Katy and Ollie’s love story is the kind that would make any rom-com jealous. They went to high school together but didn’t talk until after graduation. Fast forward to a friendship filled with inside jokes, spontaneous adventures, and yes, cheesecake traditions! Their autumnal wedding at Montsalvat was a true reflection of their personalities—full of charm, fun, and little surprises around every corner. From Katy’s “Princess Diana meets vintage curtain” gown (in the best way possible) to Ollie’s custom suit, everything was uniquely them. And let’s not forget the second-hand book favours and their sneaky midnight cheesecake getaway after the ceremony. If love is in the details, then these two nailed it!

Sometimes, we’re closer to our soulmate than we realise – something that Katy and Ollie can definitely agree with! They went to high school together but never really talked until after graduation. Katy performed in school productions and assemblies, and Ollie was voted the hottest boy of 2012. After they started running into each other more often at events post-high school, they realised they had a lot in common. “We became best mates quickly, completely oblivious to any serious feelings for one another until a full year later (2014) when we travelled home together after seeing a show in Melbourne. I fell asleep on Ollie’s shoulder, and something shifted; we had our first kiss that night. Everyone knew it was going to happen except for us! That was over 10 years ago now.”

When it came to making that next step, Ollie and Katy decided they were ready together! “We organised a small trip away to the Grampians and planned a day in nature. We went to multiple locations, but nothing seemed quite right; there were too many people, the waterfall was too loud, and the lake was man-made and not nearly as pretty as Google told us it would be. Eventually, we found a small waterfall and a trickle nearby and went on a short trek. Ollie got so nervous that he genuinely can’t remember what he said, but we sat side by side when he asked. I said yes immediately, and Ollie said, ‘Really?’. We tried to tell our family and friends immediately but had such poor reception we had to drive into town. We actually couldn’t tell my parents for a few days because they were also camping!”

This gorgeous wedding film was captured and created by the talented Ruby O’Dowd, their videographer for the day. “Her work has this really fun, loose vibe that we’d been super excited for. In our videography searches, we’d found so many examples of videos that felt sombre and slow, but it’s a big party; it should feel fun! Ruby captured all the excitement and fun of the day beautifully and was awesome at keeping us grounded and in the moment.”

Katy knew she wanted something less traditional, more on the vintage end of the spectrum. She’s obsessed with the vintage Dior New Look aesthetic but hadn’t found anything that stood out in online catalogues. Looking interstate, she was even planning a trip to a vintage bridal store and researching dressmakers – when her mum and sisters took her out for a traditional bridal appointment. “I wanted to ensure I still got to have the traditional experience and thought it would help narrow down silhouette/fabric choices. We went to a massive bridal boutique that boasted a wide variety of gowns. As my sister and I stood outside we noticed this dress on a mannequin in the window. It was so different! It had texture, it had gold patterning, it had a vintage aesthetic, it had puff sleeves!! It looked like Princess Diana by way of curtains (complimentary), and I was enthralled,” she gushed. “We were convinced it would be out of budget but asked to try it on anyway. It was the first dress I tried, and I couldn’t believe how it felt. The dress was somehow exactly what our budget had allowed. I went to other stores and tried on other dresses to be certain, but I knew. I can’t imagine anything else feeling more like me! My Aunt was an absolute gem and helped me with my alterations, and together we made my veil.”

Wanting interesting texture and warmer tones to match Katy’s vibe, Ollie tried some off-the-rack options to gauge what he liked and didn’t. He reached out to Oscar Hunt to bring his dream suit to life. “They walked me through all of their different fabric and detail options, so I was able to really personalise my suit.”

They had their first look in their ceremony space at Montsalvat. “Montsalvat is so beautiful, and has this fantastic balance of old buildings and soft, bright natural landscaping. Being an architect, Ollie has a deep love of interesting structures, particularly historical ones,” Katy explained. “We both also love greenery and nature, so a place with the two together was a natural fit. Also, that window is something else! We almost went with a cinema instead to honour or love of film and vintage buildings but I’m so glad we didn’t – I mean have you seen the photos from the attic!?”

Alexandra Duguid Florals did all of the gorgeous flowers for Katy and Ollie – including this incredible autumnal bouquet. “Ali’s flowers are always so gorgeous and vibrant – she has such an eye for interesting composition. They are unique and classic at the same time. Sustainability and native florals were very important to us and are values we know Ali holds as well. We were beyond thrilled with her work on the day. The flowers were truly the hero moment that tied us all together. We were thrifty too – the bridal party and decorative bouquets were re-used as table centrepieces at our reception.”

Some of Katy and Ollie’s favourite portraits of the day were taken in this attic space above Montsalvat. “In particular there’s one where Katy is looking back as they walk away. It took our breath away when we saw it, and we’ve since blown it up as big as possible and put it on our wall!”

