The sun, the moon, and all the stars… Roisin and Tane’s festival long wedding has it all! Soul stirring cultural traditions and celestial touches formed the sentimental backbone which was their whimsical midsummer nights disco wedding, which was captured beautifully by Photogerson. Roisin remembers their sweet love story and magical wedding… 

Tane and I met at my 17th birthday party through mutual friends when I asked if he was wearing his dancing pants! We became very close friends after that night, but it would be another 9 years before we actually became a couple! So our eventual romantic relationship was based on a solid foundation of friendship.

On our 9 year anniversary, Tane planned what I thought would be a “small surprise”. I had no idea what was happening. We drove south beyond Margaret River to what I assumed would be a local winery, however, after a somewhat abrupt turn off into Boranup forest he proceeded to blindfold me (without saying a word) and then left me all alone with a red envelope in my lap. After a few minutes of utter confusion, I removed the blindfold and opened the envelope which contained instructions for a “treasure hunt” of sorts. I walked through the forest following the red ribbon markers he had laid out for me, and every so often coming across another envelope which would contain photos and recollections from various stages of our relationship. Eventually, the ribbons led me to a small clearing where I found Tane on one knee underneath a self-made heart-shaped bouquet of native flowers strung between two towering Karri trees. He followed it up with a surprise engagement party that evening with all our closest friends and family. It was such an epic night and honestly left me floating!

Our wedding celestial, bright, dripping in style, with good vibes, and electric energy. A mini love fest! Which also happened to be Tane’s birthday. The acknowledgment of family and cultural heritage was the overarching theme that we also really wanted to share for our wedding day.

The ceremony and reception (which extended over two nights with camping) were held at The Berry Delightful which is my family farm and is currently managed by myself as a wedding and events venue.

I grew up on this property which for much of its history was an operating berry farm. My parents were part of the alternative generation in the ’60s and ’70s that migrated to the southwest in search of a sustainable lifestyle. Over the years the property has transformed into a creative outlet for our family making it a unique and beautiful space to share with those who can appreciate its style and aesthetic. I have wanted to get married at our family farm ever since I was a little girl, dancing under the peach trees as they dropped their petals in the springtime.

I wore a blue and white Rue De Seine gown (Aegean Indigo) with cowboy boots, a celestial gold headpiece, and my great grandmother’s diamond ring. I always wanted to wear something unique and non-traditional. My mum was actually in Melbourne to try on a different gown for me when she found the Aegean Indigo dress. Without even trying it on I ordered it! My mum has great taste and I trust her judgment. I felt awesome wearing it, almost a little ethereal.

Tane wore a sapphire blue suit with a pink shirt from M.J. Bale, and Peggy and Finn native flora tie. He also wore a traditional Maori Kakahu (ceremonial feather cloak) woven by his grandmother, and a Maori bone necklace (known as a Tiki) carved by his late grandfather.

The ceiling of our outdoor stage dripping in moons and stars and mirror balls was one of my favourite elements of the styling. The decor was magic, and definitely helped set the vibe for our day. In terms of styling, I made sure that our wonderful stylist Lara Rose Botanical Stylist incorporated celestial imagery in her work, as I’m kind of obsessed with the moon and am an avid lover of astrology.

We used the garden pathways as our aisle, and the song we walked down to was “Glasshouses – recorded at RAK studios, London” by Maribou State, Holly Walker. My mum, dad, and 18-month-old daughter walked me down the aisle. When the bridesmaids and I started walking down the aisle, everyone was clapping and cheering. It was the most incredible feeling to start the day.

We wanted our ceremony to be traditional and honour our cultural heritage. It needed to have a level of spirituality but also showcase our individuality as a couple. We wrote our vows together and shared the journey. Our celebrant was an old family friend who I’ve known since I was a little girl, my Grandfather did a Gaelic Reading, Tane’s mother gave a Maori Blessing, and Tane also spoke a poem in Maori while he draped me in the Kakahu just before our vows. Tane adds, “The coming together of family and friends to celebrate the love that Roisin and I share… it was overwhelming, and the vibes were electric.”

The flowers were chosen for me. My amazing stylist/florist and good friend Lara Rose Botanical Stylist is incredible at her work and I asked her to run wild. I absolutely trusted anything she would create. A nice touch was male and female cockatoo feathers in the bouquet which were found during my hens weekend.

Tane and I created a photo board each – a kind of family tree that showcased previous generations from each of our families. This was not only to honour our ancestors but also symbolise the coming together of our family lines.

Luke from Photogerson was such fun to work with. From the beginning, he made us feel at ease and had such a friendly demeanor. He was quirky, fun, energetic, passionate, and knew how to party. When I received the pictures I just knew that we made the right choice for us as a couple. He captured the energy of the night perfectly and definitely knew how to work the crowd.

Bos Tents and Events and Lara Rose made the whole venue shine from the beginning. They brought the stage to life and it was pure magic.

Our favourite photo of the day was the silhouette picture of Tane and I under the crescent moon…

Our wedding was captured on film by Isabella Rogers.

Some advice for anyone planning your day… don’t try and do it all on your own! If you can outsource certain components of the event then do so. Wedding planners and stylists are worth their weight in gold. Our favourite part of the planning process was the nights at home drinking wine together and coming up with ideas to make our party better. Talking over each other in excitement and feeling the buzz from the beginning!

Thank you to Roisin and Tane for sharing your magical day with us! And to the Photogerson team!