Bec & Christian

So often we talk about relaxed weddings, and how ultimately what every couple wants, is for their guests to feel that chilled out vibe. But today? Bec & Christian took the idea of a relaxed wedding and completely nailed it. Their surprise Central Coast wedding was planned in just eight weeks. What was a discussion about their baby boy’s baptism, soon turned into the idea of surprising their guests with a wedding and the casual, relaxed vibes just continued from there. They chose Jennifer Burch Photography to be there to capture every reaction!

“Our proposal story isn’t very romantic” tells the bride, kicking off the story. “Basically we had talked about marriage when I was pregnant but decided (at our first ‘date night’ after having our son, Alfie) that we would have a surprise wedding at our son’s baptism. Note: we ended up postponing the baptism (so I had time for hair and makeup) and just had the wedding, though the guests still believed they were attending a baptism).”

The couple’s baby boy took centre stage as the day unfolded.

The bride found her gown at, Karen Willis Holmes, noting “Organising a wedding in 8 weeks the thing that stressed me out the most was ‘what am I going to wear?’. I ended up getting super lucky! One morning while breastfeeding my son in the early hours I saw that Karen Wills Holmes was having a sample sale at her boutique, luckily it was my birthday and my Mum just happened to be over so we arrived at KWH at opening and ended up finding my dream dress that we took home that day (birthday luck was there!). The designer had an amazing seamstress that made the dress fit like a glove”

The bride added a sentimental touch to her outfit, telling “My mother in law gave me a beautiful ring to wear on the day (she made a trip to Sydney from the south coast to give me the ring a few days before the wedding which was very special).”

Bec walked down the aisle with her mother to Bruno Mars “Marry You”.

Amanda Pollock performed the official duties, Bec explaining “We were lucky enough to be married by one of my oldest friends, Amanda Pollock. Mandy and I went to school together and have been friends for almost 20 years. We kept it short and sweet but wrote our own vows.”

Bec and Christian were married the backyard of Bec’s Mother’s home. The bride noting the backyard ceremony as one of her favourite parts of the day. 

Of their photographer, the bride remarks “Jen was amazing, we were so lucky to get her on such short notice! She completely met our brief and far exceeded all of our expectations. We were nightmare clients always confirming details late but Jen was always the professional and extremely patient.” Jen chiming in “hey were not nightmare clients at all. The middle Saturday of October is always my first Saturday to book, and 14 October 2017 was no exception. It had been booked for 18 months when I received a last minute cancellation on account of family issues – the date was available for only 2 weeks before Bec snapped it up. They were such a gift to me! I had turned down several other weddings over the previous 18 months!”

Guests gathered for a casual reception celebration at  Mercure Kooindah Waters.

The reception blooms were styled by the bride and her friends. She tells “The day before the wedding my sisters and I went to the Sydney flower markets, that night we, along with the few girlfriends that knew I was getting married. The next day we drank champagne and made flower arrangements, it was a night filled with laughter and competitiveness (who could make the best arrangement).”

Hype Duo sung “Stand By me” as the newlyweds took to the dance floor for their first dance.

Her favourite part of the day? The end! Bec remarks “Honestly, my favourite part was the end of the night, dancing with all of our amazing family and friends and most importantly my new husband.”

A big congratulations to you both Bec and Christian! Thank you for sharing your day with us. Thank you also to Jennifer Burch Photography for sharing today’s celebration!