Mismatched bridesmaids in a sun-infused colour palette.
When a sunbeam breaks through the clouds just in time for your first kiss as newlyweds, it feels a little like the universe is celebrating with you.
Set at Collingwood Children’s Farm, Alana and Dan’s autumn wedding brought country charm to the heart of Melbourne, with a joyful palette of rich sun-infused colour woven throughout the day.
From the beautifully mismatched bridesmaid dresses to the abundant blooms by Love Alfalfa, every detail felt colourful, relaxed and completely them. Love Alfalfa brought the floral brief to life with vibrant arrangements flowing from the ceremony and bouquets through to the reception.
Captured beautifully by Kyra Boyer, the day was also a celebration of doing things their own way. Alana and Dan got ready together, Alana walked herself down the aisle, they wrote their own vows and their young son was part of it all.
And then came that little bit of magic. After a day of on-and-off rain, the clouds parted just as they shared their first kiss, bathing the newlyweds and their bridal party in one glorious sunbeam. Pretty perfect timing.
The meeting.
We officially met at a work party. We both work at Koko Black and had noticed each other around the workplace but didn’t really connect until a party.
The one.
When Dan moved in after three weeks of dating and it felt incredibly comfortable and easy.
The proposal.
We had our son Zach in March 2025 and had organised a newborn photoshoot a few months later in June. Dan had the engagement ring ready, and had also contacted the photographer so she was in on the proposal too. While the photographer directed me (with Zach) to look out over the lake, he dropped to one knee and completely took me by surprise. The whole thing is on camera too!
Planning process.
The planning process was actually really smooth. We decided we wanted to get married quite quickly (before trying for baby number two), so we got to work researching and scrolling Intsa. Collingwood Children’s Farm was the first venue we looked at in mid-June, and we booked it in straight away for April. I was a project manager on mat leave and had plenty of time during lots of contact naps to plan the event.
Style inspiration.
We loved that the Children’s Farm felt like you were in the countryside but is conveniently located right in the middle of Melbourne. We wanted a relaxed, fun day. I love colour, and I had a vision of my bridesmaids all in different colour dresses. My instruction to my bridesmaids was to pick any dress they wanted in an autumn colour palette. The colours ended up coming together so well! The florals were the same brief, bright, autumnal colours, and we refined it as we went along to feature orange more heavily.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony took place outside in the Paddock at the Farm, and all week I’d been worried about rain on the day. It rained on and off all day. We got through most of the ceremony but with about five minutes left, a sun shower started. We had a big glorious sunbeam come through the clouds, right onto us and our bridal party, just before our first kiss as husband and wife.
We wrote our own vows which was really special, and a good friend of mine was the celebrant.
The outfits.
I really struggled to find my dress, I had a four-month-old at the time which made it hard to get around to lots of different dress shops. I then found Honeymoon Studios, coincidentally owned by a friend’s sister, who make all their dresses in their studio in Northcote. I loved being able to support a local business, and it was so great not having to do my final measurements until 2.5 months before the wedding.
Favourite moment.
I have so many – our first look, walking myself down the aisle towards Dan (apparently, I raced down), reading our vows and having our son Zach be part of the day.
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage is committing to your person, every day through all seasons of life. It’s growing together, and building a life together, and having someone in your corner always. It is having someone to share in the fun times, and the hard times.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle song – Fearless by Taylor Swift,
Aisle recessional – I’m a Believer by Smash Mouth
Entrance song – Sugar Sugar by The Archies (we got nicknamed Mama and Papa Sugar at work).
Planning surprises.
How hard it was to do seating plans – we got a good tip of making a date night out of it and using post it notes to shuffle people around.
Words of wisdom.
- Make an email just for wedding stuff,
- Have a good excel spreadsheet on the go,
- Wedding traditions are there as a guide, bend them as you want – for example, we got ready at the same house, and I really wanted to walk myself down the aisle.
- The day goes by so quickly, take moments for just the two of you to soak it all in!
Alana and Dan’s Vendors
Ceremony and reception location: Collingwood Children’s Farm
Celebrant: Sam Youl – Youl Say I Do
Photography: Kyra Boyer
Florist: Love Alfalfa
Hair and makeup: LoveCo Beauty
The dress: Honeymoon Studios
Veil: Borrowed from one of my bridesmaids
Shoes: Forever Soles
Rings: Oval and Pear (bride), Cullen (groom)
Bridesmaid’s dresses: All different, unsure of brands
Suits and accessories: Mr Robinson
Catering and bar: Collingwood Children’s Farm
Favours: Koko Black chocolates
Cake: Tylers Milk Bar
Stationery / Signage: Sea and Paper
Entertainment: Mark Schott
Honeymoon: Mini Moon at Jackalope for 3 nights
