On a sun-drenched summer’s day in Melbourne, Emma and Meghan gathered their closest friends and family for a celebration brimming with colour, laughter, and family-first moments. From a flamboyant cake from Bakes By Her to vibrant silk florals, their micro wedding was the perfect reflection of their love. With photographer Georgia Wiggs behind the lens, every glance, giggle and joyful detail was captured with warmth and care.

It may sound like a cliché, but Emma and Meghan’s love story really did begin at work. When Meghan joined the all-girls Catholic school in 2017 (where Emma had already been teaching for a decade), neither of them expected their paths to tangle the way they did. But as the months rolled on, they conveniently always seemed to be packing up at the same time each afternoon, casually strolling out together and lingering by their cars. Those ‘accidental’ run-ins soon became the highlight of their days, turning a simple routine into the start of something far more exciting.

Daydream Island turned out to be the dreamiest place for Emma to pop the question. “We were watching the morning sun from our little balcony, and Emma popped the question,” Meghan shared. But instead of an engagement ring, Emma had something a little unexpected up her sleeve. “Emma had been in contact with my favourite earring designer and had custom ‘marry me’/’I <3 you’ earrings made by Haus of Dizzy.” The earrings were such a hit that Meghan couldn’t resist wearing them again on their wedding day!

Starting their fun micro wedding off on the right foot, Emma and Meghan spent the morning waking up and getting ready together with their kids. “Having the morning together kept both of our nerves away, and meant we were both on hand to help keep our kids calm too. Emma took Clem and Toby out for a special breakfast, while Meghan and Merri spent time with the hair and makeup. We came back together, got dressed and walked to the venue together, before walking in together. We started as we meant to go on!”

When it came to picking her outfit for the day, Emma couldn’t decide between the sheer volume of suits, jumpsuits and two-pieces available. “Her mum, Valdi, tipped her off to a local Ballarat designer, whose studio was conveniently just around the corner. Laura from Clasch Designs created the most beautiful bespoke black jumpsuit for her in record time. She looked amazing!” Meghan shared.

Megan herself wanted a courthouse style – something cocktail length, no fuss, but still made her feel pretty. “After ordering and being disappointed by practically every Little White Dress in Australia, I was delighted to finally find the Elyse midi dress from City Chic, which fit the bill perfectly.”

Sticking to the intimate, laidback vibe of the day, Emma and Meghan forwent a formal wedding party. “In keeping with our low-stress goals, our three children were given free rein over the roles they wanted to play and what they wanted to wear during the day. Toby walked us in and kept the rings safe, acting as our unofficial Best Man. He wore tailored summer shorts, a navy Protea tie from Peggy and Finn, and his favourite new dunks. Merri was in charge of confetti and informal photography, capturing some great candid shots of her siblings during the day. She wore an LBD from Decjuba. Clementine was in charge of confetti and bringing the dance floor vibes. She was dressed in a lilac tulle swing dress from Tutu de Monde. Our mums, Shelley and Valdi, were our witnesses and made it all official for us.”

As their wedding was in the dead of summer and they were travelling to Melbourne, Emma and Meghan wanted flowers that needed no special attention but were still vibrant. When they came across Studio Alyssum and their silk flowers, the couple were instantly sold. “Both of us wore wrist corsages, as did Clementine. The colours were picked up in Toby’s boutonniere. Meghan also carried a bouquet during the ceremony – vibrant colours, excellent movement, and filled with little oranges. They didn’t wilt or get crushed, of course, and they are now displayed in a vase at home as a reminder of our day.”

Emma loved the simplicity of it all. “We walked to the chapel from our accommodation as a family, and the day was surprisingly less stressful than we had anticipated,” she says. With both venues being laidback, everything ran smoothly, leaving plenty of time to simply enjoy the day. “We could walk between venues, and walk home as a family at the end of the day. And we got to celebrate queer joy! We loved celebrating our love and our blended family with our friends and family, and taking this moment to formally acknowledge the family we have become. I also loved our cake! It was flamboyant and fun, and reflected the joy of the day.”

