It wasn’t love at first spark for Hayley and Chris, but it was a sparkling introduction. These two firecrackers had their waterside wedding on the beautiful Matilda Bay foreshore, surrounded by sun, sand and glittering water. Featuring boho-inspired florals, a unique ceremony setup and incredible styling from their planner and creative director, Atalie Park of Luxury Wedding Collection Perth! With Kirsten Graham from Compose Photography, Callum Smith from Csmith Photography and Tamlyn Jade Art’s painting, Hayley and Chris have a beautiful collection of visuals to look back on forever.

Hayley and Chris first met while working at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Murdoch, Western Australia – where these two sparklers collided in a swirl of bickering and banter. “Let’s just say we didn’t see eye to eye on a few things at the outset!” It wasn’t until two years later, when they both attended a mutual friend’s going away party, that those sparks rekindled in the best way possible. They were head over heels two hours in, and as they say, the rest is history!

For Chris’ birthday, Hayley planned a full day of celebrations for Chris at Crown Perth, but little did she know Chris had his own secret celebration up his sleeve. During their staycation, he popped that almighty question, and their birthday celebrations turned into a double birthday and engagement celebration!

Hayley’s gorgeous gown was from LUV Bridal in Mt Lawley. She wanted a dress with a boho fabric and a formal finish. The gown originally had a strapless design, which wasn’t exactly what she was looking for, so together with Theressa Designs Perth, they brought her dream dress to life. Finishing it with a pair of statement puff sleeves and a V-back, it was the perfect look for their waterside wedding.

Her goal for the wedding party was for them to feel comfortable and at ease on the day, so Hayley left the dress hunting up to each of her bridesmaids. “Our bridesmaids chose their own dresses to match the colour theme, and each was unique in colour and style to suit their individual style and body shape. Most of all, they actually liked them!”

Their Wedding Planner and Creative Director/Stylist, Atalie Park from Luxury Wedding Collection Perth, carefully styled these stunning floral displays from Forever Rose. She considered the colours of the natural surroundings of Matilda Bay Reserve, where their ceremony and reception took place. The final result? A gorgeous mixture of fresh and preserved florals in toffee, cream and sage tones.

Chris wore a classic cream linen suit from Peter Jackson, paired with a crisp white shirt and a dark green tie to match the colour theme of their waterside wedding. His wedding party wore deep green suits to match his tie, with pocket florals to pair with the bridesmaid’s bouquets. As an additional special touch, Chris and Hayley’s father had a photo insert of her stitched inside their ties.

The moment Chris remembers most fondly is those 30 minutes before the ceremony, where he greeted guests and anticipated Hayley walking down the aisle. “Seeing the final touches of months and months of Atalie and Hayley’s planning (and my own!) and knowing I would turn around and see Hayley at the end of the aisle. She looked even more perfect than I could have ever imagined, and a perfect afternoon and evening followed,” he shared.

They chose to host their ceremony in the grassy area of the Matilda Bay foreshore. Wanting an intimate space, Hayley asked Atalie to create a circle ceremony so they could see every guest in attendance. With its boats floating by and with the city skyline, the Swan River was the perfect backdrop for their I Do’s.

The aisle was parted into two-row circles of seating, and Hayley walked down it with her father, David, on her arm and her sister, Jennie, holding out her veil and train. On a date night out, Hayley had fallen in love with the string trio Dolce Ensemble Trio from Perth, so as she walked down the aisle, she was elated to see them performing “Lover” by Taylor Swift!

The vibe Hayley and Chris wanted for their ceremony was very much intimate and relaxed, with that touch of fancy. “It was important to us that the ceremony involved elements of Chris’ Scottish heritage with a hand-fasting and personal elements of our love story involved as part of the ceremony. The hand-fasting was very special as some family members had flown to Perth from the UK to be with us. I wore Chris’ family brooch on my dress and my Nanna’s pearl bracelet, which felt like a nice link to her on the day.”

Hayley and Chris couldn’t have been happier with Atalie on their team – and they were even more excited when they learned that their all-inclusive wedding package included Kirsten Graham from Compose Photography! Kirsten is an award-winning master photographer who’s been shooting weddings for over 20 years. “There’s not much she hasn’t seen at a wedding, and that experience helped put our families at ease and enabled them to enjoy their time in front of the camera!”

The top five things that made this waterside wedding so special included:

“1. Our first glance at each other down the aisle,

2. Circle ceremony and the intimacy of the guest list,

3. Dolce ensemble and the pre-bar atmosphere before Hayley arrived, where I [Chris] got to mingle and be excited with guests,

4. The Viking feast style of the food service was a great way to bring people together to share a meal,

5. Added personal touches and a very “us” element to the planning, styling and atmosphere.”

One of Hayley’s favourite parts of planning their wedding was having Atalie Park and her team at Luxury Wedding Collection Perth on her side during the whole process. “Knowing there is a team of people with you from 8am to 8pm handling small changes, details, vendors and anything else that may arise on the wedding day meant that we didn’t have to worry about anything, we simply enjoyed our day and knew that Atalie had whatever may happen covered!”

Their reception took place on the outdoor terrace space at Matilda Bay Restaurant. “We wanted to dine under the stars with a relaxed vibe, hence the two long tables for maximum interaction during our Viking-style dinner.”

Of all these incredible photos, it was hard for Hayley to pick any one photo as her favourite, but when it came down to the decision, she would say this shot of her and Chris sitting at the bar. “It’s not an overly posed moment at all; we’re just enjoying a drink and some canapés quietly inside the bar, hiding from the crowd for just a moment after the ceremony before the reception.”

Atalie arranged a walk-through photo area for guests filled with special photos from over the course of their relationship in large frames tied with delicate ribbons. Another surprise at the reception was the live artist, Tamlyn Jade Art, that Hayley arranged to capture the moment on canvas. That piece is now a very special item the couple will treasure forever, and it quickly made Tamlyn their favourite vendor of the day.

Chris and Hayley added a personal touch at the reception, handwriting a note for each guest and using those notes as their place cards at the tables. “We wanted them all to know how incredibly special they were to us and why they were chosen to celebrate this special day with us both.”

As a big movie lover, Hayley had initially wanted their first dance to be a team dance number from A Knights Tale (circa 2001). But with the lack of volunteers, they instead went with the duet “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge, with some surprise cold sparklers; a cheeky nod to their sparky beginnings!

Please join us in congratulating Hayley and Chris on their stunning waterside wedding! And thanks to Atalie Park and Compose Photography for creating and capturing this incredible celebration.