After running into each other (literally), Nicole and Kieran hit it off instantly. Nicole, who previously worked as a wedding planner, threw herself into bringing her own flawless wedding to life. Modern, romantic and intimate – their wedding had a strong emphasis on good food, good service and great company. Dennis Tan Creative joined the couple at their intimate wedding to capture every last detail.

Nicole and Kieran were brought together by the world’s smallest algorithm – the triathlon world. With their shared friends and mutual sponsors, it was only a matter of time before their circles overlapped. “It could be said that had I never met James Cameron (a guest at the wedding) in the recovery area after Ironman 70.3 Taupō in 2017 whilst inhaling an entire box of bickies, we may have never met!” shared Nicole. “We were both preparing for our first Ironman races when we first started chatting, and we enjoyed sharing our experiences with one another. Before we knew it, I was on a flight to the little-big city of Perth to meet the gentle giant, Kieran (despite my friends’ great fears that Kieran was a serial killer – but he had the most gorgeous pup, Cleo, so he couldn’t possibly be that bad!).”

As self-proclaimed lovers of Triathlons, it should be no surprise that their proposal took place on an adventure. “After spending an adventurous morning dog sledding through the snowy trails of Mont Ste Anne out of Québec City (with only one incident where Kieran found himself flying through the air and crashing gracefully onto Nicole and the sled), we followed this with a much more relaxing afternoon at the Strøm Nordic Spa overlooking the Saint Lawrence River. As the day went on, Kieran began to feel a terrible pressure with each passing opportunity disappearing in a foreign place. Not to mention the weight of a sparkly gem buried beneath the winter layers,” Nicole recalls. “With a dinner reservation at the Château Frontenac approaching, where the staff were ready to congratulate the newly engaged couple, Kieran was now very much ‘on the clock’! As we strolled through the cobblestone streets of the old city, lined by 17th-century stone buildings and all of the Christmas lights you could dream up, we found ourselves on a narrow staircase, which sat under the shadow of the towering Frontenac castle where the couple were due to dine very shortly. After a quick photo opportunity to capture the view, Kieran dropped a knee and, in his very best French Canadian, asked a question that, well, wasn’t quite French. Luckily, the beautiful stone in his hand translated the question for me, and I agreed that while I wasn’t sure what the question was, I would happily accept.”

Kieran wore a classic black tuxedo custom-made by Institchu in Perth. He finished his outfit with bicycle cufflinks from MJ Bale, a subtle nod to his love of cycling.

His wedding party was full of his childhood friends, who all wore classic black tux from InStitchu to match Kieran. He chose personalised cufflinks from Otaa for each groomsman, each representing a piece of their shared history: a Fleur de Lys, a Sheepdog, and a sailing Anchor.

Nicole had always dreamed of wearing a classic boat neck gown like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany. With its low dipped back, conservative front and dreamy silk, she found her dream gown at Prea James with the Mila Gown. Instead of a traditional veil, she opted for tulle wings that create a classic flair of drama without covering the beautiful back. For accessories, she wore pearl earrings by Maison Sabben as a whimsical statement piece. As her something blue, Nicole wore the sky blue Loeffler Randall Camellia sandals.

Flowers were done by Bloomin’ Flowers, and the couple chose long-stemmed single white reflexed roses for the bridesmaids to hold and white phalaenopsis orchids for Nicole’s bouquet.

Within her wedding party, Nicole had three childhood friends who all grew up together in Montréal, Canada. Each bridesmaid wore the Aletta Dress in an ivory satin from the Canadian retailer Park & Fifth Co. On their feet, they wore ivory sandals with bow features to compliment Nicole’s shoes. She picked out pearl Tiffany Duliège earrings for each of her friends to match her own pearl earrings.

<

Parry Beach Breaks was a place Nicole and Kieran had fallen in love with soon after they got engaged. “We had it earmarked as a beautiful accommodation venue, as we enjoy vacationing in Denmark, and following the proposal, it quickly found its way onto the list of possible wedding venues. From the moment you turn onto the long driveway, your breath is taken away by the rugged, windswept landscape, the kangaroos and cows in the paddocks, and as you approach the venue, the lush and manicured lawns and architectural landscaping unfold and present the stark, modern reception building by a beautiful dam. You feel a million miles from anything or anyone else. The buildings are beautifully and thoughtfully constructed, from the stone-cladding drinks bar to the solid timber reception tables, milled from the trees from their property,” she explained. “We chose to hold the ceremony in the Shelter, a stark black ‘chapel’ in the middle of a paddock on the property, which, despite its external outlook, was white, bright, and open to the landscape outside. It was perfect.”

