With only 22 guests, and a sweet little movie chapel overlooking the vineyards, Shayne and Blake wanted a day that was intimate and romantic – giving themselves just three months to plan it! “My favourite part of wedding planning was pretty much not having to do it” laughs Shayne. “Deciding to elope at one of Anita’s pop-up wedding days, 3 months ahead, made it so easy. Ceremony, celebrant, reception, all furnishing, food and beverages were immediately ticked off the list.”

And the only thing the pair had to do? Hire a photographer! Love and Legends are along for the ride. For a love story that began on Tinder, the romance of this intimate day was so beautifully Shayne and Blake and a story we are honoured to tell.

With the chapel setting up shop in Margaret River, it seems apt that this vineyard hotspot was also the place Blake chose to propose. Shayne fills us in on how they became engaged. “Blake had booked a cabin for my birthday in Margaret River. Just before we left for dinner Blake got down on one knee and popped the question. I was so surprised and delighted. The next day we had planned a big birthday lunch for me down south, so we all joined together for a big celebration. It was perfectly timed and very thoughtful.”

With only a short time to choose her gown, Shayne found what she was looking for at JJshouse. She tells “My experience shopping for wedding dresses was OK. I am very tall, plus size, really wanted a minimal wedding dress and had three months’ notice, I didn’t have a huge choice of dresses. I think I left the shopping day with one, expensive, option. Nervously, I ended up ordering an Ivory Ball Gown from online retailer JJ’s house. Thankfully, when I put it on it was everything I had wanted and fit like a glove.”

The beautiful imagery of the day was captured by Love & Legends. “We were so lucky to be able to book Rowan from Love and Legends with three month’s notice” notes Shayne,  “I was obsessed with Rowan’s cool, laidback, candid style, and he exceeded my expectations. Rowan started with Blake and me before the ceremony and as the day went on, he melted into the background. He captured the vibe of the day perfectly. The photos of the flowers are incredible.

Every person I have shown the photos to, is blown away. I highly recommend Love & Legends.”

The beautiful blooms for the day? Styled by Mayflower Weddings. Says Shayne “My sister, Laura, is the incredibly talented Mayflower Weddings. I provided Laura with a handful of inspiration photos but gave her full creative control.  I knew I wanted my flowers to be one of the main focus, but Mayflower Weddings took my bouquet and other decorative flowers to the next level. So stunning, only the pictures can capture how amazing they were.

I put full trust in my other vendors, especially Mayflower Weddings (our florist) to deliver a beautiful day, and they did.”

Shayne and Blake made use of the pop-up wedding service of mobile chapel Big Love, Tiny Chapel. And that included every single bit of the planning! Shayne loved every bit of it. “We loved having such a small group of people. Blake and I have had a tough run in our relationship and having the group of our #1 supporters by our side were special. The vibe of the whole day was 10/10. Having such a relaxed lead up and day meant we were really able to be present and just purely enjoy it.”

After mingling with family and friends, Shayne and Blake walked down the aisle together, hand in hand.

“Blake and I wanted a very simple, relaxed ceremony, and we didn’t want anything gushy,” tells Shayne of the ceremony officiated by Anita Revel. “We sent Anita some simple vows and a bit of a story of us. From this, she wrote up a ‘surprise’ ceremony, which included some longer vows. I am so grateful we trusted Anita to do this, she understood and captured Blake and me. The ceremony was exactly what we wanted.”

Shayne offers up this advice. “If you’re thinking of maybe eloping/having a small wedding… DO IT. We honestly had the best day, it was fun and relaxed. We were also far less limited on what we could do budget-wise, we were able to have free-flowing cocktails, the vendors of our choosing, 6 courses over lunch and so much more. It was exactly the day that WE wanted. PS we only pissed off like 2 people… So don’t worry about that.

I think it’s also important to note we did this whole day for just under $11,000. That number includes drinks and a light dinner at a house after.”

Blake wore a classic navy suit, remembers Shayne,  “Blake wore a simple navy suit, topped off with some Gucci loafers, which he managed to keep very quiet until the day (they cost more than my whole get-up).” The couple both donned unique, sentimental jewellery pieces too. ‘”Blake and I both wore jewellery from his mum, Jo, who had passed away a year prior. I wore the pearl earrings that she wore on her wedding day and Blake wore a bracelet he made her when he was a kid. My engagement ring is my great grandmother’s, passed onto my aunty who passed it onto me.”

The couple invited their guests to celebrate over a lovely long lunch at Rustico at Hay Shed Hill. It also happened to be Blake’s favourite part of the day. He shared “What I remembered most about the day (outside of us getting married) was the Long Lunch at Rustico for our reception. The food and drinks were amazing, but the service and hospitality made the day that much more special. We felt like the most important people in the room.” Shayne added “They went above and beyond for us. We had a waitress to ourselves, the food was incredible, the champagne was flowing, they looked after our guests before the reception, we requested one long table inside and they delivered.”

And the fun didn’t stop there, the group continued celebrations at home. Remembers  Shayne “We didn’t plan the first dance, but back at my mum’s house at around midnight our friends and family surrounded us and we danced to Elvis’s version of ‘Unchained Melody’.”

The biggest congratulations to you both Shayne and Blake! What a delightful day you shared. Thank you and thank you to the Love and Legends team for sharing this one with us.