Marita & Reto

The sweet quirkiness of Marita and Reto’s wedding- with an edge of rock and roll makes for such a unique and beautiful wedding. From the bride’s black lace gloves, to the little Swiss traditions.

Marita tells the story of their meeting. “I was out one night with the girls having a blast in Melbourne until someone suggested we head to another popular bar. I wasn’t keen as it is known for being full of tourists, but as fate led me, that’s where I met my own lovely tourist/ backpacker, Reto. He was there after a Roger Federer Match at the Australian open and we hit it off straight away, both being Swiss (well me as a Swauzzie, we had lots in common). He was supposed to go back to Switzerland after that but stayed a bit longer to get to know me. So we did.”

Photographs are by Thorson Photography who always captures images with a sense of being grounded, a sense of what is real, but also with a sense of humor!

Martita wore a traditional style gown with black lace detailing from Baccini and Hill, Melbourne. She paired it with black patent leather heels from Steve Madden.

Marita’s bridesmaids wore royal blue bridesmaids gowns by Dessy purchased from Deblu’s Wedding Supplies, Echuca.

Reto and his groomsmen wore suits from  Sam Catanzariti, Canberra. Marita remarks, “The groomsmen noticed at the last minute that they were without a couple of pairs of cufflinks and a black tie so they called nearly every guest “who might be wearing a black tie that day” and finally scored one.  As for cufflinks, a bit of glad wrap was used to tie the button hole together and that was that.” The couple chose classic black and white wedding invitations and stationery from Fay Street Studio.

Marita walked down the aisle to “Harmony To My Heartbeat” by Sally Seltman. Marita explains “The film clip makes me happy every time I watch it and the words matched my feeling perfectly.”

Marita and Reto held their wedding at St. Bede’s Church, Braidwood. Marita explains “St. Bede’s church was the perfect size for an intimate wedding. Surrounded by lush green grass and with stained glass windows inside it was a lucky find.”

The sweet moments of the day are the ones that made it special for Marita, who explains “For me, special details that stick out were the style of the day. The beautiful bridesmaids with black lacy gloves and beehive hair, the Rockabilly band, the country theme, the musicians in the ceremony, the popcorn, fairy floss machine, the retro print table cloths and old bottles used as vases and the bridal party all jumping on the horse and carriages and heading off to the Boiled Lolly Shop for a big ice cream. Moreover, the combination of Swiss and Australian traditions, the special relationship and support we had from our Priest and lastly as we left the ceremony our guests threw Swiss lollies on us instead of confetti which was a little request from my Swiss Grandfather.”

The reception was held at Garan Vale Woolshed, Braidwood. Marita says “Garan Vale Woolshed was a dream come true. Out on a farm, in our own setting, lots of space for taking photos outside, we could decorate as we liked, we had thousands of fairy lights, a fairy floss machine, an overhead projector for movies and could let the Rockabilly band play all night long without any noise complaints. The lovely property owner was so great to work with, told us of the best service providers in town and they all worked as a team to make our event happen.”

The bridal party was transported in a horse and carriage hired from Roscommon Carriages, Braidwood, Marita recalls “We miscalculated how long it would take on the horse and carriages to the church and ended up there 15 minutes early! Keen bride to be.”

Braidwood Bunyip Jungle (02) 4842 2002 styled the floral arrangements for the day.

Of their photographer, Marita says “Amanda Thorson, what a find! Amanda was super fun to work with, great at listening to my outrageous ideas, very flexible, and most importantly to me, simply creative. She did an amazing job not only capturing the important moments of our day, but the special cute ones that often go unnoticed ie. the big bear hugs, the sleepy page boy, the proud Granny etc…

We love our photos and love her style and would highly recommend her to anyone who prioritises excellent quality wedding photos and a great and personal service.”

The wedding was filled with handmade touches, Marita explains, “The whole show was nearly all DIY (but I didn’t do much myself, I had so many wonderful people working for me like…) my Mother-in-law who made the name tags (little red Swiss cow bells with ribbons), my Aunty arranged the flowers for the church seats, my God mother sewed the tablecloths with my favourite daisy material, my sister hand painted the Table Settings board, my Dad made road signs directing guests to the reception and made lots of Swiss biscuits, my Granny made a birthday cake for the priest, and my mum made all the wedding favours (little lolly bags filled with Swiss chocolates), and church booklets, and with family set up the entire reception including arranging flowers.  Together we made a charity tree (for people to donate to organisations) and we added black lace to the back of my dress. It was so nice to do these things together.”

The Swiss heritage of the groom reflected itself in the details of the day. Marita explains “The Swiss guests organised lots of surprise games, couple challenges, a Skype session with Switzerland, and had even made a magazine about us and sold it to all the guests and gave us a little piggy bank with the money made (as our first joint bank account).”

Congratulations Marita and Reto! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Thorson Photography for sharing today’s photographs!