Nestled among reeds and trees, Amy and Caroline’s cosy summer wedding was a celebration of love, nature, and community. The couple created a day that brought their personalities to life – whimsical florals, handmade touches, and a ceremony on an island surrounded by loved ones.

From dress shopping together to dancing under the stars (muddy hems and all), their wedding radiated a warmth and sincerity that brought tears to our eyes. Thanks to the talented Erin and Erica of Margan Photography, every heartfelt moment was captured in a way that feels as special as the day itself.

Amy and Caroline met like many modern couples – on the apps! Specifically, they met on Tinder, and once their connection sparked, there was no stopping it. Knowing Amy was passionate about birds, Caroline took her to an aviary for their first date. The only problem was Caroline’s deep fear of birds! “I thought I appeared really brave during our date, but Amy later told me that she could tell I was petrified of the birds the whole time. I’ve now come around to love birds as much as her!”

Caroline took Amy down to a river in Yass, NSW, where they had one of their first dates (where they spent hours and hours chatting). She’d taken Amy here with the intention of proposing, and after overlooking the river for hours, she finally asked that all-important question! Unfortunately for both of them (but especially Amy) that day Amy had an upset tummy – and they’d now dubbed this spot “Fart Rock”!

To find their dream dresses, Amy and Caroline took each other shopping! “During COVID, most of my family was locked down in Western Australia, and the only person I knew well enough to help me choose a dress was Amy,” Caroline shared.

Not one to usually wear dresses, Caroline stepped out of her comfort zone for their cosy summer wedding and picked out this beautiful fitted dress. “One of the first dresses I tried on at Angelic Inspirations was the one. I immediately fell in love with it! It wasn’t what I expected to love, but this one was it.”

Caroline had her sister, Claudine, as her Maid of Honour and her two closest friends, Nivedita and Shiqing, as her wedding party. They wore gorgeous pinks and greens to match the cosy nature vibes of the day.

In Amy’s wedding party, she had her brother, Lachlan, as her Man of Honour, alongside her bridesmaids, Amy and Georgia. All of them wore matching pink and greens to Caroline’s wedding party.

While Caroline and Amy did their dress shopping together, they didn’t actually get to see the final results until their first look! As a plus-size person, Amy was anxious about not being able to find something that was comfortable on her body. That’s why she and Caroline headed to Angelic Inspirations in ACT – and literally, the first dress she tried on was the one! This stunning, whimsical dress with fluttery sleeves and delicate lacing was the perfect choice for their cosy wedding.

During their first look, all Amy could think about was how excited she was to marry the love of her life! “I remember most how beautiful my wife looked and how in love I felt! I was just so excited the whole day to get to spend the rest of my life with her.”

The lovely flower crowns, boutonniere and bouquets were all made by the talented Grace Smith from Kettle’n’Petal! The rest of the foliage and florals found throughout the day were collected from the property’s natural resources. The main colours they picked were pinks and oranges, representing the lesbian pride colours!

Redbrow Garden Guesthouse was their base for the day. Close to their own home but surrounded by the lush trees and reeds they were looking for. “We wanted a space that was in nature, where guests could roam throughout the wedding.”

To kick off the ceremony, Caroline and Amy’s flower girls walked down the aisle. Who were their flower girls we hear you ask? None other than their grandmothers! “Having our grandmothers as flower girls was really important to us. Both of them mean a lot to us; however, they have been unwell, and so we wanted to include them in something special. Both of them really enjoyed their roles, and they were fantastic as flower girls!”

Instead of walking separately, Amy and Caroline walked down the aisle together as Stevie Nick’s “Crystal” floated through the air. “Both of us felt very nervous about it and found comfort in each other, so we decided to do it together. We chose to walk down to Crystal from a film we both love, Practical Magic!”

