After years of music and shows, Tuyet and Nathan have always marvelled at the architecture of the Sydney Opera House. On Valentine’s Day this year, the couple had their dream micro wedding in the heart of the Opera House. Their intimate ceremony, followed by the chill feast at Palace Chinese, was their perfect wedding. Rachel Gutierrez Photography captured each fun moment and showcased the incredible architecture around them.

Tuyet and Nathan first met when a mutual friend at their university set them up. They spent the first six months of their relationship long-distance, as Nathan left for an exchange program to America the day after their first date. “Doing some of your early dates on Skype isn’t the norm for most couples—but it was actually great fun. We really got to know each other!”

It was on a hike on a beautiful mountain in Milford Sound, New Zealand, that Nathan proposed. He completely surprised Tuyet as he had told her the custom ring by Natalie Marie Jewellery wouldn’t be ready in time for their trip. “Funny story – Nathan had no idea which finger was ‘the ring one’ and didn’t even know what hand it should go on. To add to the comedy, my fingers were swollen from the hike, so we weren’t sure it would fit! But everything worked out, and we had a great moment with a mountain view!”

Nathan and Tuyet both love architecture, so it was an easy choice for them to get married at one of their favourite buildings in the world – the Sydney Opera House. “It’s such a beautiful and thoughtful structure. It’s also a place where we’ve seen many concerts and shows over the years… so much good music and many good memories!”

For their ceremony, the couple opted for an intimate guest list filled with their immediate family members and closest friends. Nathan and Tuyet chose to walk down the aisle together. “We wanted our wedding day to reflect who we are and to be shared with those closest to us. Our love for each other has always been about the fun moments, making each other laugh with silly jokes, and we wanted our wedding to have this same joy and lightness.”

Tuyet wore this beautiful gown from the Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen, with its babydoll fit, midi length and simple design. She wanted a simple, modern-style dress with a full skirt that still had some fun. Tuyet carried this soft pastel bouquet from Lime Tree Bower for her flowers.

According to Tuyet, Nathan has a lifelong aversion to suits but made an exception just in time for the wedding. He wore this custom beige linen suit created by the team at REMY, a local Sydney atelier, paired with a white silk tie. “The latter was a recommendation from REMY, and it looked bloody awesome in photos!”

While they took photos in Circular Quay, Nathan and Tuyet made sure to take some time to grab frozen Cokes from Maccas, allowing them to slow down and enjoy the day. “We are super happy with how our day went—it was chill, joyous, and special! Our relationship has always been full of laughs and exploring things with no rush together. We felt like our wedding day was not rushed at all, and we had plenty of time to savour the day with our nearest and dearest.”

Their micro wedding was exactly how Tuyet and Nathan imagined, and their top five favourite things that made it so special were:

“1. We kept it simple and easy – just like our relationship!

2. We had our closest family celebrate it with us

3. We will be able to point at the Opera House and say we got married there!

4. We had a super delicious Chinese banquet, which ended with an Andy Bowdy cake

5. We had fun!”

Rachel Gutierrez Photography captured this couple’s chill, fun vibes and created their lifelong portraits perfectly. “Honestly, Rachel was amazing on the day. She shared our love for the Opera House’s architecture and included many unique building elements in our photos. She was super friendly and relaxed to be around—it really felt like we were hanging out with an old friend. She did such a good job making something that can feel intimidating actually very easy. The photos are incredible… we couldn’t be happier.”

Some of their favourite photos were taken out in front of the Opera House shells, where Rachel used incredible photography magic to make it look like no one else was around.

After their portraits were finished, the couple joined their guests at Palace Chinese – where they enjoyed an old-school Chinese feast. “We love that they haven’t changed anything about the place in years. We had a big, abundant Chinese-style banquet meal and were totally stuffed at the end!”

Congratulations to Tuyet and Nathan! Your micro wedding was beautiful, and how lucky are you to tie the knot at the iconic Syndey Opera House! Thanks to Rachel Gutierrez for capturing and submitting this fun couple for us to share.