Leah and Gerard

Leah and Gerard

I am in love with today’s wedding- it captures everything I love about Australian weddings! The beautiful landscape, the laid back friendly nature, the faces of a ‘cracking up’ bride and groom and the flowers- oh there are beautiful Australian natives!

Leah and Gerard kept their wedding eco-friendly and intimate to keep in line with how they think about the world.  Leah says” We loved being true to our values of protecting the environment where possible, this element was extremely important to us. We wanted to show our guests that you can have a wonderful wedding while being sensitive to the environment.

One of the greatest decisions we made was to have a small, intimate wedding. By having only 35 guests it meant we could easily spend quality time with all our guests and truly relax and enjoy every moment of the day…which we did!”

Leah and Gerard met “At The Troubadour, Fortitude Valley. We met on one of the third anniversary’s of September 11 (2004)”

Photos today are by Todd Hunter McGaw– who I can really only describe as rad! Each photos has such a radtastic relaxed feel to it- the feeling of the wedding shines beautifully through their captures.

Leah wore a strapless gown from the Wendy Makin Bella Donna collection. Her bouquet and hairpiece of Australian natives was created by Mondo Floral Designs.

Leah and Gerard were married at Halfmoon Hideaway. Leah says “Halfmoon Hideaway is set on an organic beef farm with stunning views of the Glasshouse Mountains. We were married under an amazing old Moreton Bay fig tree located on the property set beside a lake.”

Leah walked down the “aisle” with her father to “Be Mine” by David Gray.

The couple were married by Val Downes. The groom’s (Gerard) younger brother (Lachlan) read a passage from the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Gerard gave this book to Leah a few weeks after they first met- a sentimental touch!

Having those closest to them present is one of Leah’s favourite memories. “The most special thing of all was having a very select group of people that truly mean a lot to us together in one place and to see the enjoyment on their faces throughout the day – we have some amazing memories from that day…there was a lot of love in the room!!”

Leah and Gerard loved the location of their wedding. Leah says ” It was beautiful location that speaks for itself. Not only was the location magic but Gillian from Halfmoon Hideaway could not have been more helpful and flexible to ensure the day was exactly how we had hoped. We did nothing to the setting other than place chairs at the reception and a few hay bales around the place, other than that nature did the work! We were so fortunate to have a crystal clear day where you could see as far south as Brisbane.”

A small cottage on the Halfmoon Hideaway grounds was the perfect place for Leah and Gerard’s reception. Leah says “There is a small self-contained cottage on the farm which is where we held the reception – this space was perfect for our small wedding size of 35 guests.” In lieu of wedding presents, the couple asked guests to carbon offset their travel to the wedding.

Leah and Gerard worked hard to ensure the food and wine at their wedding fit with their own personal culture. Leah recalls “We personally researched (ie tasted!) all the wine and beer ourselves to ensure it was the best organic/ bio-dynamic wine and beer on offer. In fact, many of our guests claimed they did not have sore heads the next day, proclaiming ‘it’s the organic!’” Little Cakes made a chocolate wedding cake covered in fresh raspberries.

Leah explains how they carried the eco-friendly nature through the rest of their wedding “The majority of the food at the wedding was sourced from local farmers through an organisation called Food Connect. We get our weekly fruit and veg box from them too and their produce is always super fresh and very tasty!

All the wine and one of the beers were either organic or biodynamic. So apart from them being great tasting, that means the farmers use natural farming techniques to improve soil fertility and to keep their crops healthy instead of introducing synthetic herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers into the environment.

Our caterers (Swish Catering) used recyclable bamboo plates for the cocktail reception and sourced organic meat and local seafood where possible (in addition to using organic fruit and vegetables). They also sourced the ice cream for the wedding cake from the local Maleny Colin James ice creamery.”

For their first dance, Leah & Gerard danced to “Sail Away” by David Gray on the balcony of the cottage.

A big thank you to Leah and Gerard for sharing their wedding day with us on Polka Dot Bride! Congratulations! Thank you also to Todd Hunter McGaw (and Alyda!) for sharing today’s photographs!