Industrial Glam Wedding at Smoked Garage

If weddings were stage shows, Emily and Chantelle’s would be a full-blown, glitter-drenched production: complete with a pre-show, plot twists, costume changes, and audience participation. Held inside the moody, motorbike-filled walls of Smoked Garage in Fortitude Valley, their industrial-glam celebration blurred the line between ceremony and spectacle in the best possible way. Think guest love notes, a surprise celebrant switch-up, tiny ring-finger tattoos, and yes, wet pussy shots handed out signing. It was heartfelt, hilarious, and deeply personal all at once. Thankfully, Miriam Ackroyd of Life is Beautiful was there to capture every sparkling, chaotic, joy-filled second.

After matching on a dating app and spending months talking and trying (and failing) to plan their first date, Emily decided it would be cute to show up to Channy’s gym to orchestrate a meet-cute. Which would have been an adorable way to meet… if it wasn’t a professional Muay Thai gym. Not easily scared off, she braved a class and tried her best, only to end up breaking her neck! “Luckily, Channy wasn’t at the class to watch my fail, but I sent her a video telling her all about what happened, and we organised a breakfast date to debrief the next day. When I picked her up and smiled at her; Channy knew her life was forever changed, and the rest is history. They dated with reckless abandon, allowing each other to fall madly in love,” Emily shared.

“I officially asked Channy to be my girlfriend three months later (figuring that was enough time dating for people in her life to realise this isn’t a fling or a phase), I was now ready to come out and tell the world I was with a woman and never go back to life before Channy was in it.”

Chantelle had been planning an extreme surprise proposal – as she and Emily were skydiving from 15,000 feet and the words “Will you marry me” were written in the sand beneath them. Which would’ve been an incredible story, however her grandma Rosemary accidentally spilled the beans to Emily the weekend before. “This turned out to be the best thing ever, as Emily had also bought Channy a ring – and was able to surprise her by proposing back to her when they landed on the beach. It was magical.”

Both opting out of traditional wedding gowns, Emily and Chantelle went with what felt more like them instead. Channy wore a gold and silver sequinned Roman-style gown, looking every part the warrior goddess she is!

Emily wore a contrasting white mini dress with a fluffy skirt and appliqué flowers. She finished her look with extra flair – a 3-meter-long gold and silver glitter veil that matched Channy’s gown.

Their wedding party (AKA the Love Squad!) was made up of Owen, Michael, Laura, Tiffany, Amy and Richard. Each styled in the most gorgeous black looks with a touch of gold and glitter.

Smoked Garage in Fortitude Valley hosts a tasting menu for couples to try the food once they’ve booked their wedding… a fact which Emily hadn’t realised when she booked in for a date night. “Before we were even engaged! We fell in love with the venue, the staff and the band (Bassline Studios). It was after that night that we realised this is where we should get married when the time comes. We then did a couple of scouting trips with our wedding planner / stylist / MC and entertainment extraordinaire Alan Jenner, and he agreed; Smoked Garage was the perfect venue for our big day,” Emily explained.

“What made this venue so great was the antique styling, the motorbikes, the art deco decor (stunning tiles/ purple velvet chairs/ gorgeous wooden furniture) and the relaxed, welcoming attitude of the staff. We got married upstairs and had our party/ reception downstairs. Being able to book out the entire venue for the day was fantastic – and it was so easy for our guests.”

All of the styling came from the incredible brain of Alan Jenner from That’s Love Celebrations. “As Emily and Alan met working together when Emily was a professional dancer & Alan was the producer and director of fabulous children’s shows, they worked together to style the event and create a unique and truly “one-of-a-kind” show-stopping wedding. The flowers were created from white roses and black ostrich feathers – wrapped in black ribbon and silver rhinestones.”

Their glam ceremony was kicked off with a pre-show hosted by Alan, complete with a trumpet rendition of “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole and a waltz with Emily’s 96-year-old Grandma Mary. “The Love Squad then entered via song and dance to “Love Is In The Air” by John Paul Young.

Channy walked down the aisle first with her Grandma Rosemary and Grandpa Geoff, followed by Emily with her dad Vince. They walked as the Kina Grannis cover of “Can’t Help Falling In Love” floated through the air.

