After they had to cancel their first wedding thanks to the infamous Victorian lockdowns of 2020/21, Beejay and Liz had long waited to celebrate their love. For this celebration, they threw a laid-back, cocktail-style wedding – pulled together by their friends and family.

Using the tones of the native florals and bohemian styling, Shoot Me Jimmy captured the true beauty and love of their wedding – and now we get to share it with all of you!

How did these two love birds meet? Fate or lucky timing? We’ll let you decide! “Beejay had just resigned from a small Neurological Rehabilitation practice in Melbourne to do some solo travel. Liz couldn’t settle back into life in WA after living abroad, and took a job at a small practice and moved to Melbourne on a whim. Started as co-workers, quickly became friends, add a few nights out into the mix, and the rest is history!”

Originally, they had planned an adventurous travel proposal, but thanks to Victoria’s infamous COVID lockdowns, they settled for a low-key one. “Outdoor walks along the local Yarra River became our weekend ritual, and so it was on one of these banks on Anzac Day 2020 that Beejay got down on one knee and forgot everything she wanted to say. Beejay had picked the ring out months before but felt the time was right at 6 am this particular day. She rushed Liz out of the house and patiently waited for a private stretch of trail where she asked Liz to marry her. After much reassurance that it was not a joke, Liz said YES!”

The whole day was held at Guildhall in North Fremantle, Western Australia. “We chose Guildhall for the aesthetics and ease of holding a function here. The ceremony took place in the outdoor courtyard with exposed brick and vines growing up the wall. The inside was beautiful without the need for excessive decoration. It suited our native flower theme, dark green walls, wooden floorboards, and a dark wooden piano. Plus, at the time, Guildhall was catered by Propeller, and we loved the food! Having good food was a non-negotiable for both of us.”

Liz’s mum is well-known for her incredible baking skills, so it was no surprise when she took charge of the cake and cupcakes.” We had her specialty – lemon cake as the main cake, and it was amazing. Liz and I sat up in our hotel that night, eating the slice that had been packed away for us! Plus, we had carrot cake cupcakes (Beejay’s fave) and chocolate, of course, always a crowd-pleaser.“

Liz set off on a mission in the morning hours before their wedding, knowing Beejay would be taking their dog for a walk. “Liz had wanted to do something special for her on the big day and had gone to Little Loaf (a favourite cafe) and bought a few of her favourite things. She showed up at the dog park, handed Beejay a hamper of goodies, and ran off into the distance. She nailed it. A pre-wedding breakfast pot, coffee and a Conti! What a lucky gal!”

They each had two bridesmaids – Liz had her two older sisters, and Beejay had her sister and best friend. The wedding party all wore dresses in various greens/natural colours.

Beejay walked down the aisle with her mum to a piano cover of “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Kina Grannis to start the ceremony. She had not told Liz whether she would wear a dress, suit or something else entirely – so it was a surprise! She chose a simple gown from Grace Loves Lace and paired it with kitten heels (that were quickly swapped for some sneakers during the reception!).

Liz then walked down the aisle with her mum and dad to “Unchained Melody” by Lykke Li. She wore a bohemian-style gown from Kite and Butterfly, with heels that were also promptly swapped once the reception had begun. “As we mentioned above, we were just so happy to have the chance to say I do in front of our nearest and dearest. Walking the aisle in front of family and friends and seeing each other walk or walking was just so special to us. In the end, we had waited a long time for it, and it did not disappoint.”

The ceremony was short, sweet, and full of heartfelt, fun and humour. “We just wanted to celebrate with family and friends, so the ceremony was maybe 40 minutes tops! We wrote our own vowels, both cutting the deadline on that pretty fine beforehand. A few heartfelt promises, a few inside jokes and a few tears. Then we had one reading from a close friend of ours, Larraine.”

After having to cancel their first wedding in 2021 due to lockdowns, finally getting down the aisle and sharing this experience with their loved ones was special. “For us, making it to the day and getting to share that with family and friends was the best! I think we were just so happy with how it all went. Good food, good wine, good music and most importantly, good people!”

With one wedding already cancelled, Beejay & Liz were so excited to be able to lock in a venue and start replanning their special day. “We were so thankful to have found Guildhall as our venue. We really struggled to plan a second wedding after our first was cancelled in Victoria the year before. They made it so easy; we felt welcome and celebrated from the get-go. The staff were so helpful in the lead-up and on the day; they even assisted in timing our aisle songs 🙂 We loved the food they supplied (via Propeller), we loved the wine, and we loved the venue itself. They were so welcoming of us and our ideas.”

Once the ceremony had finished, Beejay threw on a last-minute addition to her outfit – a cropped leather jacket! “Beejay is notoriously cold; as fate would have it, our wedding day was breezy! So, for most of the night, she paired her gown with a cropped leather jacket from the back of her wardrobe!”

Their favourite photo from the day? “The one of us sitting at the piano in Guildhall is a fav. As well as a real candid selfie we somehow took on someone’s phone that was later sent to us. Massive smiles say it all; it was a great day.”

These gorgeous native flowers were sourced from a local flower market and pulled together by Liz’s cousin Emily – who had a designer background and was the brains behind all the creations. “Liz and the family went early to the market the day before; then it was all hands on deck to put together bouquets and arrangements for the venue. Liz comes from a big family, so many hands made light work! It was also a nice chance for our interstate friends and family to spend some extra time with us ;).”

In the time between the ceremony and reception, Beejay, Liz and the wedding party took off with Jimmy Shoots to get some portraits taken. “He was great! We are both pretty camera-shy and just wanted the bare minimum to remember the day. He made us feel at ease and pivoted quickly when the weather was touch and go. He really worked with us on the day, which was amazing,” they explained.

Sticking with the laid-back cocktail theme, no heirlooms were included, and many traditions were rewritten. “But that is typical of us. Liz and her family did shred up the dance floor, which has been a growing tradition of theirs. No ripped pants, though, so again, maybe we broke tradition. Although Liz’s dress had seen better days by the end of it!”

All of their music for the night was put together by Beejay; she and Liz spent many nights sifting through songs and putting together their dream playlist. “It made the whole experience span across a few weeks. There was dancing in the kitchen and singing in the car, and we still listen to the playlists for a bit of nostalgia!”

Their first dance song was hard to narrow down, so they ended up with two! The first was “Say It” by Maggie Rogers. “This was the first concert we went to together and just held special meaning for us,” they explained. That then led to “Lover” by Taylor Swift as they invited everyone to join them on the dance floor. “Our close friend Paige is a mad Taylor Swift fan, and many of our Victorian lockdown memories were with her blasting Taylor Swift from her car or messaging us about her latest songs.”

As Beejay and Liz left the venue, their guests made a tunnel of love for them to exit through, and we love small details that leave lasting impressions. We hope you two have many more trips down the tunnel of love as you reflect on this beautiful cocktail wedding! Thanks to Shoot Me Jimmy for capturing and submitting the night to us.