Surrounded by reeds and trees, their ceremony took place on an open island on a lake on the property. Their celebrant, Alinta Goldsmith, kept guests engaged and perfectly matched the forest-y, light-hearted vibes of the day. “All of our vendors were amazing! In particular, talking to our celebrant, Alinta, was like talking to a good friend – she was so helpful with advice about the day and helping us write our vows. She also has a great sense of humour, which made the ceremony much more enjoyable.”

In order to keep their cosy wedding within budget, Caroline and Amy DIY’d a large portion of their day. From the arbour florals to the cake itself, they took matters into their own hands to keep costs low. “We decorated the tables as well using foliage from around the property collected the day before and tea lights from Kmart; Amy baked the wedding cake the night before (and decorated it the morning of the wedding), and we set up chairs, decorations, and fairy lights around the gardens. It was a massive effort, but we were so thankful to have friends and family assist with setting up and cleaning up in the end.”

One element of their reception they both loved was including Polaroid cameras! “Thank you internet for these ideas. Guests could take photos and pin them up on a corkboard with hand-written messages. It meant that moments could be captured that Amy and I may have missed due to how busy the day was. We still have all the Polaroid pictures up in our house :)!”

Another element they couldn’t have gone without was their chickens, Winnifred and Bellatrix (named after famous pop-culture witches!). “Amy’s passion is chickens (breeding and showing them at competitions). So, of course, our two most beloved Belgian D’Uccles had to also be included in the wedding.”

Erin and Erica from Margan Photography captured this cosy summer wedding, and did an incredible job of making Caroline and Amy feel comfortable in front of the camera. “Both of us usually feel awkward getting photos taken of us, but we felt really comfortable around them, and they just knew how to get the best shots. They also stepped above their roles as photographers and helped direct the guests in rearranging tables undercover, out from the rain. I think having the right photographer is so important – the photos of the day will be the main thing you have to remember the day by, and we are so happy to have such wonderful photos taken by them that really encapsulate the day.”

The five special things that made Amy and Caroline’s cosy summer wedding unique to them included:

“1. Being surrounded by the people who meant the most to us

2. Having our chickens there

3. Having our grandmothers be flower girls

4. Dancing to Rainbow Connection

5. Just having it be a perfect, magical day!”

Just before the ceremony was about to start, it started raining, which would have been fine if the reception space hadn’t been set up in an exposed area. While Amy and Caroline were getting their portraits taken, Caroline was getting anxious about everything getting wet. Thankfully they have incredible guests and vendors who rearranged their setup to an undercover area. “The chaos of this seemed to bring guests closer together, and it made the reception all the more cosy. The rain also meant that our dresses got covered in mud and dirty – but we are both the kind of people to not mind getting dirty while working with our chickens or in our gardens, so it was fitting that we ended the day in that state.”

The best piece of advice that Amy and Caroline want to leave for future married couples is to have a designated organiser on the day – and we couldn’t agree more! “I’d planned everything up until the day of the wedding but then it meant often I was too preoccupied on the day to help organise where the caters could set up, tell guests where to go (we had some signage, but some still got a little lost), and press play on our set playlist for the reception. Thankfully my sister could step in last minute.”

Their first dance was to the Kermit the Frog version of “Rainbow Connection”. “We love the Muppets film where it came from, and it’s meaning about finding a “rainbow connection” with each other. We both don’t like to get too emotional in front of others, so we wanted something a little goofy and unexpected but still sweet. Kermit is also a bit of an icon to us, so we wanted a little homage to him.”

With a final album overflowing with so many incredible photos, it wasn’t an easy task for Caroline to pick her favourite. But these shots of her and Amy dancing in the dark have to be up there. “We both adore the photos of us dancing at night under the trees with the light behind us – it looks so magical! We also love any of the photos with our chickens! They were fantastic at posing for the photos, and are so happy to have them forever in our wedding photos.”

Thanks to Margan Photography for capturing these moments and sharing them with us! And a huge congratulations to Amy and Caroline on your cosy summer wedding!