Whimsical Garden-Inspired Wedding at East Elevation

Weddings aren’t just about the couple but also about who they choose to share that celebration of love with, whether physically present or in spirit. A homage to DIY, living life to the fullest and doing things your own way; that’s what Selina and Declan’s whimsical wedding was all about. With colourful garden-inspired styling bringing new life to East Brunswick, and captured by the Wild & Woozy team, every single choice Declan and Selina made was meaningful to who they are.

Smiling as they passed each other at work was just a cute thing Selina and Declan did before one of Selina’s friends was sick of waiting for either of them to make the first move. “Declan and I met while we were both working in a large shopping centre. Eventually, one of my friends, who also worked in the centre, decided he had seen enough and took matters into his own hands. He went over to Declan’s work and told him that his friend thought he was cute, which left me absolutely mortified. Not long after, Declan came over and introduced himself properly, and the rest is history,” Selina shared.

“Looking back, it still makes us laugh because we were basically acting like shy teenagers, despite being two fully grown adults managing retail stores. It was very sweet, because we were both so genuinely smitten with each other that we acted in a way neither of us really had before.”

Declan brought Selina back to where it all began one last time before proposing, by recreating their first date. “Declan proposed after taking me out for a beautiful dinner. Afterwards, he suggested we go and get dessert, and we ended up going through the McDonald’s drive-thru for hot fudge sundaes,” Selina explained.

“After dessert, Declan drove us back to the same lookout we had gone to on that first date. We were sitting there laughing, enjoying each other’s company, and having such a lovely time. Then he got out of the car and brought flowers and champagne from the back before proposing to me.”

In a beautifully crafted green tweed three-piece suit with a double-breasted waistcoat and a single-breasted jacket, Declan looked ready to say those magic words. “He loved the structure of it and the slightly old-school look and feel. It was beautifully made, ordered, and tailored for him, and it felt very much like him. He wore it with a pink floral tie and matching pocket square, along with a Lego flower boutonnière and a pin to match his groomsmen. His pink floral tie also matched his dad’s and my grandfather’s bow ties, which was a really lovely detail,” Selina shared.

“One of the most meaningful parts of his outfit was that he also wore a pin of his beautiful sister Letitia, who had passed away earlier that year. It was really important to us to include her in the wedding as much as we could, so having her with him on the day was very special. He also had dark green glasses to match his suit, and our wedding date was embroidered inside, which was such a beautiful personal touch. He absolutely loved his suit, and he looked amazing.”

His wedding party wore grey checked suits with brown shoes and matching floral bow ties. They also had pink Lego flowers pinned as their boutonnières, with little matching pins. “Altogether, the wedding party looked colourful, playful, and coordinated, while still feeling personal and true to everyone involved.”

Each member of Selina’s wedding wore a hot pink look – and if you hadn’t guessed just yet, it’s Selina’s favourite colour! “The dresses were all the same colour but in different styles, so each of them could choose something they felt comfortable in, and that suited them. I wanted them to look like part of the wedding but still feel like themselves. They also chose how they wanted their hair and makeup done, which made it feel more personal to each of them. Our ring bearer/flower person wore a matching hot pink suit, which was amazing and added such a joyful touch,” she shared.

“They wore green shoes with hot pink bow clips that matched the dresses, tying in with our colourful pink and green theme. They also carried Lego flower bouquets, which I made and glued together by hand so they would stay in place. I thought they looked so beautiful and fun, and they suited the whole feeling of the day perfectly.”

But the star of the show is Selina’s incredible wedding dress, which was actually made by her mother-in-law! “I had come up with the concept because I wanted something that still felt like a white wedding dress, but also felt colourful, joyful, and very me. The dress was a beautiful white gown with a top layer covered in rainbow-coloured appliqué flowers, and flowers on the sleeves as well. It had a pink ribbon around the waist, and she also made a matching veil with the same flowers, which I wore for the ceremony. Later, I took the veil off and wore the flower crown I had made myself,” Selina shared.

“As you could probably see from our whole wedding, it was not a very traditional day. There were definitely some traditional elements, but more than anything, it was very us, and the dress really reflected that. The whole process took many weeks of choosing fabrics, fittings, adjustments, and so many hours of work. It was so incredibly special to have her make it for me, and I could feel the amount of love and care that had gone into every part of it. She is so talented, and I am so grateful for the time, effort, and heart she put into creating such a beautiful dress. It was such a special gift to have her make my dress, and knowing how many hours of love, care, and effort she put into it made it even more meaningful to wear. It really was my dream dress. It felt so perfectly me; everyone loved it, and I loved wearing it.”

