The Sunshine Coast hinterland provided a spectacular backdrop for Tayla and Matty’s modern country wedding! They tied the knot on April 21, 2021 (after postponing their 2020 wedding due to COVID) at The Old Dairy Maleny and made lots of fantastic choices to ensure their wedding was a reflection of them as a couple and the people who are important to them. This included Tayla’s parents both walking her down the aisle, writing their own vows, having Matty’s brother as their MC, having an uneven numbers of bridesmaids and groomsmen, and keeping their guest list quite small. Their day was also filled with the most stunning blooms, a beautiful colour palette of sage green, navy blue and blush pink, and fun touches like a Kombi van photo booth and champagne tower! Capturing the amazing styling and loved-up moments was Angela Cannavo Photography.

Tayla and Matty met through mutual friends and would occasionally see each other at social events, but it wasn’t until a costume party that they really hit if off. “Seeing each other’s fun side gave us the spark we needed!”

As for the proposal? The couple got engaged while visiting Tayla’s sister in Switzerland. The group decided to go for a day trip to a gorgeous mountain. When they arrived at the topmost lookout, Tayla posed for a picture with Matty, who then surprised her by getting down on one knee and popping the question! Tayla had no idea but her sister and Matty had been planning the proposal for months leading up to the trip. Despite it being super cold, Tayla took off the two layers of gloves she had on to try the ring on then and there!

On their wedding day, Matty wore a three-piece suit from Peter Jackson in dark navy with a faint light blue check and a pair of tan R.M. Williams boots. “He has always thought a three-piece suit looked classy and the boots balanced out the look to suit our modern country feel,” explains Tayla. “Matty also wanted to have a point of difference from his groomsmen so he wore a bone coloured bow tie.”

The groomsmen wore a darker navy two-piece suit with navy bow ties and cufflinks gifted from Matty.

Tayla wore the Indira gown by Madi Lane and says the team at Luv Bridal were amazing at selecting options and had great advice. Her hair was by Alyssa from Evalyn Parsons, and makeup by Karissa from KM Makeup Studios.

The bridesmaids wore sage green Shona Joy dresses, earrings gifted from Tayla, and nude shoes of their choosing.

Flowers were really important to Tayla and the couple went with Gwen Floral Co who they say were amazing through the whole design process and so patient when they had to postpone the wedding. They had soft pinks and cream colours in predominantly roses and dahlias, with an additional orchid in Tayla’s bridal bouquet. The groomsmen also had matching button holes. Three large ceremony bunches sat on two pillars for the ceremony that were later moved to the reception, and minimalist single rose vases adorned the reception tables.

They married at The Old Dairy Maleny. Tayla and Matty always wanted their ceremony and venue to be at the same location, and the The Old Dairy Maleny proved to be perfect for them. “It offers the rolling green hills, beautiful views, two separate houses for bridesmaids and groomsmen, a spectacular ceremony lookout, gorgeous post-ceremony drinks area with bar and festoon lights, and cathedral-like barn reception with floor to ceiling glass,” says the couple. “The Old Dairy really shaped our entire wedding and it was one of the best decisions we made.”

Tayla walked down the aisle with both of her parents, which was a really special moment for her. A live acoustic cover of Vance Joy’s ‘Fire and the Flood’ played through the whole procession.

Matty loved the moment he saw Tayla coming down the aisle, with the countryside backdrop and live cover of their song being played.

Matty always wanted the ceremony to have a hinterland backdrop and being outside suited the couple. “The Old Dairy was perfect for us as it delivered that in spades, with wide sweeping views but a space that felt intimate with only our closest friends and family,” they say. “It also had the longest aisle we had ever seen!” Tayla and Matty’s mums did a reading each. Matty’s mum read ‘The Art of Marriage’, and Tayla’s mum read ‘Blessing the Hands’.

The couple say their lovely celebrant, Cassandra of Coastline Celebrant, took them through every step of the marriage process so easily and was such a kind and reassuring person to have on the day.

Tayla and Matty included a champagne tower to kick off the festivities after their ceremony. “We really didn’t want to rush off immediately for photos after our ceremony but we also didn’t want to get vacuumed into the crowd. Instead what we found was perfect was to walk with our guests to our post-ceremony bar and lawn area and pop some champagne onto our tower as we were announced as husband and wife.”

It was also important to the couple that their guests had a good time while they were off taking photos, so they organised a Kombi van photo booth by Deluxe Kombi Service (which doubled as a guestbook), some lawn games, live music and canapés and drinks while they watched the sunset.

Capturing this incredible day was Angela Cannavo. From the instant Tayla and Matty met her at a wedding expo they just clicked. The couple say Angela has such an easy going and relaxed nature but is also the ultimate pro – exactly the kind of person you want capturing your day. “I don’t know how she does it but Angela catches all the really special small moments on such a big day, as well as getting all the big events too,” says Tayla. “After having our engagement shoot with her, and postponing and rebooking, by the time our wedding came around Angela just felt like another friend who was there to celebrate with you. All of our guests loved her and even one of my bridesmaids has hired her for her own wedding this year.”

Tayla and Matty say they had a dream run with their wedding vendors who went above and beyond to make it the best day of their lives. Wedding styling was by Simply Style Co.

Little J Design created the beautiful signage and Chocolate2Chilli made the most extravagant and delicious three-tier cake.

The couple had seen sparkler shots at other weddings and loved the look, but didn’t trust themselves or their guests to be in any fit state to wield sparklers by the end of the night! Instead, they chose to have sparklers at their entrance instead. It also meant that they didn’t need to do a formal entrance with the whole bridal party, making it feel a lot more relaxed.

One of Tayla’s favourite moments was walking into the reception and seeing all the details of flowers, vases, candles, place settings, cutlery, glassware and menus styled together in real life after months of pouring over tiny details. “It was like a second wave of excitement for the day,” she says.

Tayla and Matty had their first dance to ‘Your Song’ by Elton John. After a few verses, they separated so Matty could dance with his mum and Tayla with her dad.  The couple say that the parent dances were actually some of the sweetest moments of the whole day. Their talented musician and DJ, Dave Webster, set the perfect mood from ceremony to dance floor.

Tayla and Matty’s advice for those currently planning a wedding and are feeling overwhelmed? Remember WHY you are getting married in the first place: you have been lucky enough to find each other and that’s what’s important.

Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous modern country wedding with us, Tayla and Matty! We’d also like to say a big thank you to Angela Cannavo Photography for sharing the beautiful images from this day.