Real Wedding – Ryan & Taree, Black Rock VIC
Standing barefoot on a sun-drenched beach, backed by stunningly dramatic clifftops and surrounded by their loved ones, Taree and Ryan’s blissed-out celebrations were the perfect combo of feels and fun. Bohemian, beachy vibes inspired their laid-back, sweetly chic style and accents of an autumnal colour palette elevate the overall look.
After saying their I Do’s in the incredible ceremony setting, photographer extraordinaire Maegan Brown Moments led the new Mr and Mrs on a romp through the town, capturing some truly epic shots on their way. Ever thought a supermarket stop-off could look ultra-cool? Ryan and Taree take it to the next level.
Taree captures vintage chic with contemporary elegance to perfection in a gorgeous gown handmade for her mother by her gran (just too perfect!). Deep vermillion accessories and a killer red lip add Taree’s own style moment, while Ryan looks dashing in a sharp black tux.
Choosing their favourite cafe to host the reception only further emphasised the sweetly personal details of this darling day. We can’t get enough, so scroll to see every stylishly cool and uniquely inspired moment!
The meeting.
In 2013 we got seated at the same table at Le Moulin Rouge in Paris! When Ryan sat down, I misheard him as he introduced himself as ‘Brian’, and so Brian and I had a wonderful evening watching the show and clubbing afterwards. We ended up having very different nights… while I grabbed a McFlurry and snuggled into my hotel bed, Ryan spewed into a pint glass and put it back on a bar!
The next morning we saw each other as we gathered near a tour bus and realised we were both on the same Contiki tour! ‘Brian’ reintroduced himself as Ryan, and we spent the next 24 days adventuring around wintery Europe!
The ‘one’.
When in Munich, we sat at a table with an elderly, very drunk German man named Peter. Between rounds of steins being passed around, old mate came out with, “You guys should get married one day”. Cue awkward laughing. We were both leaving relationships, and so whilst the timing wasn’t right, the future had already been written in the stars.
The proposal.
In 2019, we travelled to Japan and did a three-day pilgrimage through the Dewa Sanzan, traversing three sacred mountains depicting the past, the present and the future. Whilst we were on Mt Yudono, the mountain of the future, Ryan sat me down on a rock and asked me to share the rest of the adventure together. The proposal was crashed by the sweetest 70+-year-old Japanese woman who was bowing and squealing, “Omedeto/Congratulations!”.
Planning process.
Originally we had planned a 150+ guest all-out party in Western Australia, where I (Taree) am from. But the pandemic had other ideas, and so our wedding was postponed twice due to travel restrictions, border closures and following health advice. Eventually, we decided to change up our plans, leading us to create the intimate, perfect day we had.
Style inspiration.
We loved the idea of a bohemian, beachy vibe inspired by the red cliffs of Black Rock, where we had our ceremony. We really wanted the natural setting to shine, and the cliffs are so dramatic that they were the real star. We love an autumnal colour palette, and with the wedding being so close to Christmas, you can see some of those deep reds, forest greens, gold and silver coming through in the styling.
Looking at real weddings on blogs, in print, and in online magazines was our favourite way to get inspired because seeing the love and sparks in people’s faces made us feel all the feels. Reading their experiences, looking up their vendors, and taking their advice on styling, budgeting and planning all helped a lot.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was held at the base of the red cliffs at Half Moon Bay, Black Rock. The setting was so beautiful, with the red from the cliffs contrasting with the blue of the bay. Our pastor, Andrew, did such a stellar job of acknowledging the impact of the past couple of years on everyone (pandemic, postponements, etc.), giving words to the gratitude we have in our hearts for our family and friends, capturing the story of our love and tying in elements of my faith, all whilst keeping everything light and accessible. We wrote our vows separately, and hearing those special words exchanged will live in my heart rent-free forever.
The look.
My wedding dress is by an indie WA designer, my Gran, Rona! The dress was hand sewn for my beautiful Mum, and she wore it at my parent’s wedding in 1987. In fact, Gran made all the bridal and bridesmaid dresses for my three auntie’s weddings as well. I had some minor alterations made, but I wanted to honour the simplicity and beauty of the dress as it was created.
Ryan originally hunted for a forest green suit but then decided to go all out and bought a divine tuxedo.
Favourite moments.
Ryan: The special moments within the ceremony, either the vows or watching Taree walk down the aisle.
Taree: Being enveloped by feelings of sincere kindness, love, and respect during Ryan’s vows.
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage is deciding to share the load of life’s joys, horrors, surprises, dreams and trials. It is a team sport of backing your partner and supporting them towards the goal. It is a home built on a foundation of respect and communication where you can buffet the storms together. It is a safe place where the facets of who you are each day can breathe, receive both validation and feedback and hopefully be inspired to be better the following day.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Travelers’ Encore by Andrew Prahlow.
Recessional: Hello by The Cat Empire.
Reception entry: Tank by Seatbelts.
First dance: All Night Loud by The Cat Empire.
Funny stories or near disasters.
The ceremony set-up ended up running late by about ten minutes which was completely fine, but it meant that we were just hanging in the carpark for a while beforehand. I ended up feeling a bit nervous then and needed to have a tactical bush wee behind the Combi van with my parents and my bridesmaids/man forming a protective privacy barrier. We then marched down the path towards the ceremony together, singing Shania Twain’s Man, I Feel like a Woman, to get the nervous energy out.
