Real Wedding – Nicole & Dean, Noosa QLD
Nicole and Dean’s wedding soiree is a true treat from the tropics; coastal luxe meets effortless fun against soft white sands and endless skies.
And for these two stunning souls, fun was top of the priority list. From bailing on their end of ceremony aisle walk to pop the champagne tower, to ice cream and laughs with their wedding party, every photo by The Love Archives is filled with megawatt smiles.
We love the darling details of this cracking celebration, by Style le Aisle and Bloodwood Botanica. Rattan peacock seats and natural fibres contrast perfectly against crisp, vanilla florals, statement orchids and soft clouds of baby breath. Accents of gold take the look from sweet to chic, and the guests in tones of bone and ivory finish the theme to perfection.
If, like us, you’re dreaming of oceanside holidays bathed in sunshine, drinks in hand and surrounded by your fabulous friends, take a scroll through Nicole and Dean’s dream day.
The meeting.
We met at a family BBQ. Dean showed up on a very old dirt bike after work with a bucket of party shots. Before I knew it, I was in the middle of a drunken nerf gun war zone between Dean and my brother-in-law. Dean, nerf gun in one hand, bucket of party shots in the other, had lost his phone in the lounge room sometime mid-battle. I offered to call his phone for him and apparently, he was Mr Right?!
The ‘one’.
When we did a renovation not so long into our relationship. If you can make it through a reno, you can make it through anything!
The proposal.
We had just moved away from our families to the opposite side of the country, and we were scheduled to fly home for Christmas at 1am that night. He took me to our favourite spot on the water and got down on one knee. He was so nervous. It was very cute.
Planning process.
As a teacher, you’d think I’d be all over it, but I really wasn’t. We were engaged for four years, and I changed my mind about the venue a million times until finally settling on the Noosa Boat House. My sister (maid of honour) was an absolute godsend throughout all of the planning, and without her, it wouldn’t have come together.
Style inspiration.
I had seen another wedding that had a similar theme. I was originally going to go with a much more tropical vibe but changed the brief with the stylists to be more luxe, and I am so glad I did.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was short, sweet and fun. Our celebrant doubles as a comedian, and he was hilarious. We forgot to walk back down the aisle at the end because we had a champagne tower; we went straight over to pop some bottles instead, but we had so much fun we didn’t care.
The look.
We had a white wedding; all guests were asked to wear white or shades of beige. The groomsmen were in traditional tuxedos to set them apart from all of the men who we knew would be in white and beige, and the bridal party wore ivory.
I bought three dresses before settling on the dress I wore! One was purchased two years before the wedding and the others in the lead-up. My alterations lady pulled out three weeks before the wedding, saying the alterations I was asking for were too hard, and I was so lucky to find a backup dressmaker that was talented, well priced and could get the dress done in time!
Favourite moments.
I would have to say it was the photo session with Dean and our bridal party. Our bridal party are our all-time favourite people and our photographer and videographer had the best energy. Combining these together made for the best time. It was definitely a highlight of the day.
Meaning of marriage.
To me, it really solidified our commitment to one another and brought our families together as one.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Georgia by Vance Joy
Signing: Bright Side of The Road by Van Morrison
Recessional/ champagne tower: Everlasting Love by Natalie Cole
Reception entry: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Freischwimmer, Dionne Bromfield
First dance: Die a Happy Man by Thomas Rhett
Planning surprises.
Our celebrant double booked us, and we only found out the week before our wedding. We had had him booked in for over 12 months, but it couldn’t have worked out better – we adored our celebrant in the end.
Between the dressmaker deciding she couldn’t help us and the state going into lockdown three days before our wedding (we thankfully got out at 12pm the day of the wedding, and we ran the gauntlet and had already made the decision to let the wedding go ahead), we certainly had our fair share of surprises.
Words of wisdom.
Get a great maid of honour! They’re worth their weight in gold.
Maybe you’ve spent hours dreaming up the darling details of your wedding day. But sometimes it can be tricky to find the right items to perfect your vision. That’s where our directory may come in handy – check out our hire guide for some of the best companies in the biz, with the sweetest supplies.
NICOLE & DEAN’S VENDORS
Ceremony venue: Maison La Plage Grove
Reception venue: Noosa Boathouse – they were AMAZING. They alleviated the stress of COVID monumentally. We had several guests have to pull out due to the lockdown, and although it was literally the day before the wedding, they allowed us to transfer the cost of all cancelled guests onto our bar tab. They also threw in the wet weather option room back up for free, as well as a dance floor. Arianna Laico (the venue’s wedding coordinator) is a dream to work with.
Celebrant: Shane Vincent. He makes it such a fun, light-hearted event!
Photography & videography: The Love Archives. The vibe these guys brought to our wedding was priceless – no photo was awkward or stuffy, and they made everyone feel comfy and at ease in front of the camera.
Styling: Style le Aisle
Florist: Bloodwood Botanica
Hair: Sarah from Evalyn Parsons
Make-up: Valentina from Sunshine Brides
The dress: Madi Lane Bridal. I added chiffon wings to the back of my dress at the top of the zip – they were by Made With Love Bridal.
Shoes: I Love Billy
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Sheike
Suits & bow ties: Tarocash
Stationery: Etsy
Honeymoon: Stanage Bay fishing trip with friends.
