Kirstyn & Nicholas

Relaxed and overflowing with fun, Kirstyn and Nick’s wedding day in Brunswick is bursting with joy! From the Alice McCall jumpsuit the bride wears to the heartfelt moments, through to the epic dancefloor, this gorgeous day is one to remember! All captured by photographer Briars Atlas.

The bride and groom met at university, but only got talking when they were paired up after their respective tutorial partners were away. Of the proposal, Nick remembers, ”It was a holiday proposal in Mykonos. We’d spent most of the holiday visiting or travelling with friends, so it was a rare quiet day with just the two of us. After big afternoon of day drinking by the pool and with the sun setting in the background, I surprised Kirstyn with a ring that I’d been carrying (and lost for a brief period when the airline misplaced our luggage!) since Melbourne some weeks earlier. It was nice to enjoy it just the two of us, before meeting up with some of my extended family in Spain a few days later.”

Knowing what she was looking for, Kirstyn found her lace Alice McCall jumpsuit and locked it down. She tells, ”It had a 70s vibe with it’s long flared sleeves so I was living my best Stevie Nicks life while dancing – plus I’m all about practicality, so I couldn’t go past shorts. It was a quick and painless experience, from first seeing the playsuit on Instagram, gauging the reaction of my mum and best friends, before trying it on in store and making the purchase.” Nick’s outfit was from Zara, as he tells, ”I wasn’t too used to a collared shirt, let alone a suit and tie! I was typically indecisive when it came to outfit shopping until my best man thankfully took charge and chose some smart casual chino, shirt and blazer options. We flirted briefly with the prospect of a tie, but kept it casual and went without. I loved the blazer that we went with – a vivid blue colour that I still bust out today on special occasions.”

The ceremony and reception were held at Brunswick Mess Hall. The groom shares, ”We were quite laid-back with the planning of our wedding, but we definitely wanted it to have that casual and fun vibe. We were lucky enough to get Danielle Binaisse as our celebrant, as she used to teach at my secondary school, so that certainly made it easy from the start. Anyone that’s been to one of Danielle’s weddings knows that she is so very good at setting the tone and her joy and enthusiasm were infectious – not just on the day, but in the whole lead up, making our lives so easy. Everyone told us how great a job she did and we were so wrapped to have her – especially given the personal connection. For our readings, my mum read ‘Blessings for a Marriage’ by James Dillet Freeman and Kirstyn’s 8 year old new niece read a snippet from Winnie the Pooh.” The bride walked down the aisle with her mum and dad to ‘You and Me’ by Penny and the Quarters.

Family was kept close, and remembered, as Nick tells, ”I had two of my best friends Rob and Ben as my groomsmen, plus I had my sister Jackie as a groomswoman. We’re very close so I really wanted to have her in there and she was keen to dress the part as well, so the chinos, white shirt, navy blazer and brown leather shoes made it pretty easy for her to match with the boys! My younger brother Matt passed away earlier that year so we made sure to leave a space for him in the bridal party ensuring he was there with us in spirit. Although my shirt did not require them, I carried the cufflinks he wore on his wedding day in my blazer pocket.” Kirstyn shares, ”I was lucky enough to have my best friends by my side. They chose their own dresses – it was important to me that they were comfortable with what they were wearing and felt good in it. I wanted to keep a pretty neutral palette, so their only brief was to wear white as well.”

Keeping the day simple and planning their Melbourne wedding in three months meant quick decisions. With a colour palette of creams, whites and yellows in flannel flowers, banksias and tetragona, the bouquets were divine. The bride remembers, ”I feel bit naughty admitting it, but I only got flowers organised roughly a week before the wedding. Kiri at Fawny was fantastic making it happen. I was after something simple, natural and quite neutral and she delivered in spades.”

Wanting to get married on their 10 year anniversary meant a Tuesday wedding, and fortunately, it all fell easily in to place. Kirstyn tells, ”It was important to us to keep the ceremony and reception in the one space to keep it simple – for both us and the guests! We stumbled upon Brunswick Mess Hall and decided to check it out over dinner one night. Not only did we fall in love with the high ceilings and the beautiful space, but the food was beyond amazing and the staff were so lovely. It was a short timeframe, but the team at BMH were so warm and accommodating and made the whole process incredibly simple for us. We’ve been back to celebrate our anniversaries there and each visit only reinforces the great decision that we made.”

For Kirstyn and Nick, keeping the day relaxed and fun was important. They remember, ”One of the best decisions we made was to not have allocated seating with a formal dinner. It gave everyone the chance to mingle from the get go and we loved seeing different groups of friends and family interacting and getting to know each other. It also took away the stress of planning a seating chart and gave us more room for an epic dance floor – win-win!”

Photographer Briars Atlas spent the day capturing each beautiful moment, and the bride and groom were thrilled with the results. Kirstyn tells, ”Oli is a master of his craft. I’d been fortunate enough to work with him previously so he was the only part of the wedding that I knew I wanted in advance. We got in touch with Oli when all we had was a date – before we’d even locked in a venue – and so we were beyond thrilled that he was available. A complete pro at what he does, he made us feel at ease (especially considering both Nick and I cringe in front of cameras) and was never intrusive. We can’t speak highly enough of Oli and are so glad we have such beautiful images to preserve our memories.”

Another vendor both bride and groom were thrilled with was DJ Kieran O’Sullivan. Nick recalls meeting, ”We were recommended Kieran by a friend and caught up at a cafe to have a chat a few weeks beforehand. Kirstyn arrived a little late and when she got there to find Kieran and I discussing retro soccer kits, I think she knew that there was no turning back from there! He got the mood of the evening spot on from the limited brief that we gave him, and played everything from old school 90s hip-hop and the Nutbush (a reluctant request for Nick’s mum!), through to 60s pop and Rage Against the Machine! He just got it, and made the night so much fun, turning it into the party with our loved ones that we had hoped for.”

The dance floor was the place to be that Tuesday evening, as family and friends mingled in Brunswick Mess Hall. Nick shares, ”Any concerns that we had about a Tuesday wedding being a bit tame were certainly alleviated once the dance floor got going, and we definitely had the right man for the job with DJ Kieran O’Sullivan belting out tune after tune! It got pretty rowdy at times, and on the last song of the night I may have ripped my chinos whilst sliding on my knees to bust out a big air guitar solo in the middle of the dance floor! Our first dance song was ‘Oogum Boogum Song’ by Brenton Wood. A fun, feel good song – we wanted to share our first dance with our loved ones and got them to join us on the dance floor. We certainly didn’t want our dancing skills to be the centre of attention.”

Thank you to our bride and groom for sharing your magnificent wedding day with us, and congratulations! Thank you also to Briars Atlas for your superb images!