Also from Bloomin’ Flowers, this asymmetrical freestanding floral arrangement framed either side of their altar at the barn doors. To the left of the doors, Nicole and Kieran included a photo of their Border Collie, Cleo, who had passed the year prior to their wedding, on their signing table. “It was important that she be part of our ceremony, as she was such a big part of both of our lives, for Kieran, as they were together for about ten years before she passed, and for me, as my little furry friend who made it a little bit easier to uproot my life and move to this big country town of Perth.”

Nicole walked down the aisle on her father’s arm as Emily Watts’ rendition of “La Vie en Rose” played. “It was an ode to my French roots and a lovely rendition of one of my favourite French songs.”

Their intimate ceremony was led by their celebrant, Rachael Simpson, who walked their guests through the couple’s love story beautifully. “We are quite private people, so sharing our vows in front of a group was very intimidating. This was a beautiful opportunity to share our intimate story with those closest to us, as we are outwardly pragmatic and conservative.”

As a former wedding planner, Nicole was quite excited to step back into her old boots and tackle the planning from the other side of the process. “We also just loved the process of planning a big wedding ‘festival’ which would bring all of our favourite people together for several days.”

Once the ceremony had concluded, the wedding party took off with the photographer, Dennis, to take their portraits. “What an absolute ninja! We knew Dennis from his former background in sports photography, and when we saw that he’d made the shift to wedding photography, it was a no-brainer. He is incredibly sweet, loooooves to have loads of fun, and his little giggle when he gets a good shot is just the best! We couldn’t speak more highly of Dennis.”

It was really important for both Nicole and Kieran to work with local suppliers in order to support the local economy of their intimate wedding. “It made things more challenging at times, but it was well worthwhile knowing that we were hosting a more sustainable event and supporting the local community,” Nicole shared, especially since they had guests flying in from all corners of the globe. “Having guests travel from all over to the far reaches of Australia was incredibly special, and we are so very grateful to everyone who made it down to this remote location for our special day. Making it a five-day event was also the best decision ever. We organised a gathering each day, which allowed guests to get to know one another before the big day and to reminisce afterwards. It also meant that we weren’t stressed about getting around to see each of our guests the day of the wedding, as we had many opportunities to catch up with everyone on the days surrounding the wedding.”

This couple’s top five favourite things about their intimate wedding were:

“The people – having friends and family from all over the world and country was such a gift.

The food! – we only wish we could have had more, as we were so distracted with having a wonderful time, we wish we had taken more time to savour it all.

The venue – gosh, what a special place. Truly a nature lover’s (who also enjoys stylish architecture and all the comforts) paradise.

The music! – our DJ took the brief and holy moly, did he deliver! The dance floor didn’t let up for a minute, and for a small wedding party, we hadn’t had that much fun EVER!

THE LOVE – the feeling of everyone coming together to witness such an important moment for us and then to party the house down with us, we will never forget this day.”

>With so many beautiful photos to choose from, Nicole had a hard time picking just one as her favourite. “Oh gosh, we haven’t even seen them all yet, but there are so many special ones! One of our favourites is an aerial drone shot of us along the long, red dirt driveway, with the rugged landscape flanking either side. The stark contrast is breathtaking, showcasing the unique landscape of the place we hold dear to our hearts.”

For the reception, they chose a classic black and white theme, with matte black stacked bud vases filled with white flowers, contemporary table styling and beautiful glass light fixtures. The amazing team over at Entice Food Co. made this incredible dessert spread.

Their first dance took place outside on the dancefloor overlooking the water as “Feels Like Home” by Chantal Kreviazuk played. “As an expat, it was a symbol of my finding my new home in Kieran, rather than it being a physical place.”

They brought on Marian’s Catering as one of their vendors – and were absolutely blown away by their experience. “They are a tiny operation, and as big foodies, we have to admit we had some reservations at first, but they were incredibly accommodating, taking as much time as we needed to curate our perfect wedding menu. On the day, everything far surpassed our expectations, with absolutely every guest commenting on how incredible the food was!”

As day turned to night, Nicole changed into her reception dress, a classic mini with long sleeves that featured that gorgeous low-back detail once again, this time with a large bow.

Congratulations, Nicole and Kieran, on your beautiful marriage and this gorgeous classic wedding you put together! Thanks to Dennis Tan Creative for capturing the day.