Modern Romantic Canberra Wedding

Corinna & Dylan

Corrina and Dylan’s day, if described in a few words, definitely fit the modern romantic Canberra wedding bill. From the special touches like the bride’s mother making her elegant wedding gown, to purposefully seeking out a blank canvas space they could make their own, Corrina and Dylan were clear on their vision for their day, letting nothing sway them. They chose The Robertsons to capture their celebrations.

Corinna starts us off with the story of how they met. “We are both public servants, however each have a small budding business we are trying to get off the ground. Dylan is a photographer, and Corinna is a dance costume designer and dressmaker. After nine years of dating, Dylan ‘finally’ proposed in a rowboat in Central Park, New York City. Aside from Dylan’s rowing technique, it was pretty perfect.

Having basically grown up together since we were teens, we didn’t think much would change. And to be honest, not a lot has. However there is something really special knowing that the other person, well aware of your flaws, can’t imagine their life without you in it. We really hope that very soon, all couples in loving and committed relationships have the option to get married, should they wish – the momentum is building!”

Corinna’s mother made her wedding gown, the bride explaining, “My mum (bride’s) was a lecturer of fashion design and clothing production for over 20 years, so I was very lucky to have her design and construct my wedding dress. This however meant that I had endless possibilities to choose from.”

The marriage ceremony was held at St Christopher’s Cathedral.

Corinna walked down the aisle and remembers, “I always thought it is sweet when the groom gets emotional as the bride walks down the aisle. Dylan is pretty good at masking his emotions with humour, so leading up to the big day, I kept warning him to at least look like he was getting chocked up.

However, much to my surprise, in the moment, Dylan ending up completely bawling. I think I was much too concerned about not tripping down the aisle, not to mention the surprise of seeing Dylan completely break down, that I barely shed a tear. It was quite the opposite of how we thought it would play out.”

Moxom & Whitney created the floral arrangements for the day. Loose bouquets of greenery and blooms in raspberry red, pale pink, yellow, orange and white were tied with deep marsala ribbon.

Of The Robertsons, the bride remarks, “Our photographers, David and Shobana Robertson were definitely a stand out vendor. Most people are a little hesitant having their photo taken, and with Dylan also being a wedding photographer, we thought it might be extra awkward being on the other side of the camera. However The Robertsons made us feel so comfortable and at ease. They really went above and beyond to document our special day, and had us in hysterics in-between photos.”

For the reception, Corrina changed into a tea length dress by The Babushka Ballerina, explaining, “Deciding on just one style was actually quite difficult for me. In the end, I had her (Mum) make an elegant mermaid style gown for the ceremony, and I bought a separate tea length reception dress from Babushka Ballerina for the party afterwards. This allowed me to boogie-down and mingle with guests easily.”

Corrina and Dylan chose Albert Hall for their reception, remarking, “This was one of the more difficult decisions for us. We wanted a venue that was beautiful in it’s own right, yet also allowed room to transform it into our own space. We were looking for a blank canvas with a beautiful frame. It actually took us about 6 months of searching before deciding on the Hall. We even considered several venues outside of Canberra, however the Albert Hall’s charm and potential made it extremely attractive.”

The centrepiece of the reception was a sign created by Neon Light Sign , Corrina and Dylan telling, “One ‘splurge’ was the custom neon sign for our reception. We wanted a focal point for the venue, and we were both very drawn to neon due to the fun atmosphere and interesting light it creates.

We were so excited when we found a company online that could create the sign, to our specifications, to hang above the sweetheart table. The sign spelled out, ‘in the mood for love’, which is the title of our favourite film and was quite fitting for the day. The sign also made for an interesting prop. Our photographers captured some of our favourite photos of us underneath the sign.”

Guests were welcomed to the reception was a special cultural treat, Dylan explains, “My mum is Croatian, so we decided to honour her heritage by offering all guests a rosemary buttonhole to wear at the reception as a sign of welcome. Croatian tradition maintains that rosemary wards off evil spirits. So far, so good.”

The couple were seated on the stage together, explaining, “Instead of having the traditional bridal table at the reception, we opted to do something a little different by having a ‘sweetheart table’. It was one of the highlights of our day, and meant we were able to have our first meal as husband and wife alone together. It was also so nice looking over all of our loved ones enjoying themselves and celebrating with us.”

“We didn’t really have a theme, but went for an eccentric and playful vibe. We also didn’t want our wedding to scream ‘2014’, so we stayed with a somewhat traditional blueprint, but added a sprinkle of quirky articles to bring the wedding to life and ensure it represented ‘us’. ”

One of the newlyweds favourite memories, was well after the reception has finished. They recall “Like many couples, nerves got the better of us, and we didn’t eat a lot on our wedding day. By the time we got to our hotel in the early hours of the next morning, hunger struck. We were absolutely starving. Corinna demanded we order room service, to which Dylan jokingly replied, “we just spent over ten grand on dinner, and you’re still hungry?” Sitting in bed at 3am, still in our wedding dress and suit, chowing down on burgers, while reflecting on the events of the day is a great memory for us.”

Corrina and Dylan, thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to The Robertsons for sharing today’s wedding!