Winter Elopement in Beautiful Canberra

A crisp Canberra winter’s day, a quiet garden, and two people ready to say “I do.” Ally and Simon’s private elopement was all about keeping things simple, intentional, and true to them. With Steph from Acacia and Grace capturing each tender, laughter-filled moment, their day was proof that low-key doesn’t mean low magic.

The perfect spot for this private elopement ceremony was the House of Representatives Rose Gardens next to the Old Parliament House in beautiful Canberra. Not only is it quiet and private, but as protected grounds, it will be a location that Ally and Simon can visit for years to come.

After a bit of deliberation on where to have their ceremony, the couple and their celebrant, Susan, from Say I Do With Suse, set up under a big, beautiful tree. “Our ceremony was very much in the short and sweet category! Our celebrant, Susan, had a simple legals-only option, but she was able to add enough flair and personal touch that it didn’t feel like we were just ticking a box despite not adding any extra personal vows, etc. We exchanged rings, said the right words and sealed it with a kiss!”

Ally wore a beautiful white cocktail dress from Tussah, a pair of shoes from Bared Footwear and later added a cosy white cardigan from Saba. “On the shoes, Bared sell crystal shoe clips, which were actually one of the favourite parts of my outfit, as they can be clipped onto any shoe in the future. I bought nearly everything online. The hardest thing to find was the cardigan, as I needed something to be warm enough in Canberra winter but didn’t want anything too big and bulky so that it still looked nice in photos,” Ally shared.

“With both of our outfits, we ended up buying things that we’ll, for the most part, be able to wear again. We’ve already had a couple of events since the wedding, and between us, I think we have both re-worn all aspects of our outfit except for my wedding dress within six weeks of getting married, so they have been versatile which I love as it’s just little reminders of the day rather than everything being packed away never to be seen again.”

Simon himself wore a Sportscraft jacket, with chinos and R.M. Williams boots. “We wanted to look nice, but keep it casual enough to be appropriate in heading out for a fancy dinner after the ceremony without being in a full wedding dress and tux. The vibe we were going for was essentially an amped-up version of things we would normally wear.”

The beautiful bouquet and buttonhole were from Poetry in Flowers, featuring a mix of dark, moody reds and pops of white. “I really liked that they added to the wintery feel, but were also flower varieties that I have in the house regularly (probably again as an easy way of including the things we like every day, in a nicer version for our wedding!),” Ally explained.

“We didn’t really have a lot of details or extras, but I was probably most pleased with making sure I included a bouquet and buttonhole despite the very low-key ceremony. Not only did they look really lovely in photos, we were able to enjoy the flowers for a couple of weeks after; they were still looking great when we returned from our honeymoon.”

Once the ceremony had concluded, Ally and Simon were spoiled for choice when it came to their photo opportunities. Surrounded by the rose garden itself, Old Parliament House, the NGA Sculpture Garden and Lake Burley Griffin. “Everything was within walking distance and are places that we visit often for walks/coffees/wine, so I think it’s nice that we are able to revisit the sites of our wedding in our day to day.”

Out of all the beautiful details, Ally’s favourite had to be her shoe clips and wearing her aunt’s jewellery. “They added a little bit of glitz to my outfit, but because they can be moved between shoes, I can wear them in the future at different events and feel like I’m wearing my wedding shoes in any shoe,” she shared.

“Nothing intentional; however, my engagement ring and the necklace I wore were items that had been my aunt’s before she passed away at the start of the year. They were beautiful blue sapphires which also covered my ‘something blue’.”

Steph from Acacia and Grace was the perfect photographer for Ally and Simon’s winter elopement, capturing each and every detail in her signature human-first style. “Steph was really great to have as part of our day; she even acted as one of our witnesses. We felt really comfortable with her as our photographer, and with the two of us not feeling overly natural in front of a camera, she made us feel at ease, made suggestions on what to do, etc, so that she could get some really nice shots without us feeling too posed or awkward! We were so happy with the photos we got and the gallery links which also made it really easy to share our photos with family given they weren’t at the wedding itself.”

For Simon and Ally, their portrait inside the Ouroboros sculpture in the NGA gardens stood out the most. “The sculpture is pretty spectacular on its own. That said, there were so many lovely ones in the rose gardens where Steph captured some really nice moments; and the sunset down by the lake represented just the perfect, winter Canberra day.”

After getting engaged in late February, Ally and Simon both knew they didn’t want a lengthy engagement period, and by mid-June, they had already tied the knot. “By condensing down the time, we just made decisions and went with them rather than dwelling on all of the details. We looked up a couple of options for each element and just picked the ones that felt right, and it worked perfectly. And whilst that sounds like it would have been stressful, the quick decision-making actually made things less stressful.”

The five things that made this winter elopement so special included:

“1. Ceremony location – Despite it being in a public park, the location we chose was so private and beautiful

2. Iconic Canberra photography was spot on.

3. Drinks and Dinner after – both places really looked after us.

4. Heading off on the honeymoon the next day. Rolling straight into our honeymoon meant a bit more organising to make sure we were packed, but it made it all feel really connected.

5. Keeping it all about the two of us. By eloping, the ceremony was all just about us getting married and committing to each other, not about anyone else. It was really low stress as only organising where you need to be actually gives you so much time on the day.”

To close their beautiful day, Ally and Simon gathered for an intimate dinner at Koto – a fitting finale to a day filled with meaning and joy. “It was great to be able to extend the day into a dinner we’ll remember. The food was incredible, and the wine/cocktail pairings were spot on. We love eating out, and this meal was one we won’t forget anytime soon, and somewhere we will definitely return to for special occasions.”