As we sadly farewell The Colour Issue (sob) we have one last wedding full of beautiful bright beauty. A rainbow wedding gown that is what dreams are utterly made of, a gorgeous garden setting and plenty of gorgeous handmade details all combining for the most splendid of garden occasions. And this one? It’s completely filled with joy.

It was all captured by Bec Essery and was just what these two needed to begin the next stage of their lives together.

Both Kairsten and Andrew are joining us today to tell us not just the story of their wedding, but also of how it all eventuated. It all began at a small rural hospital, they tell “We both got jobs in a small rural hospital and that’s where we met. We were friends for quite a few years beforehand but finally, everything seemed to fall into place. Most of our friends already told us that we were perfect for one another but it took us a bit longer to see it.”

It took Andrew some work to surprise Kairsten with the proposal, the duo reminiscing “Andrew had been planning to propose for a while. He knew Kairsten was a huge stickybeak and always found out about surprises so he decided to not tell anyone he was proposing. He had the ring for months but decided he might propose when we were holidaying in Queensland. When we were on Fraser Island we decided to walk to Lake Mckenzie. It was a 6-hour round trip so obviously Kairsten didn’t expect to have a proposal in the middle. Would have been an awkward walk back if it was a no but as Andrew says he was pretty sure she was going to say yes. Tips we give for a proposal at Lake Mckenzie it can get busy and after 3 hours walking it’s not quite ideal to find a secluded spot – also bring sunnies. The sand was so bright it made us both cry. Definitely the sand!”

Grossmann House and its historic, open-air gardens set the scene for the day. The bride noting “We chose Grossmann House in Maitland because they were affordable and allowed us to do most of the wedding ourselves. We decided we wanted a relaxed wedding with not much fuss. Grossmann House is a heritage house and it turns out Andrew’s mum always loved the house since a young girl. So somewhere special.”

In keeping with the “no fuss” mood of the day, the couple opted out of bridesmaids and groomsmen, sharing “I wanted everyone to be part of the wedding but get involved in other ways. So we had friends doing bunting, decorations and the cake.”

The bride found her divine rainbow wedding gown with the help of a friend, telling “I was unsure what to wear. I had gone to quite a few bridal shops but it just wasn’t me so I started looking at second-hand shops and vintage stores. When I was down in Wollongong my friend pointed out a beautiful rainbow dress at a vintage shop. I honestly thought it wouldn’t fit but when I put it on it fit perfectly. So that was that!”

The bride walked down the aisle with her parents to a live harpist, just one of the vendors these two have no qualms about recommending. “We thought all of our vendors were brilliant. Our harpist was even willing to learn movie soundtracks we specially requested for the day at short notice and stuck around much longer than she was booked for.”

Leanne Wade conducted the ceremony, Kairtsen and Andrew remembering “We wanted it all about us because hey, that’s why people were there. Also our celebrant Leanne was great! she made us feel relaxed and let us have not have a microphone which made things feel a little more intimate.”

The Naked Florist created the bright floral details, armed with an easy but fun brief! “We said we wanted bright colours and natives. Easy and beautiful .”

The colourful wedding cake? Made by a friend and a notable highlight of the day, tell the newlyweds “It included edible photos of us together some of which we had forgotten even existed. The cake had little figures of us and our dog so she was there in spirit as otherwise, she has a habit of destroying things.”

As the sunset, the lights came on and guests dined at long tables under the open sky.

There was no first dance for these two, there was, however plenty of dance floor action. “No first dance as we are known for our dancing so we busted a move whenever we could. Also after having already watched us for so long, we thought it was only fair everyone got to jump straight on the dance floor.”

And with that, we’re farewelling these two with a big congratulations! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also goes to Bec Essery for sharing today’s beautiful wedding.