When we talk about imagining your day just as you want it, when we talk about doing your wedding your way, we hold up couples like Cathy and Jacob as shining examples. When it came to deciding how they’d tie the knot, they started with their list of “no thanks!” “When we started thinking about a wedding we tried to make a list of what we wanted but ended up making a list of what we DIDN’T want. It was written on the back of a napkin and included: Alternate drop chicken/beef, Anything matching, Guests waiting and sitting in rows..”

And with a love of colour “We called it a “Rainbow Wedding” it was to be full of patterns and colours” and a mutual love of surprises, these two not only wed with every colour of the rainbow, they celebrated at their favourite pub before surprising all of their guests with a pillow fort party (yes, complete with handmade onesies for each and every guest). We’re beyond delighted today to have Cathy and Jacob share their story, alongside the beautiful photography from Morgan Roberts Weddings.

With such creativity shown on their wedding day, of course, Cathy and Jacob met on the set of a movie. “They both met on the set of a B, no D grade movie. Cathy was an intern in the costume department and Jacob was the runner on his first feature film. Our eyes caught across a warehouse and immediately locked in. Cathy’s smile engrained in Jacobs mind yet it took 5 years for us to get together.”

A day out in Brisbane, filled with treats and fun, was just the distraction Jacob needed to surprise Cathy with the age-old question. “Jacob was away working on a Netflix series in Melbourne and planned a massive actividay which was a big secret from Cathy. Cathy had a stressful work week coming up so Jacob sold it as a completely planned relaxing day off.

It started with brunch by the river at Medley Kangaroo Point, followed by plant shopping in Willawong, followed by a day spa treatment at Sakura. A quick nap at home then off to the story bridge for a bridge climb… after suiting up in overalls and climbing the stairs under the bridge it was cancelled due to rain and lighting.

Jacob then insisted to walk across the bridge to a certain point where Cathy stopped and said “You know this is where we had our first kiss,” she turned around to find Jacob on one knee with a ring.”

Cathy and Jacob only had a few professionals to bring their day to life, and photographer Morgan was one Cathy and Jacob note as “the most important! “Morgan Roberts is a detailed, enthusiastic, never-ending ball of energy. He makes everyone comfortable, take the time to get to know you before the wedding, the time to get the right shots at the right time and got completely absorbed in our day. We chose him because we loved his black and white work which was ironic due to how colourful our wedding was.

Morgan provided so much coverage but the best was the informal, unplanned moments showing our guests’ experience of the day!”

Let’s talk about what these two wore. Jacob chose a blue, custom made wool  Germonico Suit. Both he and his groomsmen added all the colour with custom made Papa Drew button-up shirts using Kasey Rainbow printed fabric.

And Cathy’s wedding dress? Handmade herself!  The couple told “Cathy bought two Gorman dresses and sewed them together to one big swooshy dress. Cathy’s ultimate goal for the day was to be comfortable. This means nothing tight, nothing scratchy and no high heels. Cathy rocked a pair of floral platforms Dr Martens.” And Cathy’s bridesmaid? “Our lone bridesmaid wore a bright yellow dress of her choosing with a Rachel Burke tinsel jacket picked by Cathy.”

Marrying in your happy place sounds pretty perfect to us, for Cathy and Jacob, that spot is New Farm Park in Brisbane, the pair telling “New Farm Park is our dog’s favourite place and a happy place for us. In line with the Rainbow Wedding theme, 600 metres of ribbon was purchased to create flowing rainbow curtains that were draped around the rotunda. There was champagne and apple juice on arrival. Guests were all asked to wear rainbow colours and patterns. Our Bichon Frise dog puppies Whisler & Whisky came along in flowery collars.”

Cathy’s bouquet was made up of flowers brought by the guests. “We asked our guests to each bring a single flower to the ceremony to make Cathy’s bouquet. The bouquet was completely improvised minutes before the ceremony and was a beautiful collection of colours and shapes.”

Cathy’s walk down the aisle? “Jacob’s niece and nephew were flower children walking down the aisle to ‘A Whole New World’ from Aladdin. Cathy and her dad Neil made an entrance to “I will follow you in the dark” by Death Cab for Cutie. Cathy’s dad was very insistent he was not giving her away rather accompanying her on this journey.”

Cathy and Jacob were married by a friend. “We didn’t want to be married by a perfect stranger, aka a celebrant, so we asked our good mate Chris to be our fake celebrant, he was accompanied by our real celebrant Eve Sirigos, who took care of the formalities.”

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The ceremony even gave a nod to Cathy’s career as a schoolteacher. “Cathy has been a drama teacher for 15 years and invited a small group of her long term students to perform “The Owl and the Pussy Cat” by Edward Lear which was the first poem her grandma taught her.”

 

If you’re yet to tie the knot, the newlyweds give you this advice. “Do whatever you want to do, think about why you want what you want and most importantly be present on the day it happens so quickly be sure you’re present to enjoy it all!”

Jacob’s favourite part of the day? “The 30 minutes we had together just us walking to Soapbox after getting a photo at magic hour on the Story Bridge.”

The couple hosted their reception (and the surprise party) at their favourite pub, Soapbox Beer.  “Soapbeer has always been a favourite pub and owned by friends with a massive blank canvas loft-style space upstairs. It was perfect for completely transforming into a pillow fort and disguising the secret from the guests.”

The DIY vibes were strong for this wedding, Cathy and Jacob creating the digital invitations to invite their guests, the signage and even the flowers. For the tables, Cathy and her mum purchased flowers on the day of the wedding to fill glass jars the couple had been collecting for over a year.”

Cathy;’s favourite part of the day? “The smoked feta cheese.” And of the planning? Well, it goes hand in hand. “Wine tasting and including our friends in the process!” she laughs.

Once the reception was over, guests were invited to head upstairs for the pyjama party, complete with onesies and pillow fort! “The pillow fort came about because we held annual pillow fort parties 2013, 2014, 2015 in our house. Anyone who attended one of these parties or even heard about them kept asking to ask for years when we would have another, we always said 2015 couldn’t be beaten it would never happen again. We like to think we broke as many wedding norms or traditions as we could so that the day suited us.”

Dedication? It’s sewing seventy onesies for your wedding guests! “We sewed 70 onesies for our guests. Collected hundreds and hundreds of sheets from op shops, purchased 20 mattresses from Gumtree/market place and assembled a 300 m2 pillow fort!”

The couple ditched a momentous first dance, instead, they danced their way into their reception, remembering “Rather than a standard reception “entrance” our entrance and the first dance was the same song, everyone got up to dance right away. “iFly” by Ball Park Music aka I F*kin Love You I Think You’re Pretty.”

Cathy and Jacob’s onesies? Professionally made by Spunky Bruiser. “We  transitioned into custom made onesies for the pillow fort party which were made by Spunky Bruiser in Sydney using leftover fabric from the onesies we sewed ourselves for the guests.”

Cathy and Jacob, what an absolute delight to share your day! Thank you to you both and thank you to Morgan of Morgan Roberts Weddings for sharing this beauty with us!