Kate & Chan's Romantic Moody Wedding at Hazelmere Homestead

The first time Kate met Chan, he was teaching capoeira. She would never have guessed that, years later (after countless emails, long-distance conversations, and a slow-burning connection), he would be the man kneeling in the muddy winter earth of their backyard, asking her to marry him. Their story grew quietly over time, building through friendship into a love that has now spanned a decade of life, parenthood, and partnership. Their wedding at Hazelmere Homestead felt like stepping into an extension of that love story. Shaded in deep greens, rich burgundies, and moody dusk tones. With their friends and family gathered around, the day was beautifully captured by photographer and longtime friend Tomek Celarek.

Chan and Kate met 20 years ago, but it was only halfway into their orbit around each other when their friendship changed. “I first met him when a friend took me along to a capoeira class, and Chan was the teacher. Quite a few years later, I did a job for one of the stunt teams he was working with overseas, and we were in touch with each other a lot – emailing all the time and talking on the phone,” Kate shared.

“When he eventually got back to Australia and we decided to catch up, I had my suspicions that there had been a spark. A few weeks after that, we found ourselves inseparable and the rest is history! This year was our tenth year together and it felt momentous to celebrate that.”

It was during one of Melbourne’s infamous winter lockdowns that Kate, Chan, and their beautiful daughter were spending the day in their backyard playing with lemons from their tree, when Chan called the duo over to their garden swing. “He got down on one knee in the wet, muddy earth to propose. I cried, and our young daughter thinking something was wrong, also started crying – the photos we took were awash with many emotions! Chan proposed with a ring that a jeweller friend had made, as a placeholder – he knew that I would want to make my own ring and was very clever to make the choice that he did!”

Chan worked with Beg Your Pardon to tailor this beautiful custom-made suit. They came highly recommended by Cristina from Couture Love Madness (who designed Kate’s gown!). “Chan and I had been to a few places to look at suits, none of which fit him properly or really had any kind of pizazz. After we had been in to chat to Michael, Chan decided to go ahead straight away – Michael was so knowledgeable about fits and styles, what would work for Chan’s body shape and the fabrics he might like,” Kate explained.

“Choosing the fabric for the inner lining of the jacket was the best part – we selected a beautiful black and white tulip print as a memoir to Chan’s mum, who passed away several years ago – she adored black and white, and every time we see it, it speaks of her.”

His best man was his dear friend, mentor and teacher Sifu Nino Pilla. He also wore a black suit, matching his pocket square to Chan’s – a beautiful printed silk paired with vintage jewellery.

Their beautiful daughter was the flower girl, wearing the most adorable dusky pink dress with a tulle skirt from Arabella and Rose. Her look was finished with a flower crown and a necklace Kate had made for her when she was pregnant.

The last member of their small wedding party was Kate’s Woman of Honour: Rosie. “I’ve known my very dear friend Rosie since childhood – she and I have been through thick and thin together, so there was no question that I wished her to be there with me on the day. Rosie wore a beautiful, deep burgundy gown with bishop sleeves and a gathered front. We went through at least six dresses before landing on the final one. I gifted Rosie a pair of rose gold and lilac sapphire earrings that I had made as a thank-you / I love you.”

Kate herself wore this absolutely incredible green gown made by the talented Cristina and her team from Couture Love Madness. With fluttery sleeves, a gorgeous v-neck and floaty skirt – never has a gown fit a bride more fittingly! “Straight away, it aligned with what I had been dreaming of and would suit my shape and complexion wonderfully. The experience at Couture Love Madness was truly such a delight. Talking with Cristina and the other wonderful women there was really just like having a chin wag with friends. It was all a very easy and smooth process, and I felt taken care of from start to finish. My favourite colour is green, and from a young age, I knew that if I were ever to be married, it wouldn’t be in white. I truly don’t think anyone was surprised when I appeared in my beautiful green gown!”

Set against the beautiful Hazelmere Homestead in Echunga, South Australia, this romantic, moody wedding was full of reds, purples and dreamy, dark tones. “It was only the second venue we had visited when we were searching for our place, but as soon as we walked in, we knew it was right. The stunning colours of the Autumn leaves, rolling green lawn, and rustic feel of the homestead were really what caught my eye – it was the perfect size and had the right feel for what we wanted. There was nothing flashy or over the top about it, just charming and serene.”

Alana from The Gathered Bunch created all of these romantic florals, perfectly encapsulating the moody tone of the day. “My reference images were all deep, moody and romantic with slight hints of gothic. There were lots of rich bungundies, maroons, dusty pinks and deep greens,” Kate detailed.

“With the help of our wedding planner, Emily, we found the right balance between all these elements and left the rest up to Alana. On the day I was presented with the most gorgeous bouquets of green and black foliage, deep red roses, pink tulips, white peonies and the most stunning pale pink orchids I have ever seen. These colours were carried through to the ceremony florals and the table centrepieces in the reception space. Each table had its own unique floral arrangement accompanied by slender white candles in glass sleeves.”

Kate walked down their grass aisle with her dad on her arm, as “A Calf Born in Winter” by Khruangbin played. “My two-year-old son, who had walked down with my Mum, ran back up to hold his Grandpa’s hand. It had just the right mix of calm and joy.”

Small and sweet – those are the words Chan and Kate would use to describe their intimate ceremony. With only immediate family in attendance, their celebrant, Courtney from Love Made Legal, beautifully wove their story in a heartwarming tale. “I hadn’t planned for it to have any particular kind of feeling – I knew it would be emotional and heartfelt and didn’t want to interfere with that. We included a ‘warming of the rings’ ceremony, whereby our wedding rings were passed from person to person so they could imbue their love and well wishes – I really loved this detail, especially since we didn’t include any readings. My favourite part was reading our vows, where Chan and I had both unknowingly made reference to a significant saying in our lives, ‘A bird and a fish can fall in love, but where shall they live?'” Kate shared.

