Real Wedding – Brooke & Danny, Newcastle NSW
A ten-week turn around doesn’t leave a lot of time to be indecisive, but it still won’t limit the number of decisions that need to be made, according to newlyweds Brooke and Danny.
The pair, who first met at work, pulled together an elegant 1960’s Italian wedding inspired affair in record time, effortlessly fusing tradition, style and romance into one.
The grand beauty, architectural distinction and personal significance of standing in a church, saying ‘I do’ to a soundtrack of music composed over 500 years ago, delivered the day’s most moving moment.
Rich textures – such as the groom’s velvet jacket and the delicate lace trimming on the bride’s veil – further elevated the sophisticated colour palette of black, white and deep red.
Browse how the celebration unfolded through the eyes of Sera Luna Co, below.
The meeting.
We met in 2019. I am Tasmanian and he is Welsh but we both found ourselves working at a small Queensland hospital. We only worked together for a week or two at the start of the year but then just couldn’t keep away from one another so, when the year came to an end, we decided to start the next phase of our careers in the same place and moved to Newcastle together.
The one.
After about six weeks of dating we went on a trip to South America that was a disaster from start to finish – robberies and hospitalisations included – but I think by the end of it we felt if we could get through that and still be smiling and enjoying each other we would always want to be together.
The proposal.
Danny woke me early and said he wanted to go to the beach for a coffee, so we went, and he asked me while we watched the sunrise.
Planning process.
We planned the wedding in about ten weeks, so overall we tried not to overthink things and keep it simple because we didn’t have lots of time to make decisions.
Style inspiration.
Given we threw the whole thing together quickly, I wanted to do something that felt classic and simple but still romantic. I would say a simple 1960s Italian wedding was the ultimate inspiration.
The ceremony.
We had the ceremony in a local church because a religious ceremony was important to Danny and his family, being originally from Iraq. I was not too keen on this initially, but it ended up being my favourite part of the day. The church was pretty, and the musicians who played during the ceremony were amazing. It felt very special, and these are some of my favourite photos.
The outfits.
Initially, I had found a wedding dress online, and I took my mum to a store purely so she would have the experience of me trying on the wedding dresses. But, when we were there, I stumbled on a dress that was very different to what I first wanted and we both loved it – so that’s the dress I went with.
Favourite moment.
Both of our favourite moments were in the ceremony itself. When we were standing at the front together it felt very meaningful. Danny’s favourite moment was when we exchanged our rings. I think mine was the feeling of joy and relief when I got to him at the end of the altar. The music and church were beautiful, but I felt like I could relax when we were reunited there.
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage for Danny has a lot of cultural and religious meaning; it’s an important tradition for him. For me, it’s about making a choice to be a family together.
Wedding soundtrack.
The songs for the ceremony were over 500 years old, written by an English composer Thomas Tallis and they were one of my favourite parts of the day. We had Arabic music for our reception entrance and throughout the day, our first dance was Dream A Little Dream. Our parents’ dance song was Green Green Grass of Home by Tom Jones (for the Welsh in Danny).
Funny stories/near disasters.
The rain and wind were unprecedented during the week of the wedding. We ended up having the pre-wedding ceremony with 100 people in our teeny tiny house. You could barely move. It thundered and poured all morning, but cleared up 30 minutes before the ceremony. Perfect timing.
Planning surprises.
The number of decisions you need to make, no matter how unbothered you are by the small or big details.
Words of wisdom.
Keep it simple, but know it will always end up bigger than you expected.
For more Real Weddings featuring a traditional church ceremony, check out our collection here.
BROOKE & DANNY’S SUPPLIERS:
We pulled the wedding together quickly, and we couldn’t have done that without some amazing vendors who worked hard, were super flexible and compassionate, and we can’t thank them enough. Especially – Bryce and Ty at Seraluna, the Ravella team, Josie at En Masse collective, Amelia at Designs to Adore and Brooke at Designs by B. All pulled everything together quickly and supported us along the way.
Ceremony venue: St Mary Star Of The Sea Church Newcastle
Reception venue: Ravella Newcastle
Officiant: Father Anil
Photography & videography: Sera Luna Co.
Florist: En Masse Collective
Hair & make-up: Blossom Hair & Makeup
The dress: The Samira Gown by Abella from Brides of Sydney who were amazing and got the dress here on time and with no stress.
Alterations: Designs by B.
Veil: Madame Tulle
Catering: Alfie’s Italian
Favours: Instead of favours we donated money on behalf of each guest to Starlight Children’s Foundation
Cake: Spodeli Studio
Stationery / Signage: Designs To Adore
Entertainment: Uptown The Band
