Monique & Daz's White On White Coastal Wedding

A coastal wedding can bring about many themes, moods and colour palettes. Monique & Daz decided to stick with a neutral scheme to let their coastline wedding location really set the tone for their day, going so far as to ask all their guests to wear white on the day. And the effect was striking and glorious! Monique & Daz’s White On White Coastal wedding from Matt Godkin Photography is a sight to behold. The bride remembers their day…

Daz and I were holidaying in Byron last June just after the first lockdown and Daz had planned a hike down to Minyon Falls. We walked all the way to the bottom of the waterfall and Daz set up his iPhone to take a ‘photo’. Little did I know he was filming and when we sat down on the rocks in front of the waterfall he pulled out the ring and proposed.

Daz decided on an off white, custom linen suit from InStitchu. We both decided to wear white along with all of our guests! This was one of the highlights of the day!

We had an unofficial wedding party where some of our family and close friends did all the things a wedding party would normally do such as get ready with us, hold the rings, giving speeches etc.

I had my dress made by Vellos Bridal, an amazing local dressmaker named Maria. I went with a very simple, classic style that was fitted with spaghetti straps; perfect for a summer wedding. Maria went above and beyond, I couldn’t have been happier with my dress and the amazing service Maria provided. She made the whole process so enjoyable and stress-free.

We originally planned on a surprise wedding/engagement party however due to COVID restrictions we didn’t end up surprising everyone. We wanted our day to be relaxed, casual and fun and in the end that’s exactly what it was!

Our photographer Matt Godkin was amazing, he captured our day perfectly and we are so happy with the photos. Most of the time we didn’t even notice he was there. We wanted our shots to be candid and to capture the day naturally and that’s exactly what he did.

Our walk down the aisle song was extra special as it was a song my brother had written and recorded a few years ago. We wanted to incorporate our family into our day as much as possible, and when we realised that song was a perfect fit to walk down the aisle to. It was an easy decision and such a special memory!

We wanted our ceremony to be short, light-hearted and informal. My aunty was our celebrant which also made our ceremony extra special and the favourite part of our day. She created the most perfect ceremony which was a perfect reflection of us as a couple. Daz’s dad wrote a beautiful poem that our mum’s both read.

Our favourite parts of the day were the ceremony and speeches. We had so many comments about how great my aunty was and how much everyone enjoyed the ceremony. They also said the speeches were some of the best they had ever heard at a wedding. My dad and sister spoke beautifully, Daz’s brother had everyone in stitches crying with laughter, and my cousin rapped her speech! It was the best!

Our stylist Rychelle from Lovestoned Styling turned the lifesaving club where we held our wedding into a luxe, stylish, beautiful venue overlooking the water. She is magic! I was blown away when I walked In. I wanted neutral, earthy tones for our flowers so opted for white, cream, burgundy and toffee.

I was maid of honour for my cousin about 8 years ago and I was so nervous to public speak so instead, I sang my speech as a bit of a joke and for something different. I wasn’t sure if she would do something similar on my wedding day. The start of her speech started off with a bit of talking so I thought maybe not, and then she broke out into a rap! It was so good and something I’ll remember forever.

Our venue, Wanda Surf Live Saving Club in Cronulla, was incredible! From the location, food, service and communication. The event managers Tony and Saeran were amazing to deal with and made the whole experience so easy and enjoyable.

We did a first look prior to the ceremony so that we didn’t have to leave and miss out on anything once the guests were there, however, it was so incredibley windy so it was hard to get a nice photo beforehand. The sky cleared and the weather settled down just before the sunset so we snuck down onto the beach and got some beautiful photos of the two of us and those are my favourite photos.

We decided not to do a first dance, as we essentially wanted the day to be one big party with our friends and family without most of the usual formalities. Everyone says this but the day really does go so fast! Try to relax and enjoy each moment as much as possible.