Kahli and Shane’s Intimate Marquee Wedding

Kahli & Shane

I always think weddings at a private home hold a special kind of atmosphere. There’s the garden you played in as a child, the tree you went to in times of trouble, the lawn where you kicked a soccer ball or pretended you were dancing on stage on. Kahli and Shane married on Kahli’s parent’s property near Mount Tambourine. Their ceremony on the rolling green lawns, their reception under a romantic white marquee and their photos captured by Chloe Jones of White Images.

Kahli starts their story. “We met at a local cocktail bar while both still in university – he makes a mean cocktail! We got to talking & laughing and haven’t stopped having fun since then…”

The groom and groomsmen wore suits from Elzinga. How much do I love the groom’s polka dot bow tie? A lot!

Kahli wore a gown custom made with her ideas, by Brisbane designer Hilde Heim.

The blooms on the day were arranged by a friend, Kahli telling, “Seasonal and local flowers were sourced and arranged by a beautiful family friend and the bride’s bouquet was tied with her recently departed grandmother’s lace handkerchief & engagement ring.”

The bridesmaids wore navy dresses from Etsy paired with colourful clay necklaces from Emily Green.

The location for the wedding was Kahli’s parent’s property on Tamborine Mountain, which is also where the groom proposed – a special place. Kahli remembers, “We were blessed on the day with stunning blue skies, sunshine and the beautiful surrounds of rolling grass, big old trees and spring blooms. We wanted to be married out in the fresh air & sunshine in front of our loved ones as a celebration of our commitment and couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

The music was carefully chosen, Kahli and Shane remembering, “The three beautiful bridesmaids walked down an aisle of grass under an open sky to an instrumental cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ by the Vitamin String Quartet. The bride was walked down the aisle by her father accompanied by Ingrid Michaelson’s cover of the Elvis Presley classic ‘Can’t help falling in love’ and the ceremony ended in celebration to the strains of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zero’s tune ‘Home’.”

The newlyweds remember, “The ceremony took place outside with some tears, laughter & a lot of love & support, where we made personalised vows to each other before our loved ones.” Josh Withers performed the ceremony.

The DIY elements started at the ceremony, Kahli telling, “Many things were DIY with lots of fun and care to make the occasion a memorable day. My mother and I handmade bunting for the ceremony from lace handkerchiefs from older family generations”. The couple married under a canopy constructed by the groom and his brother.

Kahli notes, “We loved our bridal party who traveled from San Francisco, NZ, Sydney & beyond & made it so fun & brilliant.”

Of their photographer, Kahli tells, “Chloe from White Images was brilliant!!! She listened to what we wanted from our day, was super chilled out and fun to have around and the end results are perfect. Highly recommend!”

Tables were adorned with mismatched bottles collected by the bride and her family with flowers arranged by the bridal party, bride and bride’s mother.

In lieu of traditional favors. the couple made a donation to the Fred Hollows foundation. Kahli explains, “One of the things we worked hard to do was keep our wedding individual, meaningful to us as a couple, and enjoyable. We felt blessed to be able to forgo traditional bombonierre and instead make a donation to the Fred Hollows Foundation which is particularly special to us as one of the bridesmaids is one of Fred’s daughters. Place settings included individually printed names, tasty morsels from local Brisbane treasure, ‘Mick’s Nuts’ with a message in the back explaining the donation.”

The couple’s wedding cake gave a nod to family. Kahli explaining, “Our delicious wedding cake was made by a talented friend and was adorned with fresh flowers and a special ornament that was once the bride’s great grandmothers. The cake was presented on an antique family table surrounded by photographs of special people that couldn’t be there for the occasion or were no longer with us.”

Kahli remarks, “We entered the reception to classic Beatles tune ‘When I’m 64’ and the didn’t stop smiling until it was all over.”

The family involvement continued through the ceremony, adding a personal feel to the day. Kahli remembers, “The duet who provided music during the reception were the same ones playing when we first met and the bride’s brother was MC for the celebrations.”

Of their first dance, Kahli remembers, “It was simple, sweet & we were surrounded by the people we love. We danced to Jack Johnson ‘Better Together’ because we honestly feel that we are.”

Dear Kahli and Shane, thank you so much for sharing your wedding and its stories with us. Thank you also to Chloe Jones of White Images for sharing today’s wedding with us!