There is no better way to kick off 2025 wedding features than with Brett and Alex’s floral-infused garden wedding! It was a beautiful celebration packed with bespoke musical arrangements, foliage focused florals, and breathtaking views of the Sydney Harbour. And with the artful eyes of Maple and June behind the lens, it’s even more beautiful to view!

While sitting in a bath of (non-alcoholic) red wine in an underground Roman spa house in London, Alex and Brett celebrated their fifth anniversary. It wasn’t until staff brought out Alex’s grandmother’s ring on a platter surrounded by wine and cheese that Brett knew something was up. He finally caught a glance of the ring after some (not so subtle) coaxing and realised it wasn’t your everyday platter – but a delicious proposal!

For their floral-infused wedding, Alex wore a beautiful green suit that he had re-tailored to include the shawl lapel as his wedding outfit!

To perfectly contrast Alex, Brett wore a crisp white suit from P Johnson as a nod to the traditional bridal wear.

In their wedding party, Alex and Brett had four groomsmen who were Alex’s closest friends and Brett’s two sisters as their groomsmaids. The groomsmen wore pale grey suits with pale grey ties to match elements from each groom’s suit. While the groomsmaids wore floral printed jumpsuits. “We knew that we did not want a traditional bridesmaid sort of attire, and we were really inspired by a friend who recently got married in this gorgeous white jumpsuit, so we knew that our groomsmen would look gorgeous in the same. Our wedding theme was bright, green or floral, so their jumpsuits had these gorgeous impressionist-leaning floral prints.”

The only florals included in the day were on the wedding party, with the groom’s buttonholes and the groomsmaid’s rustic bouquets that matched the groomsmen’s corsages. “We primarily used foliage, so the venue was dressed in these gorgeous blue, silver, dark and light green leaves, which nicely fit the theme. The guests’ outfits were unbelievably colourful which nicely stood out against the lovely green backdrops. We think foliage is a great choice, as it’s typically always in season, more affordable, and more versatile than flowers!”

Brett is a programme manager, and with the help of Alex’s creative flair, the duo had a breeze planning their garden wedding! “We’re very similar in our need to organise, and we split all of the duties pretty evenly, really, which made the whole thing quite stress-free!”

Alex is a composer and orchestrator of music, so naturally, he arranged a serenade for their string quartet from Sydney Ensemble to perform in four sections: one for flower children, the groomsmen, the groomsmaids and then the happy couple. Each section was a mosaic of music by John Williams from the couple’s favourite films.

They wanted the floral-infused ceremony to be a celebration of queer love with a strong touch of humour and deep gratitude that they could get married in Australia. “We had a special reading by Brett’s mother from one of my favourite childhood books, The Amber Spyglass. Brett’s vows had a lot of humour, while my vows were crafted from songs written by Taylor Swift, a true testament to each of our respective personalities,” Alex shared.

Even with such an incredible dream team of vendors, it was easy for Brett and Alex to pick their standout – Laura Campbell from The Romantic Celebrant! “From the very beginning, Laura brought a warm and personal touch to the entire process. The ceremony itself was beautifully crafted, weaving in these personal moments alongside the traditional elements. It was heartwarming to hear our journey reflected back in such a genuine and heartfelt way.

We received countless compliments from our guests about how personal and moving the ceremony was. Laura’s ability to weave humour, tenderness, and a deep understanding of our relationship shone through every word.”

Finishing off the ceremony with a bang, Alex surprised Brett with a 19-piece musical surprise number! He organised 10 of their friends to play instruments and for nine others to sing “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman as Brett sobbed and laughed along. “I was especially surprised when one of my friends sneakily handed Alex the microphone, and he started belting out the final verse of the song!”

Coming highly recommended by their celebrant, Brett and Alex chose Maple and June as their photographer for the day. “We just loved their energy on the day, as we felt their kind and fun nature really made it feel like they were some of our closest friends helping us through each stage of the wedding! They were also kind enough to send an early batch of edited photographs on the night of our wedding so we could enjoy them the very next day!”

The top five elements that made this floral-infused wedding so special were:

“1. Alex’s incredible 19-person musical surprise

2. The beautiful ceremony and speech from our wonderful celebrant, Laura

3. The gorgeous venue of Athol Hall and the view of the Sydney skyline

4. Having Brett’s mum and uncle organise the beautiful foliage arrangements

5. Bringing together our amazing friends from around the world!”

During their portraits on the waterfront, Maple and June captured some of Brett and Alex’s favourite shots from the day. “At one point while we were with our photographer, we put on the flower crowns which our flower children wore during the ceremony in a little silly moment. These ended up being some of our loveliest photos and matched with our attire really nicely. They’re a lovely blend of silly and beautiful to us.”

Athol Hall in Mosman was their home base for the day, with its incredible view across the harbour and Sydney skylines. “Many of our friends were coming from overseas, so we wanted to give them an incredible experience of what Sydney has to offer. We also wanted an areligious venue, so Athol Hall fits the bill perfectly!”

Brett’s mum and uncle are incredibly gifted florists, so as a pre-wedding activity, the couple organised a foliage workshop with them. Inviting many of their guests to join them in putting together all of these beautiful hangings you can see in their reception space! “Some friends jokingly called it unpaid labour, but we love getting our friends involved in the creative process, even if it did save us a penny or two.”

They didn’t have a first dance, saying, “The tradition didn’t have any meaning to us, and we didn’t want to waste valuable reception time on it!” Instead they spent their time laughing with their loved ones, and dancing the night away!

Congratulations to Brett and Alex on your incredible floral-infused wedding! And a huge thanks to Maple and June for capturing and sharing the celebrations with us.