For Chantelle, her favourite part of the day was sharing her vows with Emily. “Writing my own and hearing yours. They were deep, personal and perfect. Sharing my vows was the most alive I have ever felt, and that our vows matched each other perfectly (as we do),” she shared.

“My second favourite part of the day was watching you walk down the aisle to me. The dress, the song, and most of all you. The most beautiful thing in the world, walking to me, to be mine. I’ve never been happier.”

While Channy and Emily loved all of their vendors, Alan Jenner takes the cake. “Absolutely all of the vendors were TOP TIER. However, Alan Jenner (That’s Love Celebrations) was an absolute standout. He went above and beyond on every single item of the day. His creativity is second to none, and the way he transformed a wedding into our completely unique and perfect blend of Channy and Emily was miraculous. Both Channy and I are forever grateful and cannot recommend him enough as an event/ wedding planner, stylist and all-around incredible creative.”

The ceremony itself was quirky, fun and as glamorous as the rest of the day. Four moments stood out the most to Emily from the proceedings:

“1. Guests coming up to give us ‘love notes’ during the ceremony and vowing their own commitment to be part of our ongoing union and growth,

2. The drama of the change in celebrants from Alan to Tara Bryan (having a planted guest interrupt the ceremony as Alan couldn’t officiate was so fun! And it definitely surprised our guests, how fantastic),

3. Handing out “wet pussy” shots to our guests while we signed our paperwork… It was a lesbian wedding after all!

4. Getting tiny tattoos on our ring fingers to mark our forever union while we signed our official paperwork… it was fantastic. Our “love dots” are simple in appearance but powerful in meaning. Done by the very creative Mark Dutton (Emily’s nephew), it serves as a reminder that love doesn’t need to be loud to be permanent, and that the most meaningful marks are often the smallest ones.”

With Life is Beautiful behind the lens, Channy and Emily couldn’t pick one photo they both favoured. Instead, Chantelle’s favourite shot is this one, of Emily throwing her veil at her. Emily’s favourite photo is the one just above of the two of them in front of the windows.

Miriam Ackroyd from Life is Beautiful was the perfect photographer to capture the fun yet extremely glam vibes of the day. “She was PERFECT. The way this woman captures light, life and love is absolute heaven. She even brought on a second photographer for the ceremony and reception (as we had a lot of unique moments).”

Spencer from Chunkalicious Cakes and Alan put together this incredible cupcake chandelier as their show-stopping wedding cake! “The whole wedding felt uniquely catered to us. I think an additional thing that was a standout was the cupcake chandelier for our wedding cakes, which Spencer and Alan hung from the roof beams to display. It was so extra and fun!”

While Emily and Chantelle met slightly later in life, the outpouring of love from their community has been one of the best parts of their story. “The whole day felt like we were surrounded by community and love. Our relationship started later in life for the two of us, and we really felt the love, support and commitment to our love from every single person who attended the wedding. This was made even clearer when we had the most incredible speeches for the two of us and how much we have grown in love since being together,” Emily shared.

Their industrial glam wedding was actually planned with and around the people they love, and one of the ways Emily and Channy included their guests was by partnering with GUESTPIX so everyone could share their view of the day, as it happened. “It was creative magic. Also, the way Alan set up the day to include our family and friends was the perfect introduction for people to lower their walls, feel comfortable and really just be themselves. Every guest said it was the best wedding they’ve ever been to, and I believe it was because everyone could just be their authentic self.”

Their first dance was choreographed by Emily’s good friend and Best Man, Michael Hughes from MJH Creative. “We danced to “Beige” by Yoke Lore. Channy was particularly excited to show off that we could do a lift – it was great.”

The five things that made Emily and Chantelle’s glam wedding so special to them included:

“1. Creating something that was unique to Channy and me.

2. Involving our community and friends

3. Having fun pops of silly in with seriousness (wet pussy shots / tattoos / glitter, rhinestones and feathers everywhere we could)

4. Sharing Channy’s story with all of our people, she is a force to be reckoned with and has overcome so much. It was wonderful to hear my extended family, who may not have known her as well as our close circle, say, “I feel like I really got to know you and love you” on our wedding day.

5. Hearing the speeches from our loved ones. It was honestly so beautiful to hear their experience of watching both Channy and me grow into our love, happiness and authentic selves from their point of view. It was overwhelmingly heart-filled.”