Bec & Freddie

With a dress theme of ‘flirty and fun’, Bec and Freddie’s relaxed and floral wedding was an absolute cracker! With Canberra showing off in the background, the bridesmaids in florals and an adventure through a pine needle-filled forest, we can’t wait to share more of this gorgeous day, captured by Kelly Tunney.

The bride and groom met with nary a bar in sight on their first date! They remember, ”We met on Tinder, like many modern relationships. However, unlike many, our first date was a 5km run!” Explaining what they wanted from their wedding, they tell, ”Our dress theme put it best – flirty and fun. We wanted everyone to feel very relaxed and were not afraid of a bit of colour, but with an air of sophistication. Our gorgeous invitations captured native Australian flowers around our uniquely shaped arch and were the colours of Bec’s engagement ring – rose gold with a purple sapphire.”

A cutaway back and lace detailing on the ‘Megan’ gown by Grace Loves Lace made it a hard wedding dress to walk by. Bec shares, ”I fell in love with it in the first picture I saw. I wanted a dress that wasn’t too blingy but showed off femininity through lace and some elegant lines along the back. The Megan has a gorgeous lace pattern of larger roses throughout which really appealed to me. This larger floral pattern also went nicely with the bridesmaid’s dresses by Rocio Osorno. We included a bit of colour in the groom’s outfit. He wore a tailored jacket in burgundy with navy chinos. His groomsmen wore the same chinos but with a blue/grey jacket.”

The James Turrell Skyspace at the National Gallery provided a modern and clean backdrop for a first-look photo session. Bec tells, ”It was a magical moment as Kelly snapped some sensational shots. We did our wedding photos before the ceremony to make sure we could be involved in the party from start to finish! We didn’t want to miss out on a thing!”

Photographer Kelly Tunney snapped the Canberra celebrations, capturing every joy-filled moment! The bride remembers, ”Kelly was amazing! She put the whole wedding party, and all the guests, at ease throughout the day. She embraced the flirty and fun mood with enthusiasm. Kelly took some amazing and intimate shots whilst being discreet. She encouraged Freddie and me to be ourselves and we had so much fun travelling around Canberra. Kelly was the most amazing photographer, not only did she take incredible shots but she helped make every photo fun.”

Making the most of being in a wedding dress, Bec asked a favour. She shares, ”We got some fun photos taken flying kites that we borrowed from some 5-year-olds. While taking photos at the Arboretum, there were quite a few kids around flying kites. I decided that I wanted a picture with the kites and declared that whilst wearing my dress, no one could say no. Encouraged by our photographer, I approached a family to ask to borrow their kites for some pictures. Canberra being Canberra, the dad ended up being a workmate of mine and his little girls were super excited to teach me and Freddie how to fly their kites.”

Sun shining, a gorgeous garden ceremony was held at The Senate Rose Gardens – Old Parliament House. Bec tells, ”We had our ceremony surrounded by roses, hedges and trees. Being on federal land, this is a venue that anyone can book quite easily. We both loved our wedding arch. Freddie was a bit concerned when I showed him a picture of my dream arch, a seven-sided septagon that seemed to defy the laws of gravity. With help from his friends, Freddie managed to turn the photo into reality.”

Making sure everyone was relaxed and enjoying themselves was a big party of Bec and Freddie’s aim! They remember, ”Our ceremony aimed to make people feel involved. I wanted everyone to have a drink in hand when I walked down the aisle and throughout the ceremony. And our celebrant was very on board with that! She started by splitting an avocado to decide who would be saying their vows first. The ceremony included flash mob-style group vows from our guests that we didn’t know were coming! Our celebrant captured the love and energy of the event perfectly.

Bright and colourful flowers added fun and cheery element to the day. The bride says, ”My number one request with Poetry in Flowers, Canberra was to include as much colour and Australian natives as possible but to prioritise the colours. Our florist nailed with bouquets including proteas, billy buttons and some native Australian thistles surrounded by gum leaves. There were also some bonus roses in there to round out the colour palate. The florist also did a great job in styling these for our arch. I’m not sure if they were a little dubious that the arch would be standing when I initially drew them the arch shape and told them enthusiastically about my husband and his friends making it.”

Right on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin lies The Boat House, a venue both beautiful and guest friendly. The bride and groom share, ”Our reception at The Boat House wowed us from start to finish. From our first contact with them through to picking up leftover items the following days they were impressive. The food was delicious, their wine list was amazing and the views at sunset had everyone on the deck.”

Sneaking away at sunset for a few moments on their own, Bec and Freddie caught the magical sunset. Bec tells, ”Freddie is a big fan of the Canberra Raiders and we made our entry into the reception to the Viking Clap. Looking at the photos of these and seeing the enjoyment on everyone’s faces made our day. Our first dance was to Ed Sheeran, ‘Tenerife Sea’. This was performed by the bride’s two brothers who also took some liberties with the words to make them more relevant to us. We took dance lessons a few weeks before and had practised quite a bit in the lead-up. I think in the moment we got swept away and forgot half of our moves.”

Thank you so much to our gorgeous bride and groom for sharing your beautiful wedding day with us, and congratulations! Thank you also to Kelly Tunney for the use of your stunning images.