Two brides, an intimate guest list and spring garden party
After two (yes, two) equally gorgeous proposals and some initial thoughts of eloping, Becky and Carla chose to wed before 29 of their nearest and dearest in a spring garden party style celebration where the dress code forbade guests from wearing black. The colour palette ultimately reflected the mood – bright and joyful.
In a bid to make the ceremony their own, they opted to say ‘I do’ in a quaint, non-religious church setting at 11:30am without the inclusion of a bridal party, featuring a ring from our friends at Black Finch.
Adding a touch of tradition (albeit the chic, fashion kind), Becky wore an off-the-shoulder gown by Kyha accessorised with a cathedral length veil and satin ballet flats. It was a departure from the mini dress she originally envisioned, but the classic, bridal beauty of Kyha’s creation made her feel her most beautiful.
The day – which had happy-hearted guests heading home by 6pm – was artfully captured by the observational, detail focused and sensationally sensitive lens of Keera Hoogendorp.
Scroll on to delight in the full gallery, plus the enchanting tale of an Etsy witch that saved the day.
The meeting.
We met on the queer/lesbian app called ‘Her’. Carla’s picture was her in Japan and I was planning a trip to Japan later that year, so I swiped for some travel intel, and we ended up talking for around a month before we met up in person.
‘The one’.
Carla: When I found out she was a secret nerd and loved The Muppets. And when I discovered she was kind and gentle under her ‘party girl’ image, as well as the most unique person I had ever known – my multifaceted queen.
Becky: I knew because she was the perfect mix between my Dad and Kermit the frog. My Mum always told me when I found the one it wouldn’t feel hard – Carla is the opposite of hard. She knows exactly who she is and she makes me feel safe and loved everyday.
The proposal.
There were TWO proposals because we make our own rules!
We decided we wanted to get married at some point in the near future so went ring shopping together in early 2024. We both designed our own custom rings (very different styles, very perfectly suited to each of us).
Carla proposed first whilst we were on a holiday in WA. We went for a walk in a forest in a place called Quinninup, Carla very cooly and discreetly put her go-pro on the ground to take a ‘photo of us both’ but secretly had it filming and ready for the proposal. Carla got on one knee just as the go-pro toppled over. She tried and failed to get it back on it’s feet, so I went over and with all my strength pushed it into the ground (I was making sure the moment was captured at whatever cost). I then went back over to Carla and told her to resume proposal. It was such a perfectly ‘us’ moment and even though we had already picked up the rings Carla was so cool, calm and collected the whole trip I felt for sure she hadn’t brought the ring or planned to propose on the trip. Carla, however, was not nonchalant on the inside as proven by an aggressive eczema break out (which she blamed on the ‘hard water’ in WA).
I proposed to Carla months later on a trip away over Easter. I did an Easter egg hunt for her as I do every year and the last egg to be found was sitting in the ring box with the engagement ring perched on it’s head. Once again, a perfect, ‘us’ moment.
Planning process.
We had a pretty quick turnaround being that we were engaged and married in less than 12 months.
The venue we booked was the first and only venue we looked at. We knew we wanted a church (as a gay couple we are not allowed to be married in a church with religious affiliation) and the Little Church was so quaint and romantic. We knew when we saw it that we had found the one and didn’t need to look any further.
We knew we wanted a small wedding (we originally were planning to elope) so the guest list was easy – only our best, most favourite, important people made the cut (29 in total).
Neither of us had/wanted a bridal party.
Our other non-negotiable was finding an amazing photographer to capture our day. We found the most perfect person – Keera Hoogendorp, who took candid, editorial photographs. Once we locked her in we found our other vendors surprisingly very easy. We knew the celebrant we wanted as she had done a friend’s wedding, and we remembered her being so fantastic. We also had a florist in mind – a friend from high school who we knew would absolutely deliver the most perfect florals. We hired a marquee, tables, chairs, plates, glassware and crockery. We chose a pizza van for lunch, organised cannoli for dessert and found the most talented wonderful cake maker locally who made unique and very cool cakes.
We were ORGANISED. Carla was in charge of the budget (spreadsheet queen!) and Becky brought the design skills.
Style inspiration.
Our theme was ‘spring garden party’. We asked our guests to dress in ‘spring colours’ (no black allowed). We had a beautiful marquee on the lawn outside of the church, pastel florals, colourful tablet settings and cocktails flowing all day. The ceremony was at 11:30am, lunch at 1:30pm and guests heading home at 6pm. We loved the idea of a casual day, a long boozy lunch and getting to enjoy the day without dragging, exhausted into the night.
The ceremony.
Carla waited at the end of the aisle and I walked myself down the aisle (independent woman). I took one look at my family – tears already rolling down their faces as soon as I entered the church and began to cry. Carla smiled the whole way through – just happy to be there and relieved to see me after two hours apart.
