Dramatic Romance Wedding at The Howling Moon

Today’s featured wedding is an ode to drama and just how iconic Canberra can be. Nick and Kasey filled their celebration with the best kind of drama: in red roses, tuxedos and speciality DIYs! Their classic wedding is told across some of Canberra’s most iconic locations, with two people who genuinely love the people they invited and clearly know how to throw a knockout party. Captured by Who Shot The Photographer, we hope you fall in love with this dramatic wedding as much as we have!

While Kasey and Nick technically met in primary school in 2012, they didn’t really become friends until 2017, and even then they didn’t start dating until they graduated in 2019. The wait didn’t bother either of them, though; they ended up exactly where they were meant to be.

On their 6th anniversary, Nick thought it was time to weave in a new kind of anniversary – and popped the question! “We had gone to a dinner at a local new restaurant and were forgotten for around 40 minutes with no food (we did get free tiramisu for the delay). We then went to Goodberrys for dessert, and once we got home, Nick asked me if I could turn on the heating (upstairs). When I came back downstairs, he was on one knee with the ring box. He didn’t get the chance to fully ask the question before I, of course, said yes!”

The groomsmen, Nick’s two best friends, his dad and his brother-in-law all wore black tuxedos from Black Tie by Xavier. The perfect reverse of Nick’s own white tuxedo! “This was chosen because I wanted Nick to stand out against the groomsmen,” Kasey shared.

In Kasey’s own wedding party, she had her best friend from school, her two sisters and her sister-in-law. Each wore a beautiful black dress from Azazie in the style of their own choosing.

For her own look, Kasey found the perfect dress at only the second store they looked! It was a beautiful strapless basque-waist gown in a soft satin finish, complemented by her white Converse heels. “I knew that I wanted a basque-waist dress, as I thought it would be flattering, and I loved the styles that I had seen on social media. The experience where I bought my dress was great; I got to try on several different styles of dresses to see what I liked and didn’t like and chose my dress because it was simple but still exactly what I wanted,” she explained.

The Howling Moon inside Canberra Rex Hotel was their location for this dramatic wedding. “It was perfect for our wedding as it accommodated the amount of people we wanted for a sit-down dinner. The views from there are also gorgeous, with the windows and the greenery.”

Kasey walked down (or rather… up?) the aisle with her dad on her arm as a violin version of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen floated through the space. “Because our wedding day was so unbelievably smooth and amazing, it is difficult to highlight what I remember most. However, the one moment that will always be in the forefront of my mind when i look back on our special day was the moment the music faded to Hallelujah and instantly feeling all the emotions kick in, i was dying to see her and when the moment came to turn around to see her I could not hold back the tears, she was beautiful, that is what i will always remember most,” Nick shared.

Michelle Wells from Celebrate Always led Nick and Kasey through their ceremony, creating the perfect relaxed atmosphere they had hoped for. “We didn’t want it too long or too short, and our celebrant, Michelle, personalised it for us. We had our own short vows, exchanged rings and even had a double kiss suggested by Michelle. For a bit of fun, we decided to do a lottery pick for our witnesses, and we ended up choosing my grandad and my sister from a bag,” Kasey explained.

Red was the colour for their florals and styling found throughout this classically Canberra wedding. Especially the red rose being the star of the show, with faux red roses DIY’d to create all of their boutonnieres, bridesmaid bouquets and arches. Nick actually surprised Kasey the morning of their wedding with a bouquet of real red roses specially made by her mum’s florist friend!

Nick and Kasey could not have been any happier with their choice of photographer, James – and looking through this gallery, we can see why they’re over the moon! “James from Who Shot The Photographer was amazing. We wanted more candid shots, and he did an amazing job and got the shots that I specifically asked for, even going and driving around to the National Gallery and Carillon to get photos with the wedding party, which was really important to me. He also delivered the photos so much quicker than expected.”

The four things that made Nick and Kasey’s wedding so dramatically romantic included:

“1. Our vows matching up: we both didn’t know what we had written, but both ended our vows with ‘I love you to Pluto and back’, which we have said throughout our relationship.

2. The spontaneous speeches from friends and family at our reception.

3. Our DJ (Solid DJ Solutions) was so good throughout the whole ceremony and reception.

4. Our content creator (Emily of Love Unedited): we loved seeing all of the photos and videos within 24 – 48 hours of the wedding.”

Not only did Kasey DIY all of the flowers, but she also created the wishing well, welcome sign, seating chart and other signage! Nick made all the bows for signs and the photo props for the cocktail hour. Their joint effort and love of the craft really showed throughout the styling.

The vendor dream team for this wedding was beloved by the couple! “All of our vendors were absolutely amazing. The venue was amazing. Nicole was the manager and organised most things for us, answered all of our questions, and we even had a food tasting a month before the wedding to pick what options we wanted,” Kasey shared.

If there was one piece of advice Kasey and Nick feel it’s important to share, it would be this: “Don’t let anyone else chime in on your plans if you don’t want an opinion. Our wedding was perfect because we did what we wanted to do and what made us happy and relaxed on the day. Also, delegate tasks for the day!”

Of all the wonderful little tasks done while planning their romantic wedding, Kasey’s favourite part was practising their first dance together in their living room. “Our first dance we came up with ourselves and practised for the few months leading up to the wedding. We danced to “One Crowded Hour” by Augie March. We had a few hiccups when actually doing the dance because my dress was so long it kept getting in the way, but we think it was perfect.”