When it came to their standout vendor of the day, two really stood out with their ability to make Emma and Meghan feel seen and heard. “Georgia, our photographer! And the whole crew at The Altar Electric. Both made the day perfect for us by keeping the tone celebratory and light, and focused on meeting us where we were. Both vendors also maximised the time they spent with us before the wedding. Each met with us online in the week leading up to the wedding to chat through our vision and get to know us as a couple. Each meeting was probably only 45 minutes long, but they both used this time to listen, ask questions and allowed us the space to express what we were hoping for our day.”

The Altar Electric Wedding Chapel in Abbotsford is a Las Vegas-themed venue with stunning pops of red, pink, gold and glitter as far as the eye can see. “The venue is in a converted shop front and has a space for the ceremony, a bar and plenty of room for people to dance. We had 70 guests, and this venue proved to be the perfect size with enough room for people to mingle, sit and dance. The vibrancy and pops of colour at the Altar Electric clearly tell all guests that they’re there to celebrate love and party,” they shared. “We choose to have our after (noon) party at Dr Morse, a short 50-meter stroll from the Altar. This meant that everyone could walk at their own pace to our next location and not have to rely on transport, helping reinforce our relaxed vibe. Dr Morse has an excellent bar garden with shade, greenery and a cooling sprinkler system, which was needed on the 30-degree day. Like The Altar, the staff at Dr Morse were excellent to work with. We didn’t have to spend ages communicating with them about what we wanted; they expertly guided us in our food choices and helped take away any stress that we may have felt about the ‘next part’ of our wedding.”

Toby walked down the aisle first, followed by Meghan and Emma as the Little Eva version of “Some Kind of Wonderful” played. “We are too old to be ‘given away’, and we wanted to walk into this decision together!”

A huge selling point for Altar Electric with Emma and Meghan was knowing that their resident celebrant, Dee, would be there to help with all aspects of the ceremony. “We met with Dee before our wedding to share our story and our vision for the ceremony, and then we basically left it up to her. Dee shared our story at the beginning of the ceremony, and her expertise shone as she wove our courtship, dating and becoming a family into a story that each guest recognised parts of, while learning new things about us. The feeling was light and fun, celebratory and inclusive. We wrote our own vows, and these were shared (for all) for the first time at the wedding.”

One of their favourite wedding moments actually happened before the day itself, manifesting as they worked with the talented Laura from Coral Covey Jewellery to create their wedding rings. “Over two sessions, she guided us through the process of planning and crafting our rings, rose gold, and carved with a special symbol inside. It was so special to handcraft these for each other, and their perfect imperfections remind us of the nature of our love every day. Laura was so encouraging and skilful, and this was one of our happiest, lowest stress pre-wedding events.”

As they’d opted out of most of the formalities of the day, Emma and Meghan had to get creative when it came to creating special roles for their mums. “We found having them sign our marriage certificate was a special way to include them in our day.”

For Emma and Meghan, it was essential that their micro wedding flowed smoothly, rather than feeling like a series of stilted tasks to perform. “We didn’t have a formal first dance; instead, we gave the DJ a few “must play” songs and left the rest up to him. We had an informal agreement to dance to Whitney Houston’s ‘I Want to Dance with Somebody’ – we kept our ears open and made sure we danced to this one together.”

The ever-talented (and ever-loved by us) Georgia Wiggs was the photographer for Emma and Meghan, perfectly capturing the fun vibe of the day. “Georgia is the best! She was so emotionally intelligent and was a genuinely calming person to have around. We wanted to keep our morning as calm as possible, considering the heat and the high emotions on a day like this for both the brides and the children. Georgia understood the assignment completely and worked gently and unobtrusively with us at the accommodation beforehand. She was happy to walk with us to the chapel, getting our family shots/ location shots along the way. We loved having a queer photographer, and felt so comfortable with her – she was so open and understanding about the way we approached the day, and reminded us that it was ours to live as we wanted. Highly recommend!!”

The piece of advice Emma and Meghan want to leave for couples is this: “To not get trapped into thinking that you need to include certain things in your wedding or that it should look and feel a certain way. Emma was a little shocked at how expensive a wedding could be, and would recommend accepting that you will need to spend money to get excellent service and support; this financial outlay pays off in limiting the stress of organising your wedding.”

A huge thank you to Georgia Wiggs for capturing every joyful moment so beautifully, and the warmest congratulations to Emma and Meghan as you step into this new chapter together!