Ethereal Forest Wedding in the Dandenong Ranges

Who knew a couple of homemade tacos could change everything? When COVID lockdowns were looming, Estel decided there was just enough time for one very important first date. The date stretched into three days, and the rest, as we say, is history.

Years later, the pair exchanged vows beneath the towering trees of the Dandenong Ranges before heading home for a backyard celebration complete with a kebab maker, a cosy fire, footy on the TV and the perfect amount of dancing under the stars. Captured with warmth and an eye for the surrounding landscape by Tirion from Flames in Frame, this ethereal forest celebration proves that sometimes the best ideas begin with tacos!

Their shared love of tacos and the impending COVID lockdowns pushed Estel and Shannon into a last-minute date – and they wouldn’t have it any other way! “Shannon had tacos on his profile description, which made me hungry for tacos, and when we started talking, he told me if it wasn’t for lockdown, he would have come over and made me tacos. I told him lockdown hadn’t started yet, so maybe he should come by anyway,” Estel shared.

“He ran to Coles and got all the ingredients, came over and made me the best tacos I’d ever had. We then proceeded to extend our date for three days. And I knew I loved him the day I met him. His eyes, his warmth, his presence gave me so much peace and joy, and the moment he held me, I knew I found my home in his arms.”

Shannon is more science- and history-focused, and Estel is more spiritual, keeping her moldavite necklace close to her heart. It was this Spirit Stone that Shannon used to propose to Estel. “Shannon told me he never wanted to get married, and I was fine with that. But then comes Christmas 2024, and his gift to me that year was a beautiful moldavite ring cast in silver. Despite him not believing in the things I believed, he proposed to me with my Spirit Stone. I wear my moldavite necklace every day as my connection to the spirit, and he proposed to me with a moldavite ring, basically giving me his heart and soul! It was a shock; he never wanted to get married, and I asked him if it was because he wanted it, not just coz he couldn’t find me a decent Christmas gift lol, but he told me I was his best friend and he couldn’t imagine life without me by his side. So we were officially engaged.”

Estel looked like a goddess in her golden fringe detail dress, which she found on Etsy from Sew Romantic Designs! “There was an old live-action Cinderella movie from the 60s I watched as a kid, and she wore a gold dress in that movie, and when I wore it, I felt like a princess. I was looking for dresses for months and months and months, and all the regular white bridal dresses just didn’t match what I was looking for, the vibe I had for myself. I wanted to be a goddess of the forest, and all the regular bridal dresses were just too bridal, not goddess. But when I saw this dress, I knew the second I saw it that this was the dress I was going to wear on my wedding day,” she explained.

Almost every detail of their forest wedding was DIY’d, with Estel bringing her girls together to help. “We wanted to do a cheaper wedding. I created and printed our invitations. Made our own gift boxes. The flowers for the girls were fake, and we did them together the night before. The only things we didn’t make ourselves were the food, thanks to Cheap Finger Food Catering. We also did our own hair and makeup for the day, drove ourselves up, the wedding party decorated the place with the decorations I made and prepared for the day.”

Shannon wore a stunning Hugo Boss suit that was found only weeks before the wedding, with just enough time to get it tailored to perfection. “We were so lucky to have found it, and he looked so absolutely handsome in it.”

Nestled in the rolling Dandenong Ranges in their full autumnal bloom, Shannon and Estel invited their closest friends and family to their intimate ceremony in the forest. “Surrounded by trees, nature, fresh air, and a few kookaburras who came and blessed us with their presence. Shannon and I love to go on road trips, and the Dandenong Ranges are my favourite place on earth. It’s just so beautiful there. And he was the first person to ever take me there. So it was special for us both. We also weren’t allowed rice or confetti or petals (and I’m against that stuff anyway), so we blew bubbles instead, which made it feel even more ethereal.”

“And afterwards, we went back to our house for the after party! We invited everyone, hired a kebabman to cook and make kebabs, set up the fire, supplied the drinks, turned on the footy, and we had a big party with our friends and family, danced, sang, ate, celebrated!”

With her dad on her arm, Estel walked down the aisle to Josh Cohen’s cover of Radiohead’s “All I Need”. This was the moment where Estel was filled with so much love for how everything had turned out. The things that stood out the most to her included:

“1. The sun and moon that I had asked everyone to wear, and them wearing them.

2. The spirit of the forest, especially the kookaburra – it felt like such a blessing from the forest and well wishes for us.

3. Seeing him at the end of the aisle, smiling at me.

4. Our first dance, with our friends, family, our fur babies (four cats), at our home, by the fire on a beautiful evening with a sky full of stars.

5. Calling Shannon my husband for the first time.”

Led by their incredible celebrant Sophia, from Love Is Magic, Estel and Shannon’s ceremony was filled with a certain kind of magic. The type of magic that happens when you’re surrounded by your people and the spirit of nature. “I just wanted it to be about him and me and the forest. Everything else melted away. All I wanted was to be married to him and finally call him my husband,” Estel shared.

“Because it was a small wedding, we didn’t have very many vendors. But I would like to make a shout-out to our Celebrant, Sophia from Love is Magic. She was so amazing, friendly, and professional, and she got everything we needed done for us. She catered to what we wanted, despite not being part of her package, and it was honestly so lovely to have her involved in our wedding. I’m very thankful to her for all her help and support!”

The forest was the perfect setting for Shannon and Estel’s ethereal wedding, surrounded by the iconic ferns and gumtrees. “We just wanted to be part of the forest. That was the biggest thing. I’d always dreamed of having a big wedding; my family is Lebanese and Turkish, so I’d always wanted the big party where I was the centre of attention. But in the end, choosing to do a small wedding with just all of us was the most special and amazing thing we could’ve ever done. When he proposed, the plan was to go a few years, build up the money and have that giant party. But one day I got home from work, saw him on the couch, and just knew; I didn’t want to wait years to make money and stress out about a big wedding that I don’t need. I just want to be married to him. I just want to call him my husband. So we agreed on a small wedding, and it was the best thing we could’ve ever done for each other. No stress, no pressure for perfection – just us being together in a place we both loved.”

Tirion Eilir Haf of Flames in Frame Photography captured the ethereal beauty of Shannon and Estel’s wedding alongside them. “I had asked Tirion to try and include the surroundings as a character in our wedding, not just a backdrop, and she did that amazingly,” Estel explained.

“She was fantastic. I had put out an ad for a photographer, and she responded. I found her insta profile and had a look and just fell in love with the way she played with light and colour and texture and angles, etc. I loved the way the photos looked so modern but also retro, colourful, and playful. I messaged her immediately and asked her to please be our photographer, and it was the best decision we made. She was so friendly and professional and lovely; I can’t say enough positive things about her.”

If there was any advice Estel would share with couples currently starting their planning, it would be this: “Seriously, go for the small intimate wedding! Don’t waste money and time and stress out about a giant wedding that you don’t need. There’s nothing more magical than marrying your best friend surrounded by the people you love the most and love you just as much.”