We’re lucky to share the Palm Springs inspired Perth wedding of Cheryl and Tom today, but we have to tell you, this isn’t the first time these two tied the knot. “We didn’t actually get engaged. We decided about 6 weeks before our trip to Rowley Shoals that we’d elope and then we surprised all our friends on the trip about 24 hours before, that we were getting married! ” admits Cheryl. “We were all on a big boat trip for 8 days out at the Rowley Shoals on a luxury boat so none of our friends knew they would be attending a wedding during the trip!”

The pair invited a good friend to “perform the ceremony” on the island.  “April led the ceremony on the island and she did the most amazing job – couldn’t have asked for anyone better.”

And to make it legal? Cheryl and Tom married in their backyard, five months later, with just a close group of their favourite people present, before celebrating with 40 guests over dinner at sunset.  For their second wedding, they invited photographer Kitty Loves Love to capture it. This was a perfect day, for a pair that met on Tinder, “When it was first popular! ” offers up Cheryl. “Tom took me to literally the worst bar in Scarborough and I was super hungover so I ended up drinking soft drinks” that was embracing every little bit of sunshine, and that beautifully celebrated not just one, but two rounds of nuptials!

So in the spirit of The Coastal issue, kick off your shoes, grab a glass of champagne, and make your way across the sand!

The couple chose to start their day with a private ceremony at home. “For the legal wedding we chose the backyard of our house because a huge part of our relationship and identity has been our house in Scarborough” explains Cheryl. “I also loved getting photos at our house when we could just relax and be ourselves.”

The blooms on the day were styled by Hello Charlotte. Says Cheryl “My first bouquet was dried because it had to last 5 days at sea before the wedding. It was perfect. For the second bouquet I want something a bit different and with some different coloured roses – I loved the toffee and bright red roses. We also had toffee and soft pink roses on the tables at our reception.  The flowers  were phenomenal.”

Cheryl’s favourite part of the legal wedding? The way she managed to surprise Tom with two very special guests! “For me, it was surprising Tom by flying some of his family over to Perth that he hadn’t seen in so long because of COVID. They arrived at the Scarborough house before we did and hid at the side of the house. When we entered the courtyard, they came out and surprised him.”

Cheryl and Tom chose the same song for their legal ceremony as the one on their other wedding day – the choice? Ziggy Alberts “Heaven.”

“Super chilled and personal is what we wanted and we got that on both occasions,” remembers Cheryl, the couple choosing Glen Adams to make their marriage legal on the day.

Tom wore a simple white shirt and brown pants for the wedding. “Tom just wore chinos and a white shirt. Tom generally can’t pick his own clothes haha. The boys had to make sure he wore a different shirt right up until the ceremony because he always spills beer on his white shirts!”

 

Cheryl had two gowns made by Sew Fabulous Dressmaking and she adored both! “I knew exactly what I wanted and had my dressmaker make it – she was able to whip it up in about 4 weeks but it was perfect. It was a sequinned silk georgette fabric with big flowy sleeves. Tom thought it looked like crushed pearls.

I loved it so much I wore it again for the legal wedding ceremony and then had a sneaky outfit change to another custom dress made by the same dressmaker. This also had big off the shoulder sleeves.”

“There is a photo of Tom and I together – with me holding an empty bottle of Veuve Cliquot and the bouquet on the island. Then our photographer Kitty recreated this at our legal ceremony and both of the photos are just the best.”

“Kitty was incredible” says Cheryl when asked about the couple’s choice of photographer. “She just got our vibe perfectly and literally picking our favourite photos has been so hard. It was like having another friend there.”

The (legal) newlyweds celebrated with 40 guests over a sunset dinner at Bib and Tucker. Says Cheryl “We chose Bib and Tucker for the reception dinner because we love good food and wine (which they have!) and it was on the coast, overlooking Leighton Beach at sunset.”

And the night ended with a sunset over the sea and dancing. “We danced to The Warumpi Band’s rendition of  “My Island Home.” Tom chose it and I would say it was pretty appropriate” laughs Cheryl.

A big congratulations to you both Cheryl and Tom on your (two!) weddings and marriage. Thank you for sharing your day with us, and to Kitty Loves Love for sharing today’s beautiful day!