Cyle & Dan
Today’s gorgeous couple chose a romantic Mali Brae Farm Wedding for their marriage celebrations. The bride, one of six children worked with her mum to style the entire occasion. An event which was not only warm and inviting but romantic, warm and full of rustic elegance. They chose Michelle Fiona Photography to capture their wedding day.
Cyle tells the story of how they met. “We met via my brothers who introduced us at their home. It took over a year for us to get together, with some encouragement from the family – invitations to family events, sneaky candles on the table at dinner, etc. etc. Once we started dating, we knew we would marry and our love story continues from there.”
The bride chose a gown and jewels from The Sposa Group.
Cyle remembers, “I was ready early and eagerly waiting for guests to arrive so we could get married. When we thought the majority of the guests had arrived, we started the long walk from the cottage to the Pavilion. Along the way, we had to stop for guests to arrive and so the groom wouldn’t see us coming. Our page boy, my not quite two year old nephew, Jet, decided to play ‘she loves me, she loves me not’ with his button rose petals, letting them fall beautifully into the nearby pond, one by one. We tried to save the rose and were quite happy with our efforts (three petals left) when he decided to swing around a pole, do the splits on the gravel drive and when the family got him up, he ran straight at me and gave me a huge hug. We thought it was hilarious, despite the fact that we were a little dusty and his rose was destroyed before the wedding.”
Cyle walked down the aisle to, “How he loves – Will Reagan and Laura Hackett from ‘Hold On,’ music inspired by Nefarious, the documentary.”
The couple chose Mali Brae Farm for their wedding, noting, “Mali Brae Farm is a rustic, elegant and cozy setting which provided venues for our ceremony – in the Pavilion, our Reception – in the dairy, accommodation in the original homestead and cottage, and spectacular gardens with a mix of Japanese lily ponds, French pear trees, gorgeous weeping willows, stone bridges, wild grass, gazebo, boat shed and jetty and the list goes on! Greg and Shelley Dark were the most amazing hosts. They worked tirelessly, they were generous and went above and beyond for us and our guests. Their property is just immaculate and they worked hard to complete their gorgeous Pavilion a few weeks before our wedding. We are so grateful to them.”
“My groom and groomsmen decided to do a fun photo on the stone bridge. The best man, Trent, decided to punish the groom by grabbing his braces and flicking him – the photo shows it all. So funny.”
Of their photographer, Cyle notes, “Michelle Fiona Photography shot incredibly beautiful photos effortlessly. She chased the warm winter light to get the very best shots and made us feel really relaxed. We enjoyed ourselves and even had time to watch the world go by as we sat at the edge of the lake.”
Each guest received a handmade wedding favor, Cyle telling, “The bonboniere were hessian bags made by the bride and family. The thank you message was hand made from a personalised stamp onto recycled paper, and hand sewn with a vintage button selected from a collection from buttons we had inherited from both of our grandmothers. Inside was a bag of loose leaf ‘French Earl Grey’ tea, specially made by me, including a personalised thank you and ingredient sticker.”
There were plenty of handmade details, Cyle telling, “We made our invitations, place cards, decorated the tables and set the flower arrangements. We also made all of the bonboniere and set the table for their display. My dad, Graham, made the wooden planter boxes to display the bonbons. My mum, Keren, made our amazing bouquets and button holes, and the table/decorations from fresh flowers, sourced from Thornton Brothers Roses in Thirlmere. We also hand made the decorative willow hearts hanging around the venue, from the creek near my parent’s home. We wove them and sprayed/decorated them to suit the style of the wedding. My mum and friend, Renata made our guest book for signing.”
Sassy Catering catered dinner for the hungry guests.
Of their first dance, Cyle remembers, “Our first dance was a lot of fun yet nerve wracking. As neither of us are dancers, we had a little help to waltz – or move to the music in a seeming waltz. We were determined to give it a serious go – the guests were very forgiving and laughed along with us, cheering and wolf whistling. We danced to Sting’s ‘When we Dance’ from his Symphonicities album.”
The couple hired Adam Rogan from The Vintage Stylus to ensure dance floor shenanigans noting, “Our DJ was Adam Rogan from The Vintage Stylus. He did a fantastic job with the vinyl!”
Congratulations Cyle and Dan! Thank you so much for sharing the stories of your day with us! Thank you also to Michelle Fiona Photography for sharing today’s wedding with us.
Great story and a wonderful couple. Daniels mother saved petals for months to use at the venue and his sister did a great job on her daughters hair.. Fun day/night had by all..
Oh that is a wonderful tidbit to know! I love that!
Amazing wedding photography