“I also need to mention our beautiful celebrant, Courtney Hage. Courtney is such a gorgeous soul, and she really brought the magic with her. We had Courtney as our MC for the evening, too, and she spoke so beautifully throughout the day. I really felt supported by her presence, especially before the ceremony when nerves were high – she made sure I knew exactly what was happening and even made sure I had a drink in my hand at the right time. I cannot sing her praises enough.”

When their wedding album looks this good, there was no way to pick one photo as their favourite. Instead, Kate wanted to share the ones that come to mind when she thinks back on this magical day: “A few include: My daughter captured through the window having her little makeup done. Mum and Dad see me in my dress for the first time. Rosie and I being ridiculous while I was finishing getting ready. Chan’s cheeky smile while we were standing ready for the ceremony. My daughter hiding under my dress during the ceremony. A very clever photo of me holding a champagne glass in the air with my green gown behind it. A capture through the barn doors of our first dance. A capture of me, very very excited to see the cake. Chan and I doing matching hair flips while dancing.”

We’re not sure if you noticed, but Kate made a lot of the jewellery for this wedding – and that deserves its own spotlight! From Chan’s wedding ring (made from both of his parents’ wedding rings!!), to his cufflinks with the leftover gold, to her own engagement ring and band. Check out Kate Sutherland Jewellery for more of her beautiful work. “My Art Deco style engagement ring, I made in platinum with a fancy cut 2.76ct green Australian sapphire and Argyle champagne diamonds – The wedding band to match, in platinum with an inner sleeve of gold from Chan’s parents’ rings. My earrings: platinum with a pear-cut tsavorite garnet and white diamonds, and Rosie’s earrings in rose gold with lilac sapphires. To finish, a pair of pearl earrings for my dear Mum. Phew!”

Both the ceremony and reception spaces were styled by the wonderful Emily from The Modern Approach. She even sourced all of the beautiful glassware, tableware, linens, napkins – everything! “The set-up in the reception space was my favourite detail. Everything had been curated so perfectly – the glassware, the ornate silver cutlery, the burgundy velvet napkins, the candles and the flowers. None of this would have come together without our wedding planner (thank you, Emily, you’re an angel!) The cherry on the top of all of this was our cake from Lyons Den Cakes – a two-tiered number with deep burgundy icing and silver and gold kintsugi lines running from top to bottom. Perfection.”

Tomek Celarek was the photographer tasked with capturing Kate and Chan’s moody wedding – and he did an incredible job! “I have known Tomek for many years, and he has taken photos for us before. Aside from this fact, I love his style of photography and the ease with which he does it all. I am quite possibly the most awkward person there is when having my photo taken – Tomek is always able to navigate this with joy and laughter, something that I am so thankful for!”

For Chan and Kate, the most important thing for their wedding was that it had the right atmosphere, and that the food was delicious (and plenty of it!). With Cargo Catering on their vendor dream team, they knew they were getting exactly that. “As well as the music. I spent a significant amount of time curating the playlists for cocktail hour, dinner and dancing. We also made sure to say what was in our hearts during our speech. This felt really significant because both of Chan’s parents have passed away, and their absence was felt so very strongly, not just by Chan but all of the family too.”

Kate wanted to sing Emily’s praises a little bit more: “Emily at The Modern Approach was so incredible throughout the whole process – she made sure every detail was covered, and that we knew exactly what we were walking into on the day. Emily is kindhearted and easy to talk with, and was honest about whether something wasn’t going to work or if there was a better solution. I hadn’t thought of getting a wedding planner, but once I dipped my toe in and saw how much there was to organise – holy wow, I’m so grateful we had her on our team.”

The moment Chan remembers most was walking into their reception and seeing all of their loved ones together, ready to celebrate them. “I’ll never forget walking into that dining room as newlyweds, surrounded by our dearest friends and family and seeing the pure joy and overwhelming happiness radiating from my wife. It’s a moment that will live with me forever,” he explained.

The five things that made this romantic, moody wedding so special for Chan and Kate included:

“1. We did it our way and included all the aesthetic details that suited us, rather than choosing all white.

2. Keeping the ceremony intimate with immediate family only took the anxiety out of it (for me especially!)

3. Having Sambatuka come and play at the end of the night was an incredible way to go out with a bang and celebrate a tiny piece of mine and Chan’s history.

4. The music that I had selected for each section of the evening – there was a lot of personal significance and favourite tracks that really completed the atmosphere.

5. Having all our special people there!”

Instead of having their guests watch their first dance, Kate and Chan wanted them to join in! “Sweet Thing” by Van Morrison played as guests swayed with the couple. “I have to say, it was one of my happiest moments of the day, one that I think will stay with me forever. Tomek, our photographer, captured this moment so beautifully, and I am incredibly grateful,” Kate shared.

“Right at the end of the night, we had a Brazilian bateria band called Sambatuka come in to play, who are old friends of Chan’s. After they had played their first set, a capoeira roda formed (all with the help of our friends!), and it felt like such a magical moment – even guests who hadn’t played capoeira before were standing, clapping along and bringing their joyful energy. Although I had not done any capoeira for many, many years, I threw caution to the wind and had a game with Chan, in my silver sequin jumpsuit under the full moon. It was very special. Unfortunately, our photographer had left by then, so we only have the occasional phone photo as evidence!”