There isn’t a shot captured by the team from Wild & Woozy that Selina and Declan could critique – nor is there a favourite since they love every single one! “I honestly can’t say just one; they were all incredible. I loved all the shots before the wedding with the bridal party and just Declan and I in front of the colourful walls. But really, I adore them all!” Selina explained.

“Our photographers were the team at Wild & Woozy, and I honestly cannot speak highly enough of them. I found them on Instagram when I was looking for photographers in our area, and as soon as I saw their work, I knew it was exactly the kind of photos I wanted. Their style felt so cool, fun, colourful, and full of personality. Before the wedding, we had several meetings where they really took the time to understand what was important to us, what we wanted captured, and the overall feeling of the day. On the day itself, Zona and JJ were amazing. They started with the boys in the morning, then came to me, and later scouted out some incredible photo spots around the hotel and on the way to the venue. They had such a good eye for places that felt perfect for us.

The photos are one of my favourite parts of the whole wedding. They captured so many real moments and everyone’s personalities so beautifully. Nothing felt awkward or overly posed. They guided us in a way that made it feel fun and natural. I look at the photos all the time, and we are so grateful to have such beautiful memories of the day.”

We’re sure you’ve noticed by now that all of the bouquets and boutonnières were made of Lego! But they weren’t the only faux flower found throughout this whimsical garden-inspired wedding. The giant colourful arch over their altar was also made by Selina with faux flowers, fairy lights and whimsical flair.

Declan and Selina’s biggest (and best) piece of advice is this: Enjoy it. “Weddings can obviously be stressful, and there is so much to organise, but at the end of the day it is about the two of you being in love and celebrating that with the people who matter most. After our ceremony, Declan and I went into a private room together, had a drink and some oysters, and just took 10 or 15 minutes to be alone and say, “Wow, we’re married.” I would recommend that to everyone,” they shared.

“The day goes so quickly, and you won’t get to speak to every single person or feel completely present every second, because it is almost impossible. So try to enjoy the little moments, don’t put too much pressure on yourself, and make the day feel like you. Wedding trends can be lovely, but I think it is much more special to create a day that reflects who you are as people and celebrates your relationship, rather than just doing what’s popular that year. Be yourselves, have the best time, and surround yourselves with people you love.”

Selina walked down the aisle with her grandfather Richie. “My 97-year-old grandfather Richie (who has often been described as my favourite person in the world) flew over from Hobart and walked me down the aisle. He also gave a lovely speech that made everyone cry. I am beyond thankful he could be involved.”

Selina may have DIY’d many elements of their garden-inspired wedding, but the most important pieces she created were the ones that honoured Declan’s sister, Letitia, who unfortunately passed away earlier that year. “I made photo pins for us and his parents, a candle with her photos around it, and a painted tribute chair with her name and flowers on it so we could save her a seat. I also made her a Lego flower bouquet, which our ring bearer placed on her chair. That was one of the most important and special things I made for the day,” she shared.

“It had been an incredibly difficult time for our family. Letitia was also one of my best friends, so not having her there was incredibly painful. Declan had proposed just before she died, so she had seen the ring and had started getting excited about the wedding. Being able to plan the day and include meaningful tributes to her brought some beauty and love into a really awful year.”

The ceremony was Selina’s favourite part of the whole wedding, and most of that is thanks to their celebrant Brigitte Johnson from Safe Hands Celebrancy! “She was absolutely incredible. In the lead-up to the wedding, we had appointments with her where she really took the time to get to know us, our story, our humour, and what mattered to us. We answered questions about each other and shared so much with her, and she turned all of that into the most beautiful ceremony that felt completely tailored to us.

It was the perfect mix of funny, emotional, romantic, and very us. People were laughing throughout, there were tears, and so many guests have still commented on how special and personal the ceremony was. We also included a handfasting, Declan’s idea, which was really meaningful. It is where the phrase “tying the knot” comes from, and we now have the cord from the ceremony hanging on our wall at home.

We also hired Brigitte to stay and help MC parts of the day, which was honestly one of the best decisions we made. I felt so much calmer knowing she had everything under control, especially because it had been such an emotional year for us. She was kind, warm, organised, funny, and just completely perfect for us. I loved our ceremony so much that I have kept a copy of the script for our wedding box. I truly could not recommend her more.”

