Zoe & Dean

If there is one thing you need to take from today’s Yallingup festival wedding, it’s that yellow wedding gowns, with hidden messages, make everything better.

Photographer extraordinaire  Simone Addison joined today’s very happy couple, Zoe and Dean and they tied the knot and celebrated with their guests in a bright, beautiful and relaxed celebration. There were puppy dogs, there were brilliantly coloured Australian native blooms, plenty of love and plenty of laughter. I don’t know about you, but it’s stories like this, of hope and merriment, that is everything I need right now.

Tells Zoe “Dean and I met on Tinder! We don’t mind telling people because we think it gives others hope as some dating apps have a bad name.”

Marriage was something these two had had many discussions about, but Zoe didn’t know quite when it all would unfold, until one evening over a very special dinner. “Dean and I knew we were going to get married very early on in our relationship. We talked openly about it as we felt the same. We chose the ring together (as Dean was quite nervous about this!) and I left it up to him to do the rest.
He had planned to take me to a nice restaurant and pop the question, but his nerves completely overcame him and he got down on one knee in the bedroom. He was shaking and had tears in his eyes, I wasn’t expecting him to do that so it was a slight shock. We cried and told our parents then went to dinner and just soaked each other up. It was beautiful.”

Dean and his groomsmen dressed in pieces from Myer. Zoe explaining “Dean had his brother Tim, and friends Ricky and Max as his groomsmen with Anthony as his best man. They wore the same as a Dean, however, had dark purple suspenders instead of a belt so they matched the bridesmaids.”

 

The bride’s beautiful white and yellow ensemble had a very special message. Zoe worked with designer Faith Anderson Bridal to create the look. She shares  “My dress was a white top and a yellow dress. I chose this because when Dean and I first started dating he sang ‘You Are My Sunshine’ to me. We then said it to each other regularly. So I had those words embroidered underneath the skirt at the hem so when I lifted my skirt hem it could be read by the other person.
The dress was custom made by a Fremantle designer Faith. She was amazing to work with and everything was perfect. I few people were shocked at how yellow the skirt was but once they knew the story they realised how special it was.”

Zoe and Dean chose the beautiful Caves House, Yallingup for their wedding festival, sharing “Dean and I were at Caves House the whole day, in the Emily Rose Terrace for the ceremony and the Emily Rose Garden for the reception.
Dean and I went camping at Yallingup two months into dating. We were sitting at Caves House having dinner, looking out at the garden. Dean turned to me and said, ‘I’m going to marry you here one day’. We were engaged the following year and married there the next!”

Zoe walked down the aisle with her mother to the sound of the John Butler Trio’s “Only One”.

Zoe made sure to include a very special guest. “My grandmother is too frail to travel. So I had my eldest nephew use my iPad to video call her. He stood by the speaker so she could hear and still be a part of our day.”

Of the ceremony, officiated by Sally Rowell, Zoe shares “We wanted it short and sweet, and it was. Maybe 20 minutes. Dean’s vows were longer than mine, he is incredibly romantic.”

“Soak up the day,” advises Zoe to future marrieds to be. “It goes so quickly. It was the best day of my life so far and I hope it is for you too.”

The bright and beautiful blooms on the day, were styled by Yallingup Flower Co. Tells Zoe, “I went for native only flowers, luckily the flowers at the time were coloured yellow, pink and purple. The bouquets were very heavy but stunning and exactly what we wanted. Some material from my skirt was saved and tied around the bouquets.
It was the same for the vases around the reception and the flowers at the altar. The men had boutonnières with a green gum nut and some yellow. Some yellow from my dress was also tied around Dean’s boutonnière.”

Zoe and Dean made sure to include their very favourite four-legged friends in the day, despite a little mulberry juice! “After taking photos with our puppies at our house I had sat in some mulberries by the mulberry tree. Before going back to the ceremony, Dean and I took a quick trip the bridal suite and laughed as we scrubbed my worst marks off my skirt. It was a cute and silly moment for us both.”

“Our photographer, Simone, is incredibly relaxed” raves Zoe of the couple’s chosen photographer. “She kept us upbeat and relaxed. She was directive but kind as well – exactly what we wanted. Her photos are amazing and honestly, it wouldn’t have been half as amazing without her.”

Alongside a cocktail reception, guests enjoyed a tower of cupcakes by Bake the Cake, topped with a special cake topper, that read “You are my sunshine”.

Enjoying the balmy night, guests gathered for a cocktail reception on the lawns of Caves House. Zoe, when asked which vendors she adored the most, had this to say “Honestly, everyone. The florist, the DJ, the Photobooth. A special consideration to Cape Events, they were incredibly professional.
The biggest thank you to Jennifer, she coordinates the weddings at Caves House. We couldn’t thank her enough.”

The first dance was less about the traditional and more about the love, remarks Zoe. “We danced to Tegan and Sara’s ‘Love They Say’. It speaks of meeting someone and knowing they are the one. We did some twirls but neither of us is very interested in dancing so we just laughed through it and had a great time.”

A big congratulations to you both Zoe and Dean on your wonderful and merry day! Thank you for sharing your story with us and thank you to the amazing Simone Addison for today’s beautiful images.