Bek & Lee

Sunsets are always magical but the sunset in today’s wedding is the stuff of which dreams are dreamt, oil paintings are painted and songs are sung! The beautiful, pastel-hued sky was topped off a day that Bek and Lee described as, “Cool, coastal, relaxed, simple.” Set in the sweet seaside town of Sorrento, the beach, the water and the coastal atmosphere set the scene for a wedding that was all about their unique story. They chose Perla Photography to capture the magic.

It was in Croatia that these two met. Bek, on a Sail Croatia tour, meeting Lee on a holiday with friends at a bar in Makarska. While Lee was initially mistaken for a local he soon won over Bek’s heart on the dance floor, a Facebook exchange assumed to be the only lasting detail as Bek sailed away. Of course, it was meant to be; Lee proposed to Bek with a marquis engagement ring some years later at Fisherman’s Beach – a favourite spot near their home on the Mornington Peninsula.

The bride wore a beautiful beaded gown from Mariana Hardwick. She tells, “I never intended on buying it there however it was the first dress I tried on and I fell in love with it. My mum and bridesmaids convinced me to get it. The ladies there were amazing and paid great attention to detail throughout the whole process.”

The couple chose the beautiful St John’s Anglican Church in Sorrento for their ceremony, noting, “We wanted our ceremony to feel very intimate, comfortable with lots of guest involvement. We chose an indoor venue so that all of the guests could be seated and out of the elements with a clear view of us. The old historic Anglican Church in Sorrento was perfect for this.”


The Baker Boys played the bride down the aisle. Bek remembers, “I walked down the aisle to a live rendition of ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perry, sung by Rhys Tolhurst as part of The Baker Boy’s Band. My father Greg walked me down the aisle which was a really special moment!”

Bek & Lee wanted their ceremony to include plenty of family touches. “We had our family and friends do all of the readings. We asked Lee’s mother, Donna, to write us a poem, which was absolutely incredible, as well as Rebekah’s grandparents who read a reading together. Rebekah’s Mum also read a verse from The Bible and some of our special friends read out prayers for us.”

Of their photographer, Bek recalls, “Laura was absolutely incredible, she made sure the day ran smoothly, didn’t care that she got rained on and pooped on by a bird and guided us to get beautiful photos! She also brought along an extra photographer and gave us all of the extra images for free as she wanted to ensure we got beautiful pics even though the weather looked to rain on and off for the day. She was very thoughtful and responsive to all communication!”

Naomi Rose created lush bouquets of greenery, pink and white flowers. Bek tells, “I chose a loose bouquet of white and green with a touch of pink. I left the design up to the talented Naomi Rose who made the most incredibly beautiful bouquets! Naomi also sewed in my grandfather’s cufflink as he had passed away a few months earlier and I wanted him to be there with me on my special day.”

Bek and Lee celebrated with guests (and an epic sunset!) at The Baths in Sorrento. “We chose The Baths because of its stunning outlook, delicious fresh food and cool coastal theme. We just wanted it to be lots of fun, with a great view and delicious food – we made sure to have a band so that everyone would be up dancing all night! We also really wanted a sit-down dinner so people could sit and relax, meet new people and enjoy a delicious meal together. It was so amazing watching all of our guests laughing, eating and mingling. There was such a wonderful feeling of happiness and love in the room – a feeling hard to explain that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.”

A performance of the traditional Haka was one of the groom’s favourite parts of the day.

Bek and Lee chose an old favourite for their first dance. “We chose the song ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ by Frank Sinatra. We practised a dance for a few weeks which was lots of fun! We wanted something upbeat that everyone would know and could clap along to. Everyone was surprised at our great dance moves!”

Bek remembers, “My favourite part of the day was at the very end when everyone was outside getting sparklers lit for our departure, Lee and I had a special little dance all on our own on the dance-floor with the band singing just for us. It was a lovely moment to soak in the whole day just the two of us.”

Congratulations on your marriage Bek and Lee! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us. Thank you to Perla Photography for sharing today’s celebration.