It’s about time we introduce the venue for this whimsical wedding! East Elevation in Brunswick was exactly the kind of space they had dreamed of for their garden-inspired style. “We knew we wanted somewhere with lots of character and warmth, rather than a plain or overly polished wedding venue, and East Elevation had such a beautiful feel to it. The space had exposed brick, greenery climbing the walls, plants and trees throughout, and beautiful fairy lights, which made it feel really warm, relaxed, and romantic. We had both our ceremony and reception there, including dinner, which made the whole day flow so nicely,” Selina shared.

“The food was beautiful, and the team at the venue were amazing. They were so helpful with the things I had made and wanted to include, while also doing so much themselves to make the day run smoothly. It was such a beautiful venue, and we are so glad we chose to have our wedding there.”

Throughout the reception, real flowers styled by Flora Lara in Flemington could be found. “They were absolutely beautiful. The brief was colourful wildflowers, and she brought that vision to life so perfectly. In the months before the wedding, I collected lots of different-coloured glass vases from op shops, in various shapes and sizes, and we ended up with so many of them. Flora Lara filled them with gorgeous flowers and arranged them throughout the venue, using lots of bud vases and vases of different sizes, which looked so colourful and joyful. She was incredibly helpful and really worked with our vision to make everything feel like us.”

For Declan, the fact he got to do all of this with his favourite person by his side made it the most special. “There were so many things I remember about the day. Our brilliant celebrant, who we couldn’t have done it without; the atmospheric venue with super-tasty food; and the amazing decor and craft, all handmade by Selina. But the thing I remember most about the day was that, even amongst all the chaos, the tight schedule, and trying to talk to everyone, I got to do it all with my best friend. Every little moment when we looked at each other and made a silly face. When we saw each other for the first time, and both said to each other, “I’m overwhelmed” at the same time. And the break we took just for us to eat oysters alone. Those are the things I’ll remember the most.”

The speeches were one of Declan and Selina’s favourite moments of the night; just being able to hear their loved ones talk was enough to warm their hearts. “We really wanted the day to feel fun, warm, and not too formal. It was important to us that everyone felt comfortable, had a good time, had a drink in their hand, and could just relax and enjoy themselves. We chose music that was fun and familiar, with lots of classic songs people could sing along to, and after the ceremony everyone blew bubbles as we walked back down the aisle, which was such a joyful moment.

Some of the most special details were the ones that honoured Declan’s sister, Letitia, including the pins, candle, and tribute chair we made for her. The speeches were also one of my favourite parts of the whole day. We had several speeches, and they were all so beautiful, funny, and full of love. The whole day felt like a celebration of not just our relationship, but all of the people we love.”

Everyone who knows Selina knows she loves making things with her hands – and we’re so glad that’s what she’s known for, because look at how incredible her DIYs turned out! “It felt really natural to create a lot of the details myself, especially because so many of our ideas were colourful, personal, and a little bit outside the box,” she explained.

“I made my flower headpiece, our vow books, signage for the venue, the seating chart, vinyl record-style place cards, a disco ball with our names on it, QR code signs for guests to upload photos, and our guest favours, which were candles and chocolates, with the candles featuring a little drawing I had done of Declan and me. I made our guest book as a big framed piece on an easel, where guests drew little portraits of themselves and wrote their names underneath, which is now hanging in our lounge room, and I also made clay cake toppers of Declan and me.”

All of the vendors in this dream team worked so hard to bring Selina and Declan’s whimsical wedding to life, and we couldn’t love the final results more! “Honestly, all of our vendors were amazing. We were so lucky to work with people who were kind, helpful, creative, and genuinely excited to help bring our vision to life. Everyone really understood the colourful, personal, slightly less traditional vibe we were going for, and we had no issues at all, which made the whole experience feel like a dream,” Selina shared.

“Our cake from Proof Bakehouse was so tasty and beautifully done, the flowers by Flora Lara were amazing, and East Elevation was such a perfect venue for us. Danee from Killer Queen Creative, who did hair and makeup, was also incredible, making everyone look and feel beautiful.

If I had to choose standouts, I would probably say our photographers, Wild and Woozy, and our celebrant, Brigitte Johnson at Safe Hands Celebrancy. Wild & Woozy made the photos feel so natural, fun, and true to us, and Brigitte created the most beautiful ceremony, making the day feel so much calmer and easier. But truly, every vendor we worked with was fabulous.”

Their first dance was to a slowed-down version of “Simply The Best” by the fabulous Tina Turner. “It might sound like a funny choice at first, but this version was really romantic and emotional, and the words felt so perfect for us. Declan and I really are best friends, and the song captured that feeling of loving someone so deeply and thinking they are truly the best person in the world. It was such a sweet and meaningful moment, and the slower version made it feel really special.”