Ruth & Steve

The modern flair of Ruth & Steve’s day was matched only by the pure joy of their marriage. Big wide smiles, hilarious surprise speeches and emotion marked every minute, every hour of a celebration which the couple describes as personal and fun”. The couple worked with Jackson Grant Photography to capture their day.

Ruth and Steve met in the water, reminiscing “We met through surf lifesaving, both competing in surfboat rowing at the same club. It’s a very social sport with carnivals on most weekends of the summer so we got to know each other fairly quickly. We both realised early on that this relationship was something special and we spent as much time together as possible. Three years on nothing has changed and we are now married.”

The groom and groomsmen were outfitted in modern leather bowties by Polaroid Soup.

Ruth remembers “I really loved staying at the Langham with the girls the night before and midnight chats in bed with my maid of honour Ellie, like school girls.”

Ruth chose a stunning gown by Jane Hill , telling “You could probably say the dress found me. Not in an “I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little girl” sort of way but more literal. One day meeting up with one of my good friends she had just been to pick up a wedding dress for a family friend who’s friend was coming to collect it. Long story short it was the Jane Hill ‘Lottie’ dress. Absolutely stunning dress but I never imagined it being the dress I would get married in 14 months later. Well, that was until I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Which turned into an obsession and I soon couldn’t imagine wearing anything else on my wedding day.”

Ruth remarks “Steve was 50:50 with the wedding planning. He would set regular planning meetings over a bottle of red wine with an agenda and a list of tasks for both of us to complete. This did lend to him being given the nickname “groomzilla’. Having Steve equally involved in the planning made it a lot easier and more fun.”

Ruth remembers “My father walked me down the aisle to a live acoustic version of Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing” performed by the Baker Boys who also performed for the reception.”

Russ Macumber officiated the ceremony, Ruth remembering “Our celebrant, Russ Macumber, did an amazing job at creating a ceremony that was so personal to Steve and I. Some of our guests assumed Russ must have been a good friend of ours being able to integrate so many stories of Steve and my relationship so far.”

Ruth and Steve tied the know at Abbotsford Convent , telling “We wanted a location that we could have both ceremony and reception and close to the city so it was easy and enjoyable for all our guests. I came across the Abbotsford Covent which was exactly what we were looking for. We had the ceremony in the Heritage Gardens and the reception Rosina Function Space by Bursaria. The buildings and gardens provided so many beautiful locations for photos.”

Ruth remarks “Its so impossible to choose a favourite photo. All the photos are stunning and create such a nice timeline of the day. One of may many favourites photos was taken just after the ceremony when we were walking off the get the bridal party photos. It’s a photo of Steve and I and he is talking about how much he loved my dress a and what he was thinking as I walked down the aisle. It’s one of my favourite memories of the day as we were so excited about just getting married.”

“Our photographer, Jackson Grant, is amazing. He is one of my favourite things about the day. Jackson was so easy to have around and he was efficient in capturing all the special moments. The photos are stunning and he has provided us with such beautiful memories of the day.”

Poppys Getting Married  styled the gorgeous white and greenery floral arrangements. Ruth notes “All the floral arrangements we done by Marnie at Poppy’s Getting Married. I gave her a few photos of the style and colour scheme I was going for and let her be creative with how it all came together. The bouquets were beautiful and suited what we were after.”

Ruth and Steve tell “We put a lot of time into thinking about how our guests would experience the day and detail in the order of events. Things like a having a short amount of time between the ceremony and reception so guests walked straight over to the courtyard to be served drinks and canapés, or the order and timing of speeches during the night so things would flow nicely and not drag on.”

Steve notes “I loved the speeches. It’s funny that it was the part I was nervous most about but came away laughing and crying at almost all of them. We only had a few speeches (plus us) but they all flowed perfectly and had the crowd involved. I also loved the band (Baker Boys Band ) they made for a great celebration and were so easy to deal with.”

Guests enjoyed a sit-down feast thanks to Bursaria , Ruth noting “I really loved our location at The Abbotsford Convent, its an absolutely stunning location and the staff and catering by Bursaria was amazing. The guests could not speak more highly of the food, especially those with allergies that had alternative meals prepared. The staff at Bursaria were so happy to cater any dietary request we had for our guests which meant everyone was able to enjoy the food.”


The dance floor kicked off with the help of  Baker Boys Band. Ruth remarks “We chose not to do an official first dance but did spend a good part of the night on the dance floor with most of our guests. I really loved the band too. The band really helped to create a fun and emotive night. We were happy to let them choose the music and read the vibe of the night and it really paid off.”

Congratulations Ruth and Steve! Thank you for sharing the stories of your day with us. Thank you also to Jackson Grant Photography for sharing today’s celebration.