Paris & Luke's Vintage Autumnal Wedding at Bendooley Estate

Between the sentimental details, the vintage-inspired styling and the sweetest little Swiftie surprises tucked throughout the day, Paris and Luke created a wedding that couldn’t have felt more like them. Against the glorious autumn colours of Bendooley Estate, their celebration struck the perfect balance between heartfelt and fun, with family, friends (and pup Fig!) at the centre of it all. Moody Imagery captured every colourful moment so beautifully, and we have a feeling this one will inspire plenty of couples!

Paris and Luke talked so much on the first date that they missed the dinner service and had to make an emergency trip to Maccas, where they then bonded over their love for sweet mustard sauce and chicken nuggies.

When Luke flew to Paris to compete for Australia in the Paralympics, Paris flew over to support him, too. “We then went to Malta for a week after as a little getaway before we had to come home. A good friend of mine (Jodie) was living in Malta. We had plans to catch up with her and her partner for a day on a luxury yacht. Luke messaged Jodie, having never met her, and said: “I’m planning on proposing to Paris.” Jodie asked, “What have you planned?” to which Luke replied, “Well, I have the ring…” Jodie said, “Leave it with me!” At the end of the day, she drove us up to the most beautiful lookout called the Dingli Cliffs to watch the sunset,” Paris shared.

“I was looking at a small island in the distance, and when I turned around, there was Luke holding a ring, shaking with nerves. Jodie, the photographer, was catching the moment, and her partner was with a bottle of Veuve Cliquot ready to go. Everyone around us cheered!”

Not wanting anything too formal, Luke opted for a casual chino-style suit with a blue blazer and pink bow tie to match the bridesmaids. “He also wore the R.M. Williams boots he wore at the Opening Ceremony in Paris,” explained Paris.

His groomsmen included his brother and friends, wearing matching chinos, pink bow ties and navy blazers.

Paris went for a more vintage-inspired look, with her 1950s-style playsuit and overskirt, both made by Rosa Clara in Spain. “I didn’t get to try it on before buying it, but I knew it was my dress. I wanted something versatile, and this allowed me to have three outfits in one. I later took off the skirt to bust some moves on the dance floor, then donned a pair of white trousers for the evening.”

In her own wedding party, Paris had her friends supporting her in beautiful fluttery pink dresses and their pup Fig in a custom Hound Tees piece.

Bendooley Estate in Berrima, New South Wales, was the perfect venue for this vintage-inspired wedding, with all its autumnal beauty. “I am an avid reader, and I was so in love with the idea of celebrating our marriage in the book barn surrounded by all the stories that came before ours. We loved the Autumn reds of the estate and didn’t want guests to have to travel between venues,” Paris shared.

“We got ready and stayed at The Berrida in Bowral – it was a stunning location, and the bridal suite was just exquisite.”

Paris walked down the aisle for their alfresco ceremony with her dad on her arm as “Tenerife Sea” by Ed Sheeran, performed live by Tayvin Martins. And this was the moment Luke will never forget. “My most memorable moment was seeing Paris walk out of the homestead and I saw her in her dress for the first time. Everything else faded away at that moment,” he shared.

If there was anything Paris didn’t want for their wedding, it was a serious ceremony. “We wanted our ceremony to be fun. Our celebrant Mary Vevers completely understood the assignment. She told funny and creative stories about how we met and engaged everyone in audience participation,” Paris explained.

“We acknowledged those who couldn’t be with us by placing a rose for each of those we had lost on a chair at the front. We had my step-father read Maybe – by Anon. We also had my grandmother (age 92) and Luke’s grandmother witness our wedding and were surprised when Mary had arranged for Luke’s grandmother to announce us married.”

In the lead-up to their vintage-inspired wedding, Paris had been collecting wine and champagne corks. Actually, this is something she’d been collecting for years beforehand! They used all of those corks as name places for the reception. This wasn’t the only DIY Paris and Luke undertook! “I made a ‘just married’ sign with tin cans which we placed on the back of Luke’s wheelchair after the ceremony,” Paris shared.

“Luke is a graphic designer, so we made all of our own signage and menus. We planted succulents in little glass jars and tied thank you notes around them. I made a wishing well out of an old suitcase, which had the wedding photos of our parents and grandparents inside the lid. We had a large cushion of our dog Fig made and cocktail toppers with her face so that she could party into the night with us. We made the arbour using old French doors and then repurposed this for the photo booth.”

Blush and Blooms Floral Studio created all of these beautiful autumnal flowers for Paris and Luke’s vintage-inspired wedding, and Paris wholeheartedly trusted the team to bring their vision to life. “I said I wanted warm autumn colours and that I loved dahlias, and I let her do the rest. We were so in love with the creations, and it was so nice to be able to step back and let an artist do what she does best!”

Jasmin from Moody Imagery truly understood Paris and Luke’s vision from the moment they first met – and that’s why no one else could have captured the vibe as well as she did! “Jasmin was just the best. She really understood the assignment. We said we wanted bright and bold photographs, and we didn’t so much like the washed-out photos we saw so frequently. We were thinking editorial crossed with lots of candid captures. She made us feel so comfortable, and we really had the feeling that she was just another one of our guests. We honestly can’t remember the videographer being there at all, and yet our videos are phenomenal!”

While the couple loved their photographer the most, some of their other vendors also stood out as stars! “The team from Bendooley was also just so accommodating and kind. Right from the tasting to collecting things forgotten after the wedding, it was such a breeze. Special mention as well to Mary Vevers and Tayvin Martins who brought so much joy and life to our day.”

Being a huge Taylor Swift fan, it was no surprise to guests that there were subtle Swiftie touches found throughout the day. “I just had to have little Swiftie details. The bridesmaids had friendship bracelets made of freshwater pearls which said “bridesmaid”. I had the same fabric as a dress worn by Taylor Swift under our champagne tower, there was a neon sign in the photo booth which read “It’s a Love Story” and of course, when we were announced married, our musician Tayvin Martins played “You Belong With Me”. We also made our entrance to the reception to “Long Live” by Taylor Swift,” she shared.

The five things that made Paris and Luke’s wedding all the more special included:

“1. Obviously getting to marry my person; that was the best part.

2. Having our baby dog Fig right by our side

3. Having our favourite friends and family

4. We were blessed with the most beautiful weather

5. I didn’t have to worry about anything on the day; it was just as I had pictured it in my mind.”

Leon Bridges and Luke Combs’ version of “Beyond” was their pick for first dance song. “We had all of our guests waving side to side at the end. We hadn’t planned anything, but at the end we both turned to each other and at the same time said, ‘Nailed it!”

The piece of advice Paris will leave with couples planning their own special days is this: try not to control every single detail on the day. “Have trust in your vendors! You will get a feel for them at the very first meeting. They are the experts in what they do, so just let them do it and have fun on your special day.”