With her parents, Andy and Lyn, on either arm, Katy walked down the aisle as “I Want To Grow Old With You” from The Wedding Singer was sung live by her Bridesmate, Rennie. “It was never a question that if I had anyone with me it would be both of them,” she detailed. “And the song perfectly encapsulates how we feel about each other. Plus, we’re big movie people, and it felt like a sneaky fun thing to include.”

They wanted the ceremony to be fun, and still feel like them – which is why their celebrant, Hester, was the perfect addition! They also included a shoutout to their beloved cat, Amelie. “She’s a massive part of our lives but, for obvious reasons, couldn’t attend on the day. We asked Hester to mention that she was our chosen ring-bearer but couldn’t make it and that our friend Kurt ‘would have to do instead’.”

The couple also included a reading from “One Day” by David Nichols. The passage is from the end of the book and talks about what you should do with your life. “It’s not overtly romantic. However, it encapsulates how we both feel about our lives and the lives of those we love.” It reads:

“What are you going to do with your life?” In one way or another it seemed that people had been asking her this forever; teachers, her parents, friends at three in the morning, but the question had never seemed this pressing and still she was no nearer an answer… “Live each day as if it’s your last’, that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn’t practical. Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance.”

Katy had five Bridesmates: her two older sisters, Jordy and Robby; her friend from uni, Kayla; a friend from school, Rennie; and her former housemate, Alisha. Ollie had five Groomsmen: his brother, Edward, and his friends Tim, Beau, Kurt and Bryn.

The whole wedding party was encouraged to wear something they loved, felt good in and matched the autumnal colour scheme of rust, mustard, maroon, wine, brown etc. “They were also encouraged to thrift, re-use, upcycle or buy something they would definitely wear again. We were so thrilled with how they dressed; so many items were already owned or thrifted, and the colours and textures blew us away when we saw them all together.”

Their photographer, Bec Matheson, captured every beautiful detail of this autumnal wedding perfectly – and the couple couldn’t have been happier! “She has such a beautiful, natural style, which we love. She’s wonderful at capturing small, honest, candid moments that we were honestly more excited about than the official posed photos. She and Ruby, our videographer, got on like a house on fire, and brought a really relaxed, joyful energy to the day!”

Over a decade ago, when Katy and Ollie were still “just friends”, they had a tradition where they would sneak out of parties at midnight and go eat frozen cheesecake together in a park. “We’d stay up for hours just chatting. We decided we wanted to make this weird tradition part of the day, so we had cheesecake as our wedding cake (generously made by Katy’s mum, Lyn). It was a really nice little detail. We actually snuck off for a pre-reception ‘midnight’ cheesecake just the two of us after the ceremony on a nearby rooftop. It was one of our favourite moments on the day, just getting to spend the time with each other (and eat some cheesecake!).”

Post Office Hotel was their reception venue – and a delight from the start! “While we both wanted to include nature we’re both city lovers too. Finding somewhere that had an industrial feel, that was warm, fun and most importantly, had excellent food. Our first trip to Post Office was so great we walked out sure that it was the right place for us. The exposed brick and beams and the glorious burgundy couches were highlights, but honestly the organisation and coordination from that team was incredible. What a venue full of legends,” Katy shared. “Our coordinator, Meg Free, is such a gun, organising everything so we weren’t having to think too hard, and bending over backwards to make sure little details and ideas we had could be included.”

What was the best part about planning this autumnal wedding? Katy shared this, “Honestly I think my favourite part was deciding on food for the reception and the seating chart. Playing platonic match-maker with our friends and family, pairing up people we thought would get along was great, and might I say, very successful.”

To enter the reception, Katy and Ollie danced their way in as “Hey Now (What Dreams Are Made Of)” from The Lizzie McGuire Movie – “It was a riot!”

A beautiful detail they included in their reception was their guest favours/place cards. “We collected a ton of second-hand books that we love, stamped them with a custom stamp we had made, wrapped them in paper and included a little hint about why the book was special to us, and had these on the tables at the reception as wedding favours. We also handmade bookmarks with the same stamp, which we used as place card settings. We loved the idea of giving something personal as favours, but that we wouldn’t be mad when they inevitably end up back in an op shop. We’ve joked about one day finding one of our books in an op shop again, stamp and all!”

The top five things that made their wedding so special included:

“1. Our vows (so much crying!)

2. Our “midnight cheesecake” getaway

3. All our favourite people in one room

4. The colours and vibe being immaculate

5. The honest joy from everyone around us. It was such a wonderful joyous day.”

The final piece of advice Katy and Ollie want to leave for future married couples is this: “Be kind, have fun, hold grace for one another. (And have a bridal party! They were a godsend and truly meant we didn’t stress at all on the day).”

Congratulations, Katy and Ollie! Your romantic autumnal wedding was so beautiful to view – you should be SO proud. And thanks to Bec Matheson for capturing and sharing it with us.