Tanya & Marco

Celebrating the Australian outback in Alice Springs, Tanya and Marco put together a wedding that was relaxed and filled with love! Outdoor and decorated with bright native flowers, the pouring rain (which is so rare for the desert) helped the couple to revel in their new beginning! Lisa Hatz captured their day.

Marco and Tanya met seven years ago in their home town of Mildura, through the bride’s brother. Once they met up for coffee, and hours of talking, they both knew they had found something special. They share, ”It wasn’t long before we fell in love and soon after, bought our beloved home where we hope to one day raise family. Before we could truly settle down, we decided to take a leap of faith, moving across the country to the Northern Territory in search of an ‘Outback adventure’. This we believe we have found and of course that adventure brings us to our ceremony today!”

Wearing a detailed gown handmade by her mother, Tanya always knew it would be so. She remembers, ”I have always known I wanted her to make it, as she is very talented and loves sewing. We bought the fabric online, ivory beaded lace with a delicate flower pattern. I wanted a dress that I felt comfortable in and would be appropriate for the desert climate of Alice Springs. We made sure it sat just above ground level to stop it from turning red with the dust! The experience was a lot of fun. It was exciting being part of the process and seeing all the different stages.  Each bridesmaid wore a different colour and style of dress to suit them individually. My ‘something borrowed’ was a gold and blue bracelet that my mother lent to me for the day. It is a family heirloom, said to be given as a gift to a female relative long ago by an Arabian Prince.” The groom wore a white shirt, beige chinos and blue blazer with a brown bow tie to match his R.M. Williams boots.

Dressing and preparing for the day at Ooraminna Station, the bridal parties loved the location. They share, ”It was the perfect photo location. Very rustic, outback adventure, with an old fashioned, country style. The groomsmen were in the log cabin on one side of the station, while the girls were in the Stone Cottage on the other side. The Earth Sanctuary was the venue for the ceremony and reception, located on a sand dune in Alice Springs surrounded by native bush.”

Tanya and Marco made sure to highlight the culture and scenic nature of their outback wedding. They tell, ”We wanted our guests, most of whom had traveled from Mildura, to experience why Marco and I loved living in the NT so much. The culture as well as the scenery, the beauty, the serenity. Our ceremony started with an acknowledgement of country by Shannan Clarke, local Arrente woman. She welcomed our guests to Alice Springs on behalf of the local Aboriginal people and spoke about how special it is. It was pouring rain at the time, which she said in Arrente culture, is a sign of new beginnings.” The bride walked down the aisle with her father to a version of ‘I Can’t Help Falling In Love’, sung by Kina Grannis.

Bright native flowers were a feature on the day, including a flower crown for the bride. Tanya tells, ”Wildfire Blooms did all the flowers. We wanted very, very bright, colourful Australian natives. The bridal bouquet was to be the star! It was huge and very heavy but perfect in every way. I wore a large crown made of native leaves. The groomsmen wore gumnuts and leaves for their buttonholes. We knew they would look amazing and suit the outback theme.”

Lisa Hatz captured the rainy desert wedding in all of its heartfelt detail. The bride remembers, ”Lisa is an absolutely beautiful person inside and out. She has lived in Alice her whole life and as soon as we decided to get married in the NT we knew we had to have her! She made us feel so relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera. We loved both Lisa and Little Darling Films, both had to stand out in the rain all day filming and photographing. Lisa’s husband even came to hold an umbrella over her and the camera.”

Organising the relaxed and outdoor wedding was fun for Tanya and Marco, who share, ”Living in the NT away from our family and friends meant that almost everything we planned was a surprise for them! We loved planning it knowing that many of our guests had never been to central Australia and we wanted to amaze them when they arrived and give them an awesome desert experience. And the rain! It NEVER rains in Alice Springs. It really felt like a blessing, the beginning of something special, it was not at all hot, just perfect and even kept the pesky flies away.”

There were many special details at the reception which were lovingly put together by the bride and groom, and their friends and family. They tell, ”We had marshmallow roasting by the fire. Something we always do when we are sitting by the campfire in the bush. We organised a sparkler send off with GIANT sparklers. The groomsmen lit them with our camping gas blow torches we use to light the fire. Some guests were very surprised! And our wedding favours were painted by the ladies in the Aboriginal community we had been living and working in. Our wedding cake was made by our dear friend Lauren Dobbs. She baked it in our remote community Ampilatwatja, and then it made the journey into Alice Springs, 250kms of corrugated dirt roads! She assembled it once she got there and it looked absolutely perfect.”

The bride showed her creative chops by writing on both the chalk boards and perspex signs, as well as putting together the confetti cones. She shares, ”We used doilies and a hot glue gun, and Mum dried all the rose petals in the microwave. Each person had a clipboard with a menu and name tag that I made myself.” The newlyweds chose ‘Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’ by Aerosmith as their first dance, saying, ”It is from the movie Armageddon. One of the first films we ever watched together and both cry every time! It reminds us of when we first met.”

Little Darling Films were also on hand to capture all the special moments from Tanya and Marco’s day.

Thank you to the bride and groom for sharing your gorgeous wedding day with us, and congratulations! Thank you also to Lisa Hatz and Little Darling Films for sharing your beautiful images!