With a love story beginning on Tinder, when Alyssa and Tom decided to get married, it was a very much mutual decision. Explains Alyssa “Tom and I had discussed marriage and decided we’d ‘just know’ when it felt like the right time to get engaged. A few years prior my Gran had given me her engagement ring which we planned on using as my engagement ring.
Tom was away training for the Army Reserves which meant minimal contact between the two of us, the most communication we had was through snail mail. In letters exchanged during the later part of his training, he said “I think you should get that ring resized to fit you”. In a letter to him, that was sent around the same time, I said “I’m going to get the ring resized for when you get home.” These letters crossed paths!

Once he arrived home at the airport he said: “let’s get married”. Later that evening I remembered to get the ring out for him to do the honours – for which I was in PJs.”

On the superstitiously lucky date (22/02/2022) the pair decided an intimate elopement (with delightful vintage, retro twist and all the vibrant colour) was on the cards inviting just their celebrant and wedding photographer Dani Bartlett Photography along for the ride. “The only people who knew about our wedding before it happening was our vendors. We called our family and friends to let them in on the news the day after when we were on our honeymoon.

Since our ceremony was just for us, we wanted to make sure we had a chance to celebrate with our loved ones. In May we hosted a reception at Cafe Outside The Square with all our family and friends.”

And if you take one thing from Alyssa and Tom’s wedding? Take this piece of advice. “If you’re the kind of couple who are considering eloping – do it. We have no regrets about going this route.”

The couple were married in the dappled shade of  Veale Gardens. “We chose Veale Gardens as we wanted somewhere scenic but affordable, and close to home” explained Alyssa. “Mostly as a Covid precaution – at the time we booked, interstate travel still wasn’t permitted – but also because we really love our city. After scoping out different parklands in Adelaide, we decided on Veale Gardens as the perfect spot for us.”

Tom’s incredible burnt orange suit? Made by the fine folk at InStitchu.   Shares Alyssa “Tom felt that if there’s any occasion to get a suit tailored just for him – the wedding is it! We went to InStitchu together and looked through their options and both loved the orange fabric. I wanted Tom to select his suit before we decided on any of the other elements – flowers, shoes, jewellery etc. so that could all be picked to match the suit and not the other way around.” And the bowtie? Made by Alyssa, who hand-dyed fabric with turmeric! “It was the only way we could find exactly what he wanted.”

Intimate and beautiful, the ceremony was officiated by I Do For Two. “Whilst we didn’t have many vendors, they were all spectacular. We met our celebrant Jacqui on the day of the wedding and it’s so clear she loves love! She made the whole process leading up to (via email and phone call) super easy, despite our sometimes vague ideas on what it was we wanted the ceremony to look like.

Our ceremony was short, sweet and just for us. Guided beautifully by our celebrant, we exchanged our personal vows to each other standing in the rockpool. We wanted it to feel like just the two of us, which we apparently achieved expertly as the sound of the rockpool drowned out our vows to everyone else in attendance. Our song played as we said our I Do’s.” Tom’s wedding band made of melted-down rings the couple had inherited from family.

If you adore Alyssa’s wedding day frock like us, it was a vintage find! She tells “I found my dress for $40 at Vinnies a couple of months before we were engaged. We were browsing together when I spotted it and it was too perfect to pass up. It just needed a little repairing of the lace and some stain removal which I did myself.”

Alyssa carried a bouquet made of Italian crepe paper flowers. “I handcrafted my bouquet and Tom’s matching boutonniere from Italian crepe paper. It took many hours but I’m glad I went that route as we can now keep them forever.”

 

Alyssa and Tom have all the raves for their photographer. “Dani was spectacular! She made us feel at ease in front of the camera, providing guidance when we needed it but mostly letting us do our own thing. She really made sure we made good use of the time we had her, getting 3 locations in 2 hours under our belts. Dani was the one who suggested the orange wall and then we headed to our house to get happy snaps with our dogs. She was super fast getting some previews to us which was great as we had them to show our family when we surprised them with the good news the following day.”

Tom and Alyssa, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful wedding and its stories with us! Congratulations to you both. Thank you also to  Dani Bartlett Photography for today’s beautiful images.