Moody Love Fest in Otway Rainforest

If there was ever a celebration that proved there are no rules when it comes to honouring your love, it’s Ruby and Darcy’s Love Fest! Set against the towering trees of a private property in Lorne and beautifully captured by Little Chief Photography, their day brought together heartfelt rituals, spectacular (like truly spectacular) florals, a packed dance floor and a whole lot of intention. Every choice felt deeply personal and entirely their own from start to finish. It was less about tradition for tradition’s sake and more about gathering their favourite people together to mark something meaningful – and we couldn’t love it more than we already do!

Growing up close together and attending the same early learning schools, Ruby and Darcy were never the closest of friends. But once they hit early adulthood, they became the best of friends! “We enjoyed a very close and connected platonic friendship for many years whilst in relationships with other people. However, things shifted when both our previous relationships ended, and we began to see each other in a new light. All of a sudden, I found myself disappointed if Darcy didn’t attend a social event, and Darcy found himself wanting to make me laugh, especially. One night out with friends, things finally came to a head, and Darcy made a move, kissing me in the smokers at a techno gig. As we were already such close friends, things were effortless and moved quickly – that was 7 and a half years ago!”

Instead of getting engaged, Darcy and Ruby made the conscious decision to skip the whole proposal thing. They also chose to have a Love Ceremony rather than a (legal) wedding. The legalities didn’t align with their contemporary values, but many traditional wedding rituals still hold great meaning for the couple, so they compromised. “The Love Ceremony reflected that intention: a re-imagined, contemporary ceremony of love, where we brought together all the people we love, to make a conscious commitment to one another, with our loved ones as witnesses,” Ruby shared.

While she’s not technically a bride, Ruby still went all out with her Love Ceremony look: a stunning sheer burgundy silk ruffle dress from Mirror Palais, with a dusty pink vintage lace bodice underneath! “The gown was pre-order only, so I had to order four months in advance. The date was fast approaching, and there were some delays getting the gown to Melbourne in time. Feeling a little stressed, I ordered a backup dress in case it didn’t arrive in time. However, two weeks before the big day, the gown arrived and looked amazing – it was everything I had dreamed it would be and worth the wait!”

Darcy wore a classic brown merino wool suit from Belance, paired with a white shirt and a tie, a gift from his dad on the morning of their love fest.

No one else could’ve captured Ruby and Darcy’s celebration like Little Chief Photography! “She was incredible! She arrived as Ruby was not quite ready (things were a little behind schedule), but that wasn’t a problem – Jackie, the photographer, started taking shots of Ruby getting ready, then moved into shots of Ruby and me together. Jackie was really directive and got some amazing shots of not just us but all of the guests. We were really happy with them and would highly recommend Little Chief,” Darcy shared.

The whole Love Fest (Love Ceremony + Love Party) took place on a private property in Lorne, backing onto the Otway Rainforest on Gadubanud Country.

Ruby and Darcy entered their Love Ceremony hand-in-hand, welcoming guests and basking in the love together, made all the more perfect as Olivia Dean’s “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” floated through the air. “As we arrived, Darcy twirled me once while we walked towards the crowd. Our families were waiting facing the guests and greeted us in front of everyone. This was a conscious decision to symbolise the importance of family to us – and a way to acknowledge their role in supporting us to get to where they are today,” Ruby explained.

Before any of their Love Ceremony antics started, Ruby and Darcy had a Welcome to Country Ceremony, performed by a Traditional Owner from Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation. “We, as well as many of our guests, have a special connection to the area where the event was held. It was very important to us that we begin the event with a Welcome to Country by a traditional owner, so we could acknowledge and pay respect to the thousands of years the Gadubanud people cared for Country and celebrate the oldest living culture on Earth. The Traditional Owner shared some history about the local area and told a Dreaming story. The Traditional Owner also gifted us a story book which told the Dreaming story of the Yal Yarra’s, The Wild Gadubanud Women of the Otway’s!”

MC’ing the ceremony were two of their closest and oldest best friends, cracking jokes and welcoming everyone to the celebrations to start. “We then shared some words we had written about the love we hold for one another and the commitment we were making to one another. We also performed a hand-fasting ritual, in which we tied our hands together with rope to symbolise the binding of our two worlds. Then we both made the same promise to one another while our hands were tied. One of our closest friends then came up and untied them (to which the crowd cheered and laughed) – as a symbol of the support we have from our loved ones – as no relationship can survive in isolation or without support. The MCs then asked the crowd to make some vows themselves: “I vow that I will be present today and embrace this experience of love with openness and warmth” and “I vow that I will dance my ass off and have a bloody good time tonight!” They then asked the crowd to make some noise for us while Darcy dipped me in a kiss!”

Ruby wore her great-grandmother’s white gloves for the ceremony, holding them close to her heart as she and Darcy professed their commitment to one another. Those same gloves are also front and centre in her favourite photo of the day – this kiss! “This was just after he had said his words, and it was a really beautiful moment, captured perfectly by our photographer. It also captures the beauty of the location, florals and our outfits.”

All of these incredible floral sculptures were created bespoke by SOFLOWER, a Naarm / Melbourne-based florist. “The colour palette was burgundy, red and dark green / purple tones to match the theme of the ‘Love’ theme, the trees and my dress,” she shared.

To match those breathtaking florals was the beautiful styling done by their event planner and stylist, Said Studio! “They made custom hanging lanterns and, upon Ruby’s request, covered the roof of the dance floor in vintage parachutes, which looked and felt incredible! They also created a love heart photo moment, which was very popular and made for some incredible photos!” They explained

“Styling with Said Studio was definitely the most fun! There was no idea that Ruby suggested that was too far-fetched or hard for Said Studio. They understood the brief and made our vision come to life. We would highly recommend Said Studio!”

Aside from Said Studio and Little Chief Photography, another vendor that really stood out to Ruby and Darcy was their caterer, Polly Eats! “They were exceptional, there was a lot of high-quality food, and the mini burgers and fries that came out later in the night were a huge hit!”

The five things that made Darcy and Ruby’s Love Fest so incredibly special for them included:

“1. The choice to have a love ceremony and not get legally married.

2. The ceremony, both aesthetically and emotionally, was so beautiful

3. The afternoon band ‘Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange‘ was so much fun and got everyone into the party mood

4. The location was breathtaking, and the styling was just magical

5. Dancing the night away with our loved ones and not getting kicked out of a venue was a dream come true!”

Ruby is an art therapist and painter by trade, so she wanted to create an art-based response for guests to collaborate on throughout their Love Fest. “We invited guests to use oil pastels provided, to draw, write, or mark a painted canvas – in a way that reflected how they felt in this space that day — their connection to us, the land that they had gathered on, or the love and energy they witnessed. Guests got really into it, and the canvas was completely covered by the end of the event. We now have this artwork to cherish as a reminder of our special day and the love and support that we are surrounded by!”

While they didn’t have a formal first dance, Ruby and Darcy’s dance floor was packed the whole night long. “There was also a random dog that hung out for the whole party – no clue who he belonged to, but he was a legend! Ruby also came out onto the dance floor at one point with silver trays of Vogue cigarettes, which guests really loved. There was also a costume rack to the side of the dance floor that guests all used to dress each other up and get silly on the dance floor.”