Forget the formalities – Ruby and Andrew’s intimate backyard wedding was all about love, family, and keeping things true to who they are. No aisles, no grand gestures, just a relaxed garden celebration where kids ran freely, confetti rained down with surprise, and every little detail was planned with their families in mind! Captured by the talented Briars Atlas, this was the perfect first event in their wedding celebrations.

They entered together, exchanged heartfelt vows in front of their closest family, and capped it all off with a gorgeous confetti moment that now hangs proudly in their home. With a reception at their favourite Mexican spot and a second outfit change for Ruby, this wedding was proof that the best celebrations are the ones that feel most like you.

While Ruby and Andrew don’t remember exactly when they first met, they do remember when they finally entered each other orbits. Ever since that moment, they’ve been doing things side by side – including planning their engagement! “We decided to get engaged together. I think it’s romantic to discuss and plan together rather than surprise someone with a life decision.”

Want to see part two of this beautiful day? Click here!

Since it was a backyard garden wedding, Andrew wore blue chinos, a white linen shirt, and an off-white suit jacket – simple, clean, and comfy. “The blue chinos and pale gold bow tie were chosen to pair with the colours and tones of Ruby’s outfit, and the other pieces were filled in from there. Like Ruby, I wanted to feel dressed up and special but not overly formal, so the chinos and linen shirt felt appropriate for the garden party vibes,” Andy shared.

Andrew’s parents’ garden was the perfect space for this backyard wedding, allowing everyone to get ready together at their own pace. “It meant we could get ready in the house, have the nieces and nephews running around freely or nap if necessary, and have everything close at hand whilst still having a beautiful backdrop,” Ruby explained. “My mum, Elizabeth Milsom (printmaker) did the fabric decorations – the hanging silk in the gazebo and the decorations on our bouquets and the chairs”

Ruby looked ethereal in her blue Duchess Boutique gown, and her look was completed by the subtle gold detailing on the gown and accessories. “I went looking for dresses with the only constraint being that I didn’t want to wear white. Beyond that, I was open to any colour or style so long as it made me feel special and suited the garden venue. It was actually such a great experience trying on all those different dresses. It allowed me to think outside the norm of how I usually dress and be more adventurous, which ultimately boosted my confidence because I found that I could pull off more than I would have expected. I chose a grey/blue floor-length layered, embroidered tulle dress. My earrings and ring were by David Neale. I wanted my dress to have a daytime feel and feel right in a garden setting but still glamorous and special. I had Margeaux of the Distinctive Dame do my hair – she’s my go-to for glamorous hair.”

Like many other things in their lives, Ruby and Andrew entered their ceremony together. “We walked up to the front together. We didn’t have an aisle. I don’t like the concepts or origins of some of the wedding traditions, and I was keen to avoid any that didn’t fit us. We had been together for 12 years when we got married, living together for nine of those years, so it made no sense to us to arrive separately.”

They opted out of a formal wedding party and instead included their families in the special occasion, even having Ruby’s sister Hester as their celebrant! “The audience was our parents and siblings and their families,” she explained.

One of Ruby’s favourite memories of their intimate ceremony was how themselves the kids were! “My sister was only about a minute into the ceremony when her youngest daughter (newly 3 years old) started sighing with dramatised boredom, and mid-ceremony, our nephew on Andy’s side (2 and a half) became fixated on our rings and was keenly trying to get them. Those funny little interactions added some levity and helped make it feel genuinely relaxed and like a family affair.”

Wanting an intimate and casual ceremony, Hester was the perfect choice for their celebrant and MC. “We aren’t grand gesture kind of people. A great thing about having a sister as a celebrant is that we could really keep it in the family. When we read our vows, we wanted to feel like we were reading them purely to each other so there was no pressure to perform or impress,” she explained. “We didn’t do readings. Hester wrote an intro speech talking about how we met and our relationship, and then we each wrote personal vows that we read to each other.”

They only had one ring each instead of creating a stack. “We feel like that’s special enough. Mine was made using the stones from my paternal grandma’s wedding ring. Andy’s was made by one of our best friends, and she even used Andy’s grandpa’s hammer to texture it.”

When your intimate wedding has all of these incredible photos – there’s a real struggle to pick one absolute favourite. Luckily for Ruby and Andrew, they had one definite stand out. “The confetti photo is our all-time fave. We used it to decorate the entrance to our August party, and it’s now hanging in our dining room/kitchen. There’s so much joy and drama in it. There’s Andy and I laughing with surprise and joy in the centre (a bit of the surprise on my face is because confetti was going down the top of my dress and felt like cold water). And then almost all our family arranged around still in the act of throwing the confetti.”

The beautiful pops of colour you’re spotting in these pics were handpicked by Andy’s mum, Donna! “I honestly wasn’t that fussed about flowers, but Donna was really keen for us to have them, so she took on the job of buying and arranging them. I had input on the colours and kinds, but she did the rest, and they turned out beautifully.”

This stunning dessert selection and cake were created by Georgia Irwin from The Kindness Echoes! “The cake wasn’t technically DIY but Andy and I had decided not to have a cake for budget reasons and had instead ordered a selection of desserts from the wonderful Georgia Irwin, who makes delicious treats but can cater to our family’s very specific dietary needs. However, my dad heard about this and secretly ordered a cake from Georgia, which he surprised us with.”

For their portrait setting, the couple headed up to the gorgeous Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden. Ruby and Andrew worked with Oli from Briars Atlas to capture all of these beautiful moments from the first part of their celebrations. “We chose him for his beautiful, moody photography that feels more like art rather than other staged feeling event photography.”

The thing that really made this celebration of love so special was how intimate it was, where every person who attended was included in some way or another. “That we were able to have such an intimate but beautiful wedding day where most elements were contributed by family members. Andy and I wanted a no-fuss event, but some of our family really wanted to contribute certain elements, and it worked out remarkably well. I feel like there was a risk that family members might want to contribute things we didn’t like or want, but with just a little input from us, everyone was on the same page, and we were happy with everything that was contributed and appreciated their efforts.”

Later that night, the celebrations moved to Radio Mexico in St Kilda for the reception. “We chose them for the dinner because we both love Mexican food and have had numerous incredible anniversary dinners there!”

For this portion of the night, Ruby changed out of her tulle gown into a lovely, sleek, fitted green velvet dress with a hint of the fabric from the ceremony space.

A huge congratulations to Ruby & Andrew on their beautiful, intimate backyard wedding! A special thanks to Briars Atlas for capturing every heartfelt moment so perfectly. Stay tuned because part two is coming soon with even more gorgeous details you won’t want to miss!