Emma loves Marty | Alexandra Headlands Wedding

May 30, 2017

I simply adore this wedding in its humble simplicity, yet sheer beauty. Armed with the idea that they wanted a small, intimate Alexandra Headlands wedding that spoke to them as a couple, Marty and Emma turned tradition on its ear in almost every way.

“What was most important to Marty and I was having a relaxed day with family and friends. Hence we steered away from many of the ceremony and reception traditions and just did what suited us.”

First scaling back was in the guest list – only 20 people were invited along. Next they completely threw out the idea of having an expensive reception, instead ordering their favourite Thai takeaway to share with their guests back at the Airbnb guest house they hired for the week.

Not before they asked all their guests to stick around at the park for an afternoon tea of their DIY wedding cake and other delicious eats. No going hungry waiting for hours to eat at this laid-back affair!

“A relaxed dinner with family and friends suited us more than a formal reception!”

As well as stripping back wedding expectations, they added one super sweet tradition of their own. Together with their gorgeous toddler they built a sandcastle on the shore during their ceremony to represent their family home and the life they are building together. A life that is about to grow as their family has been blessed with the addition of another little one. Emma and Marty did well to keep the good news secret till the surprise announcement at their ceremony!

Alan Hughes Photography did an impeccable job of capturing the heart of this happy occasion and all the sweet little details.

“As part of our ceremony we built a sandcastle with our two year old son symbolising the family home. My brother and sister-in-law read a beautiful poem entitled Home and Love while we were doing this.” “We kept the fact that I was pregnant with our second child secret for 20 weeks so that we could announce it at the wedding. My dress only just fitted!” “Our personalities are so opposite that they compliment each other.” “To find my suppliers, I used The Brides Tree and recommendations from other suppliers.” “One of my bridesmaids gave me the best advice during the planning phases. She told me to pick one thing that I love and something that is important to Marty and I. You get to spend what ever you want on the thing you love – there’s no budget so go absolutely wild. The ceremony and reception should evolve around the one thing that’s important to you. I love fresh flowers so my budget for the ceremony flowers was unlimited.” “Our ceremony location was so beautiful there really wasn’t any need to go anywhere else for photos.” “We cut the cake and celebrated with everyone in Alex Bluff park immediately following the ceremony. Guests joined us that evening at our accommodation for some Thai take away.” “I love planning and catering for celebrations, so most of our wedding was DIY. We made our own invitations, bombonnieres, cake and decorations. The bridesmaids and I did all of the set up for the ceremony and dinner on the day. It was a lot of work, but I loved it as everything was so personal.” “Nothing went wildly wrong thankfully. Although the bridesmaids made a “quick trip” back to our accommodation to pick up some food we had forgotten and ended up getting stuck there with the road closures for the Mooloolaba Triathlon.”

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: Flowers and photography.

Best money-saver: Not having a reception. A relaxed dinner with family and friends suited us more than a formal reception, and ended up being a great money saver too!

Bridal gown: Anthea Crawford gown. Purchased off the rack from Myer, $800.

Accessories: Lovisa $15

Shoes: Novo $40

Bridesmaid dresses: Ebay! The girls all bought their own.

Groom’s suit and shoes: Industrie. Purchased from David Jones, $100

Rings: Michael Hill for mine and The Gentleman’s Smith for Marty’s

DIY: Favours, cake, decorations, stationery.

Honeymoon: Waiheke Island in New Zealand

Number of guests: 20

Wedding budget: $12,000

Who paid: We did.

“We met at the movies. Marty accidentally bumped into me and made me spill some of my popcorn. He’s actually lucky we ever got together as I love popcorn!” “The hours before the ceremony can be hectic, so make sure you allocate some time in your schedule between getting ready and the ceremony to relax with your bridesmaids and absorb the moment.”