There aren’t many couples who can say the wedding party that first brought them together eventually stood beside them on their own after-dark wedding day. But that’s what happened for Linton and Loretta! After meeting as bridesmaid and groomsman back in 2010, life took them in different directions before they reunited in 2022 at exactly the right time. Their dusk celebration at Quat Quatta was beautifully documented by photographer Mitch Gamble.

Back in 2010, Linton and Loretta were partnered up in their friend’s wedding party. Flash forward to 2026, and that same couple is now part of Linton and Loretta’s wedding! “At the time, Linton had not long moved to Brisbane, and I moved to London six months later. I stayed in London for a decade, returning, and Linton was still living in Brisbane. We reconnected over Christmas 2022.”

Linton proposed to Loretta at Cudgen Creek in NSW, the place where they kindled their relationship in the beginning. “When we very first got together in 2023, Linton was living in Brisbane, and I was visiting one of my sisters who lives in nearby Cabarita Beach. Linton drove to Cudgen Creek to meet me every day while I was on holiday there, and we sat and talked for hours and got to know each other,” Loretta shared.

Loretta wore a beautiful tea-length French lace and silk dress, designed by her! “I also wore Louboutin peep-toe pumps (they were enormous) and were dutifully switched out after the ceremony,” she explained.

“A friend from work made the bouquets and buttonholes for the bridal party and myself. Tied around my bridal bouquet flowers, I had my ‘something old’. It was a star my Poppa had made for my Nanna out of an oyster shell during his time away from home in World War II.”

In her wedding party, Loretta had eight bridesmaids who all wore mismatched navy dresses of their choice.

Linton had two groomsmen and his beautiful daughter Ruby, who wore a full-length blue gown.

For his own look, Linton wore a navy Hugo Boss suit paired with RM Williams boots.

It was really important to Loretta to walk down the aisle herself, as she wanted to symbolise how she and Linton were coming together. Loretta’s parents began the procession to “Islands In The Stream”. Then her wedding party walked to “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen, and she followed to Beyoncé’s “Halo”.

Led by their celebrant Natalie Drum, Loretta and Linton’s ceremony was a beautiful sight in the warm glow of the setting sun. “Our celebrant was amazing at telling our story of chance meetings, diverging paths and then coming together. We wrote our own vows, and we wanted to represent ourselves with a bit of fun and laughs but also serious commitments to each other. One of my bridesmaids read the reading ‘Maybe’ by Unknown,” Loretta shared.

The couple chose Quat Quatta for their after-dark celebrations, kicking off with a dusk ceremony and a party under the twinkling stars. “We chose Quat Quatta for its beautiful features and because we could have the ceremony onsite followed by the reception without our guests needing to go elsewhere.”

Mitch Gamble Media captured everything from Linton and Loretta’s dusk wedding, and the couple couldn’t have been happier with the results! “We gave him little to no direction, and he came up with some ideas before and after the ceremony. He was everywhere, and we especially love the photos from after the ceremony of just the two of us,” Loretta shared.

“There are so many amazing photos. There are two beautiful black-and-white ones: one of us walking out of the ceremony and one of me draped around Linton out the front of Quat Quatta. There is also a photo of my brother and me taken from behind before leaving home; we have an arm each around each other and are watching the footy (our favourite pastime). There is also an amazing group photo of everyone in the courtyard after the ceremony, which we love as well as a beautiful photo of my bridesmaids and me in the bridal suite before the ceremony.”

The five things that made Loretta and Linton’s dusk wedding so special were:

“1. I got to marry the best human in the world.

2. My whole world was there to witness, including so many special friends from overseas.

3. My bridesmaids.

4. Linton and I had the best time. It was just so much fun.

5. I got to write letters to all my people, reinforcing how much I love them, how much they mean to me and some of my favourite things or memories about them.”

One of Loretta’s favourite parts of their wedding was the handwritten, personalised letters her and Linton wrote for each of their 184 guests! “The individual letters were a lot of effort but really worth it. We have had so many lovely comments from people about how special the letters were, unexpected and that they hadn’t seen that ever done before (as well as questions on how long it took us).”

They finished out the night with their first dance to “6’s to 9’s” by Big Wild. “Our first dance was a surprise for everyone as only 3 people knew about it beforehand. It was a mix of fun and romance, and Linton has a lot of ‘flavour’.”

Thanks to Mitch Gamble for capturing and sharing these fun after-dark moments with us. And a huge congratulations to Linton and Loretta for your wonderful celebration!