A self-proclaimed city girl and country boy, first laid eyes on one another one Melbourne day. “With an uncanny coincidence of both having family living in the same county town where we could’ve bumped into each other countless times!” laughs Dani.

The couple, who postponed their wedding a few months due to COVID-19, embraced their city and country loving hearts, with the wide green lawns of a suburban golf course combining the best of both worlds. “Our wedding theme was black and white elegance. We intentionally supported lots of local and smaller business suppliers when planning for our wedding.”

Enlisting Zoe Louise Photography to document their day in stills, Dani and Andrew brought together their favourite people – their much-loved family – and celebrated a year apart, in the way that only post-pandemic celebrations will understand. Says Dani  “After an interesting year of me riding the remote teaching rollercoaster and Andrew unintentionally going long distance with his family in the country,  After the postponement, the atmosphere was just joy and love. Extended family came together for the first time in a year and we finally had our dream day!”

The groom chose pieces from Talisman Menswear. Dani noting “Andrew wanted to wear black and white, a bow tie and a navy blue velour jacket. When he went shopping, he found one with a palm tree badge on the collar and Dani’s favourite trees are palm trees so he knew it was the perfect jacket.”

Dani found her long sleeve lace Stella York gown at Fairytales Bridal Boutique. “The experience of finding the perfect dress was amazing. My dress was unique as I altered the design to include the long timeless lace sleeves I had always dreamed of. Luckily, I had the dress organised pre covid lockdowns in Melbourne, because if not, I may not have had a dress!”

The beautiful blooms on the day were styled by Bloomin’ Goodies. Dani remembering “Our beautiful flowers were put together by an incredible local florist, Tobie. Dani wanted beautiful Australian natives and although what we envisioned were not in season by our second date, Tobi ensured our arrangements were absolutely beautiful and second to none. She centred beautiful white and pink roses around a beautiful protea to create the most romantic, summer native arrangement that we have dried and kept in our home. When picking up the flowers, Tobi also gave the most heartfelt good luck charm for the day as a thoughtful gift.”

Social Street Duo played Elvis Presley “Can’t Help Falling in Love’ as Dani walked down the aisle together with her mum.

The couple chose Weddings By Danielle Emily to officiate the ceremony, of which Dani says “Our ceremony was a tearjerker. With the beautiful acoustic music, our intimate set up on a perfect blue-skied December day and only our closest family friends, it felt so loving and intimate. Our brother read The Art of Marriage by Wilferd Arlan Peterson and the celebrant read the beautiful letter to me from Andrew’s son Harvey.”

For Dani and Andrew, their day needed to focus on family. “One of our favourite details was having both of our grandmothers be our witnesses and presenting them with corsages that matched the wedding party flowers at our ceremony” notes Dani. “That was really special for us and meant a lot to Coralie and Daphne.”

 

The couple made sure to include Andrew’s son Harvey as a significant focus for the day too. “We wanted Andrew’s son to have a special part in our day. He got ready with his dad and the boys in the morning and then was driven to where Dani and the bridesmaids were getting ready. He rode in the limo with the ladies and was so excited to have water…in a glass…in a car!
Harvey walked the rings up the aisle and presented them to the Best Man. Little did I know, that Andrew and the celebrant had arranged a speech from Harvey to me which was an incredibly beautiful moment and surprise for me!”

And the venue? Dani and Andrew chose Cardinia Beaconhills Golf Links for their all in one setting. Dani noting “Our venue was the Cardinia Beaconhills Golf Course. Another family-run business of beautiful, community-oriented people. Andrew and his team at the Golf Course were the most kind, supportive team who did everything to make sure our day was perfect and we didn’t need to worry about a single thing.”

“Our wedding was made all the more special because we:
1. Kept what we envisioned at the forefront of all of our planning and discussions with vendors.
2. Remember that everything happens for a reason, even when we can’t see it. We had our new six-week-old niece as part of the day, who wouldn’t have been there if our wedding wasn’t postponed due to covid.
3. Provided message cards for guests to fill out at the wedding for us to look back on and read in the future.
4. Manifested positivity and knew that it would turn out at it was meant to.
5. Prioritised smaller vendors with a more personal touch who we really built relationships with.”

And then it was time to dance! Dani remembering “Our first dance encapsulated our excitement, mixed with the pure fear we both had to dance in public. The song was “Everything” by Michael Buble and we had so much fun. We had a few intimate twirls and dips before pulling up Andrew’s seven-year-old son, Harvey, who came up and boogied on with us!”

And before their photographer left for the night, the newlyweds slipped out for sunset portraits. The result only adding to their love for their photographer. “Our photographer, Zoe, was incredible” raves Dani “Recommended to Dani by a friend, we met Zoe for an engagement shoot back in early 2019. The moment we met her, Zoe made us feel so comfortable and as two dags in front of the camera, it was so great having Zoe there to just laugh with us!

Not only is she super friendly and easy-going, but Zoe is also amazing at her craft and a fellow teacher like Dani. She was also incredibly understanding, supportive and flexible of all the changes that we had to make with dates and locations due to covid. We were so incredibly thankful we found Zoe; she was just a huge asset to us throughout the lead-up and on the day itself!”

The biggest congratulations to you both Dani and Andrew! Thank you for sharing your beautiful stories with us. Thank you also to Zoe Louise Photography for sharing today’s celebration with us!