When Alice, an event stylist, was faced with planning a wedding, she (and her beloved Dylan) wanted something untraditional. In fact, the vibe, in her own words, could only be described as “An emo girl’s dream wedding – it’s moody, ethereal and most of all it’s intimate.”

With the most glorious sparkling copper wedding gown, the couple’s twins and family present, and the most killer mountaintop views, there was no wonder photographer Pure Mac Photography has graced our screens today with so many stunning photos (and wait until you see the flowers). It is the perfect new beginning for a couple whose story blossomed on Tumblr “back when it was fun!” laughs Alice. “Eventually we met after I constantly bailed! He was from the country, I was from the city. It was daunting AF. Eventually, we met, we hung out, and we went our separate ways for two years before eventually coming home from Europe and Dylan moved to Melbourne. The rest was history – here we are 10 years later.

Dylan wanted to propose on a Christmas camping trip at Mount Buffalo before the couple’s one-year-old daughter, decided to not sleep the entire trip and the couple called it quits. “Dylan couldn’t hold on to the ring, I knew he had it (the secret is out when you share bank accounts)” admits Alice. “When we returned, we put our baby to sleep. I am known for always losing the tv remote, my phone etc. I came out of our daughter’s room to him saying “Can you help me find the tv remote” I started looking on the couch, and next thing I know, I find myself my dream black diamond engagement ring. The rest was history. About three weeks later, he did take me to where he was originally going to propose at a 4wd lookout between Mt Buffalo and Mt Hotham.”

Alice always knew she wouldn’t be wearing a traditional white dress down the aisle,  “I had envisioned something unique, originally had the idea of a black dress before Dylan shut that down and said don’t wear black” she explains. “That’s fair, I always wear black! Then I came across Teuta Matoshi and fell in love with their dresses. Stunning, unique pieces that were me! I had to find something that would match beige chinos as I knew Dylan would stick to that colour scheme. I found this stunning rose gold/champagne dress, it was ethereal, and it was fit for a queen.  Most importantly I knew the bouquet of my dreams would pop against this. I got it custom-made to my size, and then once it arrived after 12 weeks, took it to a local dressmaker and had them fit me.

The crown was from Crystal Eclipse Crowns. I wanted something modern and edgy. I wanted something that no one else had. I had originally contacted for a black crystal crown, however, there wasn’t anything in stock. So I worked together with Michelle to find the perfect crystal to match the mood board I had created. The result was perfect and it was a smoky quartz. For earrings, found a perfect black earring that would match the crown from Black & Bloom – aria noir. And finally, for shoes I had to find something that would be comfortable, and ready for any kind of condition. So I lashed out and got myself a pair of Black Santa Fe RM Williams.”

While Alice did most of the florals herself, she wanted the bouquet to be a surprise – so she left the design up to Style By Ashleigh K, who also happens to be Alice’s boss! “We designed the florals off my mood board, focusing largely on dark burgundy blooms” explains Alice. “We submitted our flower order and on the Monday before the elopement I went down to the flower market to collect them before Ash would create some magic. When I arrived over half of our order wasn’t available (that’s the joys of mother nature) I immediately called Ash and we came up with a plan B.

It was nowhere near what we designed, however, it fitted the exact vibe and mood that I had planned for this entire elopement. We choose lilac roses to soften the palette so the darker tones would sing. What Ash created, blew my mind. I never thought I would get emotional seeing my bouquet, as I see them all the time. But it was a moment I would never forget.”

Dylan, to suit the high country setting, decked himself out in pieces from RM Williams. “He wanted something that would go well in the High Country, not only keep you warm because who knew what the weather would be, but also something that he could re-wear” explains Alice.

The ceremony? Officiated by Marry Us Mich, it was “Absolute mountaintop perfection”, says Alice. “Our ceremony was extremely intimate, it was just the two of us plus our three children, my parents (the babysitters) and our celebrant, videographer and photographer. The ceremony was extremely emotional, and I expected nothing less. We had been building this up for 10 years, 10 years we had been on a rollercoaster of a journey and we had experienced so much together, this was just the next chapter of finally the entire family sharing the same name.

The ceremony took place on Mt Buffalo, a place that has been the backdrop to all our camping adventures for the last 10 years. We fell in love in the valleys below Mt Buffalo and it has always been a symbolic place to us. There is nothing like the rocky outcrops of Mt Buffalo. We stood at the top of Mt Buffalo, a place called ‘the neck’. Where you could look down into the valleys that we have explored.”

“We had no first dance, but the music that was present during the day was a lot of Blink 182 – a band that we both loved after our twins were born in 2022; it was the first date night we reserved (even though it’s not until Feb 13, 2024, to see Blink 182 live).”

The dreamy photographs were very much an important part of the day for Alice and Dylan, who shares “The most important thing to us was our photos, we love our photos and we saw this as our biggest investment. We made sure our entire day was based around the light, from the light in the pine forest to the sunsetting after our ceremony. We couldn’t have asked for better lighting to create the magic we wanted in our photography and video.”

The couple stayed at a local property Cortes Kiln, where they spend plenty of time. The property was also the chosen spot for a romantic, candlelit reception dinner. “We chose a property that we go to every year for a weekend getaway, situated on an old chestnut farm next to the Ovens River. About a 40-minute drive to Bright. As an event stylist, the entire elopement was designed by myself. My amazing boss, created the bouquet, buttonhole and flower crown so I had an element of surprise. However, the dinner that we came home to filled with candle lights and bud vases, was all designed by myself.”

Congratulations on your marriage Alice & Dylan! Thank you for sharing your beautiful wedding day stories with us and thank you to Pure Mac Photography for today’s equally beautiful images!