The ceremony itself was short and sweet held in the gorgeous little white church. We had written and memorised our own vows. It was so incredibly intimate, and special- it perfectly showcased our devotion to each other and there wasn’t a dry eye in the church (the photographer sobbed).
The outfits.
Becky: I wore a dress by Kyha with a lace veil. I went to four wedding stores originally thinking I wanted a mini dress but very quickly realised I wanted something more classic and ‘bridal’. I felt beautiful in the dress I chose. I wore white satin ballet flats as I wanted to be comfortable.
Carla: I wore a custom Reigner suit in baby blue with a matching silk shirt and custom navy modern colonial style tie which matched my shoe choice of navy Adidas sneakers and a white waffle knit sock.
I knew U wanted something cool and unique.
Favourite moment.
Our favourite moment BY FAR was the ceremony. This surprised us both as we were the most terrified and nervous about delivering our vows.
I was SICK with nerves at the thought of walking down the aisle (even in front of our very small and curated guestlist) but I felt like a helium balloon just floating down toward Carla.
We didn’t take our eyes off each other the whole ceremony– it felt like such a surreal and out of body moment. We are not at all spiritual but the whole experience felt exactly that.
A special mention for another of our favourite moments was our photoshoot with our furry son Elvis the bunny. He is the most important part of our lives, and it was only natural he was there to celebrate with us. (Two names on the wedding certificate but really a marriage of three). He was the most handsome boy at the wedding, and our wonderful photographer Keera got the most incredible photos of him that we will treasure forever.
Meaning of marriage.
Carla: It means that Becky can never leave me haha! But really, it’s an act of lifelong devotion. It’s about caring for and being proud of my wife.
Becky: Marriage in general doesn’t mean much to me – but a marriage to Carla means everything.
For us, it’s about making each other laugh, supporting each other always and standing together through the good and the bad. We are incredibly devoted to each other and so deeply in love – this felt like a natural step and something we both really wanted to do.
The soundtrack.
Aisle song: Lover, You Should’ve Come Over – Jeff Buckley
First kiss/Aisle exit: What Is Life – George Harrison
Document signing: Fool for Love – Lord Huron
Reception Introduction as married couple: I Believe in a Thing Called Love – The Darkness
Cake cutting: This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Natalie Cole
Near disasters.
The wedding day was primarily outside so we chose the very end of spring to hopefully guarantee a nice sunny day however; Victoria and climate change had a different plan for us. The weather was forecast for 20mL of rain from morning to night. We were fairly devastated and knew 20mL of rain would put a HUGE dampener on the day. We paid an Etsy witch to cast a good weather spell for us and the weather on the day couldn’t have been better. There was a small sprinkle of rain in the morning but otherwise clear skies all day! Best $36 we ever spent!!
Planning surprises.
The STRESS! We are people that do not stress about the small things in life but wow – we really found ourselves so overwhelmed with how much there was to organise. Also, the cost and effort for just ONE day at times felt ridiculous. We tried not to lose sight of what the day was about.
Words of wisdom.
- Design/purchase engagement ring(s) together! This was one of the most enjoyable parts and it meant that we both got something we adored and would wear forever. What we thought we wanted changed once we started the ‘try on’/design process.
- Remember what you’re there for – to marry the person you love.
- Stick to your guns – don’t give in to family/friend pressure or advice. (Invite who you want, do the seating plan with who YOU want to sit next to/be near, make it the most enjoyable for YOU BOTH)
- Cull the guest list – a small wedding was a dream come true. Everyone wants a piece of you – I cannot imagine sharing what little time we had on the day with more people.
- We all know wedding dresses are expensive but also make sure you’re aware of cost of alterations plus dry cleaning afterward (we had no idea the extra $$ that would be added for these things).
- Have a person on the day to oversee the day itself – not a guest and certainly not the couple! We were originally planning to be ‘feet on the ground’ on the day but THANKFULLY realised that would not work and had a wonderful person who works in events to be there. In hindsight the day went so quickly, we were on another planet and were not able to make any decisions!
- Pay the Etsy witch!!!!
We feel very lucky to live in a country that supports same sex marriage. We are grateful and humbled by the queer community who came before us and fought for our rights to do so. We are forever in their debt.
BECKY & CARLA’S SUPPLIERS:
Ceremony & reception venue: The Little Church, Spring Hill
Celebrant/Officiant: Megan Thompson
Photography: Keera Hoogendorp
Florist: Amalfi Floral Design
Hair: Sunny Makk
Make-up: Mia Walkley
The dress & veil: Kyha
Becky’s ring: Cushla Whiting
Carla’s ring: Black Finch
Suit & ties: Reigner
Shoes: Adidas
Catering: Dough Slingers (Pizza van)
Cake: Lil Choux Choux
Stationery / Signage: Canva (DIY)
Hire: Exotic Soirees (Marquee, tables & chairs) Simply Seated (Tablecloth, napkins, glassware, crockery)
