Andy and Olivia really wanted a wedding day that was intimate, relaxed and one with a dance floor that was full and buzzing all night long. They ditched the idea of a wedding party, they brought in their own dance floor lighting, and they even switched up the first dance for a special last dance number. But not only that, they really understood that this day reflected them, so something they loved, had admired for ages, or just simply felt “them” was just the ticket.

The beautiful historic estate of Rippon Lea Estate could not have been more perfect for the occasion, and Brett Scapin Photography, with his candid photography style, caught every moment, sideways glances and huge wide smiles of joy.

The couple had already known each other through their video game work, but it wasn’t until 2017 that they met in person at now defunct Bar SK. They share “It was a very popular hangout for people in the games community so it was only natural that we’d eventually cross paths there.”

The couple became engaged on a romantic beach walk. “We were taking our new puppy Nene (only 10 weeks old) for a walk to the beach, it was getting dark and on the walk home Olivia stopped to comfort Nene who was getting anxious. When she turned around, Andy was on one knee. We hugged and cried while Nene screamed and howled in the background.”

The couple held their wedding at the beautiful Rippon Lea Estate. “We had visited the venue the year prior for a market and fell in love with it” they tell. “We particularly loved the tasting night where we got to try all the menu options for the catering. It was very fancy and we got to eat so much good food.”

 

Olivia was walked down the aisle by both of her parents.  “We chose the song “Glass in the Park” by Alex Turner as he is one of our favourite artists and the song is prominently featured in “Submarine”, one of our favourite films.”

The couple were married by Celebrant JAM.  “We had horrible weather all week leading up to the big day but luckily the skies parted right before we started and we had a beautiful sunny day for the ceremony.

We had the ceremony outside in the gardens, which we hoped would give the ceremony a very relaxed feeling. The only ones speaking were us, as well as our celebrant, which made it feel much more intimate. Although we had no wedding party, we wanted to include our siblings in the ceremony, so our brothers and their kids made up the ring bearer, flower children, and witnesses.”

The couple loved their photographer Brett, especially a fan of his beautiful, candid photography style. “Everyone we worked with was wildly helpful and really understood what we were going for.

We were introduced to Brett through a mutual friend (who was also our DJ). After our initial meeting, we knew we were on the same page with regard to the style of photography we were after. Brett was perfect throughout the day and got so many incredible shots. Looking through his portfolio, we were particularly drawn to his candid dance floor photos and he did not disappoint when it came to shooting ours.

The prettiest of pink roses feature heavily throughout the day thanks to floral designer The Petal Provedore. The newlyweds remember “In the early stages of planning, we were certain we wanted native flower arrangements, but after visiting Petal Provedore and discussing options, we quickly decided that we preferred a more pastel look. We thought the soft colours would work well with the space and we were absolutely correct.”

Olivia found her beautiful frock at Asos. She explains  “I stubbornly refused to spend thousands of dollars on her wedding dress and so turned to the same place I have always gone to when in need of a quick outfit — ASOS. I got a dress from there that fit like a dream and I was certain it was the one. But don’t worry, I did visit a wedding store to make sure I tried a few options before I made up my mind.”

Andy’s all-black suit was found at Dyonsu. He shares “I knew from the start that I wanted to wear all black. I visited Dyonsu on Chapel Street to get a suit fitted as I was familiar with the brand. I had tried on several options in store but nothing jumped out at me. Looking through all their options, I found a black velvet jacket right at the back of one of the clothes racks. I knew it was the one before I even tried it on.”

Advice from these two for planning your own day? “You can do whatever you want for your wedding! It’s your day, outside of the official stuff, you can really get creative and include (or exclude) any details you want. It’s hard, but try not to stress out about every single aspect of it.”

The one thing this reception had to have? “Two words: ghost chairs” laughs Olivia. “I have been obsessed with these for most of my life. They had to make an appearance.”

 

The speeches were one of Olivia & Andy’s favourite parts of the day. “We loved the speeches from our family and friends. We had a wide range of heartfelt to absolutely scathing. Very happy with have it all recorded. We even loved the surprisingly heartfelt speeches from our brothers.”

Instead of one cake, the couple ordered three from Burch & Purchese to treat their guests.

 

Andy wore a sparkling elephant brooch of his late grandmother in honour of her.

Instead of a first dance, the couple chose a “last dance”. “We decided to have a last dance instead right at the end of the night. We chose the song “No Crying” by Islands, which was a funny choice because it’s a sad song. It has a good beat to it, so it surprisingly worked.”

Congratulations to you both Olivia & Andy! Thank you for taking the time to share your stories with us. Thank you also to Brett Scapin Photography for sharing today’s beautiful celebration with us.