and through their relationship to lines of rope strung along the veranda. The wedding cake was decorated with farm fresh flowers and knitted cake toppers from Etsy seller Laika Handknits. Tables were decorated with fresh flowers grouped in vintage vases and jars.

Cary and James danced to “Everything” by Ben Harper. A guest book was hand carved and sat beside a platter on which guests signed their names.

Thank you Cary and James for sharing your wedding day with us today! Congratulations! Thank you also to Olivia Gird Photography for sending over today’s wedding!

Photos by Olivia Gird Photography.

Want More? Check Out These Posts:

1. Cary and James
2. Anna and James – The Reception
3. Anna and James – The Ceremony