Pair one stylish Bride with boldly bright blooms and you’ve got yourself a ticket to one pretty piece of paradise. Like this colorfully coastal fête from the lens of Ivy Road Wedding Photography that’s absolutely the sweetest. It’s bright, fabulously fun and creative – from the DIY favors to the clock “guestbook“, it’s all in the gallery!
From Ivy Road Wedding Photography...Britt and Joel live on the Gold Coast in Queensland. Britt is a primary school teacher & Joel has his own design & digital fabrication company called Studio Workshop. He designs and builds everything from custom furniture to architectural houses. He is currently completing his Masters in Architecture at Bond University.
From the beautiful Bride… Joel proposed on March 9th, 2013. We went for, what I thought, was a normal walk on the beach with our dog. As we made our way back up the beach, Joel dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him! What I didn’t know was that he had hired a photographer! So our proposal is captured in the most amazing photos! Our engagement was featured on www.howheasked.com too! This was also my 30th birthday and that night Joel had organised a surprise party for me at my favourite restaurant, The Fish House. It was definitely a super special day. We designed my rings together a week later at Jason Withers Original Diamond. It was such a fun experience, I felt like a celebrity!
We wanted our big day to be bright, fun and creative. Joel is such a talented designer so we were able to make a lot of the props and decorations for the wedding ourselves. We kept to a neutral palette of white, ivory and gold so that our flowers and accent pieces would really pop.
My sister and I spent a long evening meticulously placing gold leaf on cute little glass jars, which we then filled with white sand and a succulent (which our brother-in-law grew). Joel made the “LOVE” sign and also cut the hearts that lined the aisle. My favorite piece though was our clock “guestbook”. I’d never seen anything like it but it was exactly what we wanted – something interesting, different and totally useful! It now hangs in our living room and always reminds me of our friends and family and our amazing day.
My dress was really special because I was able to have a little piece of home with me at my Aussie beach wedding. I’m originally from Toronto, Canada and after trying on 60+ dresses here in Australia (in Brisbane & Melbourne), I decided to go home to look for the perfect dress with my mum. I found the dress in the first store we went to and it was designed and made by Barbra Allin in Toronto. It was made of dupioni silk so it was really light and comfortable. And the best thing was that it had pockets!
Our ceremony was held at the stunning Wategoes beach in Byron Bay. My favorite moment was walking down to our ceremony on my dad’s arm and watching Joel’s reaction when he saw me.
We wanted the whole day to have a really relaxed vibe so that no one had to worry about anything or run around like crazy doing last minute jobs. We definitely made sure that all loose ends were tied before the big day and all “key players” had a print out of the day’s timings with names and contact numbers for everyone involved. The teacher in me couldn’t help it!
A tradition in my family is that the bride’s uncle gives a toast to her. So luckily enough, my Uncle Gary was able to travel from Canada with my aunt and cousins so we could continue that tradition. My dad and I also did the traditional “Father Daughter Dance” which was something I had always dreamed about doing.
Marriage to us means growing together; experiencing everything life has to offer together and supporting each other through all the ups and downs – financially, emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically. It also means having your best friend around for all life’s special moments.
Some advice I’d like to offer other brides is to make sure you’re really happy and comfortable with all of your vendors because a) you spend quite a bit of time with them and b) their services can make or break your day. Luckily for us, everyone we dealt with was amazing and super accommodating. We can’t rave about each of them enough!
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Photography: Ivy Road Photography | Styling: Little Gray Station | Floral Design: Elyssium Blooms | Wedding Dress: Becker's Bridal | Invitations: Impressworks | Ceremony Venue: Wategoes Beach, Byron Bay | Reception Venue: Byron Beach Cafe | Bride's Shoes: Shoes Of Prey | Rings: Jason Withers | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Lush Tutu Boutique | Makeup: Bellesque By Louise | Lighting: Elyssium Lighting | Groom's Attire: Saba | Celebrant: Ruth White | Cake Decorations: Studio Workshop | Clock Guest Book: Studio Workshop | Veil: Erica Koesler | Vendor: How He Asked