The reception was a very good time, and after Ryan brought out the rage cage cups, we had two guests throw up in Ubers, and one poor guest broke a tooth.
Planning surprises.
A couple of surprise moments were: Ryan realising he didn’t know where his birth certificate was, how very little of a traditional wedding ceremony is actually the legal part (meaning you can customise, include, omit or change almost every aspect of what a ceremony is “supposed” to look like), the willingness and kindness of guests to be in charge of a particular part of the day to help you out.
Words of wisdom.
Your wedding day is about you and your partner; do what makes you both happy. If you do not want to have something in your wedding, do not have it.
We found that approaching suppliers directly and DIYing aspects was a great way to save. For example, I ordered our flowers through the local greengrocer, asked our friends and families for greenery from their properties and put everything all together the day before with the bridal party and parents. It was a total success and such a special memory!
Give yourself a few days off after the wedding to decompress before heading on your honeymoon adventure.
Love Taree and Ryan’s autumnal colour palette? Soak up more of this stunning tonal moment with Au.tumn, a styled shoot celebrating the between, encapsulating colour and tone, and the magic of eternal love.
RYAN & TAREE’S VENDORS
Ceremony location: Half Moon Bay, Black Rock. City of Bayside handled our wedding request and issued our permit with no fuss, even taking a few location changes from me to find the perfect spot.
Reception venue: Custodian Kitchen. What can I say, part of our hearts will live here forever. When we originally approached our favourite coffee shop with the possibility of hosting our wedding, Custodian immediately responded with “Yes, and…?”. This team of superhumans crafted the most perfect day for us, including designing a scrumptious menu that our guests raved about in the intimate setting we dreamed of. Special shoutouts to Hugh, Gerry and Fluff for their level of professionalism, attention to detail and kindness.
Celebrant/Officiant: Andrew Woff. Andrew’s ability to weave words together to create space for moments to unfold is a talent like no other. He brought his sense of compassion, justice and gentleness to each beat of the ceremony, including invitations for guests to take some grounding breaths. He even offered the ocean as a respite for those guests who might like to dip their feet in whilst soaking up the significance of the moment. We are so grateful.
Photography: Maegan Brown Moments. We cannot recommend Maegan highly enough! From our initial get-to-know-you coffee date to the big day itself, Maegan was a delight to do business with. She effortlessly puts you at ease with her calm and bubbly personality whilst simultaneously being an absolute girl boss with every aspect professionally. Timeline, correspondence, agility and sales – an absolute dream. It’s all about the little details with Maegan, and certainly, our photos feel like they captured the authenticity and love of our big day. She laughed with us, hyped us up, kept us hydrated, danced with our family, built an epic travel playlist, communicated like a dream and brought all the vibes!
We are so happy with our shots and look forward to getting an album created soon because the quality is just unreal. We have had so many people swoon over our photos, and we just say, “Yep, Maegan understood the assignment!”
If you are considering Maegan Brown Moments, I urge you to bring this magical, pocket-rocket human being into your wedding dream team.
Florist: Berries on the Rocks, Ann’s Flowers, Garden Fresh Beaumaris. We had a DIY flower party the day before the wedding, where we received greenery from our father (Dirk) and friends (Claire-Ann and John), picked up flowers from local suppliers and put everything together ourselves. It was really special to see the apartment get transformed into a florist jungle for the day, and we had a great time being creative together.
Hair: Koh Salons. These unicorns! Aisling, Tia, Mhairi, Gigi, Derelle, Emily, Sean and Leah created the perfect do’s for each of our special ladies on the day. They kept the vibes high and the nerves at bay as they worked to create a seamless experience for us. I dare you to find a better hair design team in Melbourne – they are wizards, and I will never stop singing their praises!
Make-up: Tonic Agency. Eloise and Madeliene were such a grounding and calming presence on the day. They slipped effortlessly into the excitement of the getting ready phase as they went about creating their masterpieces.
The dress: Gran Rona, Western Australia.
Shoes: Forever Soles. These Forever Soles Ruby Heels were so comfortable for the whole day I barely remembered I had heels on!
Rings: Brinkhaus. Our rings were bespoke designs by Western Australian jeweller and all-round good guy Budj Jones.
Bridesmaid’s dresses & groomsmen suits: We asked the girls and guys to wear whatever felt comfortable.
Catering: Custodian Kitchen.
Bar: Bar Savarin. Delicious wines? Impeccable service? Devine vibes? Triple check out local wine and dine experience Bar Savarin. Bar Savarin is the love child of five juggernauts of the industry, and the level of polish and quality oozes at every step. If you are looking for your next date night, catch up with friends, or an after-work cocktail, do yourself a favour and order the mushroom parfait, which borders on the pornographic in the best possible way. Huge props to Hugh, Chris and Evan for supplying the wines that everyone was talking about.
Favours: DIY D20 Dungeons and Dragons cookies from our insanely talented friend Lauren.
Cake: DIY Chocolate almond cake from our beautiful mother Bettina.
Transport: Hire a Kombi. We had the pleasure of riding around in “Clancy”, the Kombi, driven by brother Zach on the day.
Décor: Big shoutouts to parents who looted various op shops for our seating and tables on the day.
