Level-headed bride, Hayley, has some great advice for brides-to-be, saying, “At the end of the day, you are the only one that knows what you wanted to do, so don’t stress if you don’t get everything done.”

And she should know how it goes to have a long stretch of to-do list to get through, having planned an almost entirely DIY wedding at Booroobin property, Sweetwater Cottage, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Her now-husband, Wade, was part of the process too, and is quite proud of his Gumtree find of a dancefloor to set up for the entirely outdoors wedding.

Graeme Passmore captured the day for the Sunshine Coast locals. 

“My mum and my sister were very important to me in helping to find my wedding dress and through all the wedding planning. One of the favourite things for me was getting to spend time with them.

“I hadn’t thought of anything ‘old’ to carry with me on our wedding day. While I was getting ready my mum came up and gave me my great grandmother’s crochet horseshoe to keep. It was so special and took me by surprise I immediately burst into tears!“

“We make each other laugh and really enjoy our time together. We balance each other out. I’m generally more quiet and serious whereas Wade is very social and outgoing. We bring out the best in each other.”

“We had four groomsmen and bridesmaids, four flower girls and two page boys. Wade’s best man was his twin brother Clayton. My maid of honour was my best friend and also Clayton’s fiancé Cheryl.”

“As soon as we met (wedding celebrant) Cassandra we knew she was exactly who we were looking for. She was lovely, down to earth and had a genuine interest in our story. She made the whole process stress-free and gave us the encouragement to write our own vows.”

“Wade and I met through mutual friends. We started seeing each other two weeks before I was due to travel overseas for five months. We stayed in contact almost every day while I was away and fell in love despite the distance.“

“The thing that I wasn’t expecting was the amount of love we would receive from all our friends and family. I thought our wedding day was our time to share how much love Wade and I have for each other. The best thing about our day was actually sharing how much we love our family and friends and how important they are in our lives.”

“As we were working on a small budget and we wanted to invite 150 guests we had to find a property where we could do everything ourselves. Sweetwater Cottage was the perfect wedding venue for us and was the first thing we booked.“

View Hayley + Wade’s Full Wedding Album

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: Because we had our wedding outdoors our biggest spend would have been on equipment hire and lighting. 

Best bargain: Wade was most proud of our dancefloor! It was cheaper for us to buy one off Gumtree than to hire it. We now have it handy for any of our friend’s weddings or other celebrations.

Bridal gown: Ppurchased online, $300

Accessories: Lovisa

Shoes: Novo

Bridesmaid dresses: The bridesmaids all had their own styles (one was Review, Myer, the others were purchased online)

Bridesmaids’ accessories: Lovisa

Groom’s and groomsmens’ suit and shoes: Myer

Rings: Flair Jewellery 

DIY: We made the hessian and lace bunting, decorated the glass jars, hand painted the timber signs, the oversized scrabble and jenga, the timber altar and flower arrangement, right down to the individual mini coke cans that drag behind the model Kombi van!

Honeymoon: Oahu and Maui

Number of guests: 150

Wedding budget: $10,000 

A-list Vendors

Photographer: Graeme Passmore Photography

Videographer: Graeme Passmore Photography

Florist: Suncoast Flowers 

Hair Stylist: Allure Bridal Stylists 

Rentals: Perry’s Hire

Stationery Supplier: Vistaprint

Celebrant: Cassandra Neilson

Wedding Night Accommodation: Sweetwater Cottage 

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