Romantic Wedding at Twin Waters

Making the most of the warm Spring weather, Brooke and Harrison had an outdoor wedding that turned into an action-packed after-party as the sun went down. Their romantic styling and bright pops of colour were complemented by their all-black dress code. Photographer Courtney Lee captured their day alongside them, making it an incredible day.

Brooke and Harrison went to the same high school, and at the time, he thought she was the bee’s knees, while she couldn’t say the same. Flash forward to their first year at university, Harrison messages Brooke when he couldn’t find their class asking to borrow some notes. No notes were ever shared – but he did find his future wife! They’ve been joined at the hip ever since.

Five years later, Harrison and Brooke took a trip to New Zealand to visit some of his extended family. One afternoon, Harrison, his dad and Brooke headed over to Oceans Beach to look around and attempted to climb one of the dunes (or, as she called it, “Sand Mount Everest) for a better view. Brooke, however, was not keen on the hike and stood her ground. Harrison, seeing she wasn’t changing her mind, said fine and got on his knee right then and there.

She found her romantic dress online from Essence of Australia – and instantly knew it was the one! She rushed down to White Lily Couture in Brisbane to try it on. “I tried on sooo many dresses but as soon as I put that dress on last, I knew. I struggled with the idea of looking like a bride and I tried really hard to want something extremely unique – I ended up looking like a very traditional bride and I couldn’t be happier.”

She had no formal wedding party but had guests all wear black attire. “That way, there wasn’t one person in polka dots and the other in bright floral prints clashing. I wanted our photos to seem timeless.”

The flowers were from That Little Flower Shop and were toned in beautiful pinks, reds and whites. Brooke’s bouquet had a stunning white feature cascading orchid to match the roses.

Harrison wore a classic, romantic black suit with satin lapels and a black bowtie. The moment that stands out to him the most from their wedding was “Seeing my stunning wife come down the aisle and finally getting to marry her!!”

Their venue for the day was Twin Waters Golf Club in sunny Queensland, with the Resort as their accommodation and getting ready space and the Golf Course for the ceremony and reception spaces. The gorgeous manicured grasses and waterfront location were the perfect fit for their wedding.

To walk down the aisle, Brooke held her father’s hand as their musician, John Velsos, sang “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder. The ceremony had assigned seating, and the families sat on opposite sides than they usually would—so Brooke’s parents could see her, and Harrison’s could see him better!

Their ceremony was run by their celebrant, Steven Murray, keeping things fun and light. “There were moments where everyone was laughing, and everyone was crying. We did a family “blessing” ever since I was really young, I’ve told my dad he is not allowed to give me away because I’m not his property to give to another man. He (my dad) always jokes and says, no, I’m selling you to the highest bidder, not giving you away. I wanted to include our families on the ceremony and this was a way so that everyone was!”

Courtney Lee Photography captured this beautiful couple, and Brooke and Harrison couldn’t have been happier with their choice. “She was absolutely incredible! There is no one else I trusted with capturing our day. All of our photos are stunning, and Court followed our brief perfectly. I cannot wait to work with her again and again. It was so important that we picked the right photographer as I wanted someone I could use going forward after the wedding to capture our family and life through the years.”

The advice Brooke and Harrison want to leave future married couples is: “Get everything done in the beginning. Don’t leave anything to the last minute. Also stick to your guns, don’t let family or outside influence make you second guess your decisions. Everyone wore black, and it looked amazing; the nay-sayers have said to me recently that was such a good idea!!”

One of the things Brooke made herself was the signs – since she works for a signage company! “However, I provided most of the tableware and decorations to my venue because I was extremely specific about what I wanted. The venue coordinators made everything look so incredible!!” she explained. “I didn’t cry at the ceremony, but I certainly cried when I saw the reception room!”

This incredible two-tier cake was made by Cinnamon Cake Company, perfectly fitting in with the classy, pink theme of the reception space. One detail Brooke didn’t plan (and was completely surprised with!) was the neon sign. “My mum surprised me! I think I made a comment about wanting a neon sign once really early in the planning process. She remembered it and made it happen the week of the wedding! It’s now in our living room, and I use it every night. It’s hot pink and says Love Club, perfect for us.”

Brooke completely forgot to pick the first dance song; it was only towards the end of their dance that she realised John was singing Hallelujah! “John asked some of my family and friends right before we went on what we would want. I’m pretty sure that our friends said, but I’m not sure she won’t care. Sing what you want. Sorry, John!”

All of the seating was unassigned – allowing guests to be seated where they were comfortable and mingle with the family style dinner. Harrison and Brooke had two separate non-negotiables for their reception. Brooke made sure there was plenty of time for dancing! And Harrison’s only requirement was a fully open bar.