A shared passion for music and show choir brought Honor and Marnie together, and their love for each other has kept them together ever since. The whirlwind of quirky concerts, karaoke nights and a grand gesture proposal ending with a Burger Ring ring led Honor and Marnie to their authentic, intimate wedding day. Capturing the day was Shoot Me Jimmy alongside Hailstorm & Co, who together perfectly balanced the laidback nature of the day and the love shared between everyone.

In 2015, two music enthusiasts met at their show choir group, Tone Deft. And for Honor and Marnie, it was love at first sight. “Although it took several months of choir practice, online chats, karaoke nights and platonic TV nights watching ‘Orange is the New Black’ episodes and finally a birthday weekend away (for me) in Donnelly River before Honor plucked up the courage to tell me she liked me and find out the feeling was mutual.”

While the story of how they met was slow-paced and tentative, their engagement is another story. You can actually watch the whole thing play out here (after the five-minute mark!). “Honor proposed to me at the end of a Tone Deft concert. I had always said that I wanted a grand gesture proposal and she nailed it. She had organised for all of my immediate family and close friends to come to the concert without me twigging that she was going to propose. The proposal came before marriage equality was a reality in Australia but we were both actively campaigning to make it happen at the time starting a group called MMERIT (Motion for Marriage Equality in Rockingham It’s Time).” Marnie explained. “She had previously joked that she would propose with a Burger Ring (because I said I wanted to pick my own ring and didn’t want her spending too much money) and she actually proposed with a burger ring nestled in a ring box which is why you see me laugh when she opens the box.”

Flashing forward to now, they got ready for the next chapter of their relationship together. Honor and Marnie spent the morning getting ready together and enjoying each other’s company. “It was pretty special being able to get ready for our day together rather than separately like most couples do. We got our hair and makeup done together by Empress Beauty and Makeup, helped each other get dressed, chilled out before the ceremony together with some champagne and were chauffeured to the venue together. It was a nice shared memory.” 

Marnie wore a beautiful dress from Needle and Thread UK that featured intricate lacing details and an ankle-length skirt. “I chose the dress as I wanted something stylish, feminine, unique and practical.” To match the colour of her wife’s dress, Honor wore a pink blazer from Politix. “Authenticity was the most important thing for her, and she wanted to wear a unique colour jacket (which also matched the pink on my dress).”

The ceremony was at Anderson Point, with a stunning sunset view over Perth. “We were so happy to have chosen Anderson Point as our venue; it was stunning, and the couple that run it were so lovely and laid back. It helped us to enjoy the day. In fact, all of our vendors passed the vibe check; they just made it a really great day.”

Arriving together, Honor and Marnie walked down the aisle arm in arm. Marnie held her bouquet, made by Honor’s sister Carly, that was filled with King protea and green foliage that perfectly matched their colours for the day. The walk to the ceremony space was down a hill and through a bit of bushland, and soon, they emerged into the clearing to see their guests. An acoustic rendition of “Two Strong Hearts” by Ainslie Wills played as they made their way to the end of the aisle.

Jessica Alexander, The Holistic Celebrant, had the perfect laid-back charm for this ceremony. Keeping it short and sweet, it had a relaxed atmosphere as Jessica guided everyone through the origins of the love story and many laughter-filled memories. “Our friends were so impressed they have hired her for their wedding this year. She radiates joy and authenticity, and she’s genuinely funny.”

To celebrate the ceremony’s conclusion, the newlyweds had bubbles instead of the traditional petals. “Our nibling (non-binary) and nephew blew bubbles as we walked back down the aisle; the photos of that moment are my favourites. We just wanted everything to be really low-key and enjoyable, especially after all the stress of COVID in the months leading up to our wedding.”

Marnie and Honor had their first dance at their ceremony venue, pushing all the chairs back and dancing with the sun setting over the lookout. They swayed to the beats of “I Will Be Happy And Hopefully You Will Be Too” by Stu Larsen.

As they met in a show choir group, it is no surprise that their passion and love for music runs deep in both hearts. The music for their wedding day was also a significant detail to plan. “We spent months cultivating the perfect playlist, including songs that reminded us of different times in our relationship, songs we’d sung together at choir, and songs that we felt spoke about the nature and vibe of our relationship. A love of singing and music is how we met, and we felt it important to have just the right mix of tunes on our special day.”

Their photographer, Shoot Me Jimmy, has been a friend of Marnie’s for nearly 20 years. “We used to work together before he became the incredible photographer that he is. I love the moody but joyful style of his photographs, and it was nice to have a long-time friend to take our photos and spend the day with us.”

It’s hard to choose the most significant or favourite parts of such a significant occasion, but Marnie tried her best to condense her love to the top five things:

1. The fact that we were even able to get married! Laws for marriage equality have only passed in recent years, and COVID also tried to derail our plans, but we made it!

2. It was a much smaller ceremony than we’d originally planned and we missed not having our extended family and friends there but the smallness of the ceremony was actually really lovely and allowed it to be much more intimate and relaxed.

3. Spending the whole day with my wife-to-be making memories.

4. Great vendors with the right vibe.

5. And a killer playlist! 🙂

With the fear of COVID restrictions impacting any venue choices, they hosted the wedding reception at Honor’s brother’s house. Spending the night surrounded by their loved ones and ending the night around a bonfire, enjoying the warmth of the flames together. “It was a day filled with love from our nearest and dearest.”

Congratulations Marnie and Honor on this authentic event – you should be proud of the beautiful, intimate wedding you created. And a huge thanks to Shoot Me Jimmy for capturing and submitting this wonderful couple’s wedding!