I'm feeling so blessed, and I'm just so proud of the what me and my team of vendors created for my couple - and I'm over the moon Hello May Magazine not only featured one of my weddings, but wanted it printed in their pages!
Now that this wedding is officially out there (woohoo!), I can finally tell you all about it, and share with you the most beautiful photos by Emma Wand Photography and film by Til Death Do Us Party.
A big traditional wedding wasn't for them... So they decided to plan their dream secret elopement.
They had attended many friend's traditional weddings, and their first guest list of over 200 people was so overwhelming - they always knew a big traditional wedding wasn't for them.
They wanted the freedom to create their ultimate wedding, exactly in their own way, true to their personalities, true to their beliefs, without any restrictions and without all the fuss.
So in January 2019 when they made the realisation their wedding and marriage should be about building a life together, and not about a huge wedding day, they wanted to finally get going with their plans and not think so hard about it. They wanted to keep their wedding day simple, so they decided to plan their dream secret elopement, yes elopement! With no wedding guests at all... And four months later they were married!
So how did they begin their elopement plans?
With a blank canvas to work with, I had the freedom to create their dream wedding, pulling together all the incredible vendors and creating a truly authentic wedding for the couple. One of the great things about planning their elopement was that they had plenty in their wedding budget for just the two of them. That meant they could go all out in everything they wanted - and they didn't hold back on any of the details!
Ash Quinn came by the tent in the morning to pop some beautiful natural earthy make up on Mo, making her feel as gorgeous as can be. Whilst Rychelle our stylist revamped the whole glamping area with her amazing range of decor and fresh florals.
Mo and Cam loved laying together after breakfast on the Persian, Moroccan and faux fur rugs, pillows and poufs. The low timber picnic tables, brass vases, wax candles added some romace and luxe vibes to the styling which suited their lakeside surroundings to a tee.
They took a moment for a calming cleansing ritual in the river, which is part of their Advaita Vedanta practices, followed by the couple helping each other change. Something only eloping couples can do!
Soon enough, all we could feel was Mo and Cam's excitement when they suddenly realised what exactly they were about to do!!
The falling water crashing into the river was so incredible, we felt we were somewhere really special.
The styling was kept simple - we didn't need to add all that much when we were in such a naturally beautiful location. What we did know in the planning was that we wanted the rock they stood on to be framed in some way. Rychelle converted bamboo lanterns into vases using beautiful burnt orange and earthy toned flowers which were so perfect for the location and super easy to transport by hand along the long coastal path to the location.
Their ceremony ran true to their Advaita Vedanta spiritual beliefs. It began with a meditation and followed by meaningful readings from their Mentor Guide Peter Thomas.
The atmosphere here was peaceful yet electric as Mo and Cam exchanged the most powerful, emotional vows they wrote themselves. We were so lucky to have our celebrant Andrea Calodolce there to officiate the ceremony. She was so accommodating and created a beautiful ceremony for Mo and Cam that flowed perfectly and included everything they ever wanted.
I felt so honoured to be one of their witnesses.
Drinks flowed at the post ceremony picnic Rychelle created for Mo and Cam by the edge of the ocean. The picnic spot was a short two minute stroll from the waterfall, and it was really fun to get the team together at this quiet little nook to celebrate with some champagne and tasty grazings.
Their reception at Lilyvale was simple and sweet as the sun dropped out of the sky, the moon came out, the candles glowed and the festoon lights twinkled over the camp fire.
They cut their Russian honey wedding cake by Nadia and Christina and indulged with a grazing board and played their favourite music whilst sipping on wine before getting ready to have a dinner.
They enjoyed their first night as husband and wife perfectly alone together in the heart of nature...
They were so lucky they got to enjoy their first night as husband and wife perfectly alone together in the heart of nature, under the stars - how they always wanted it.
So how did they make their marriage announcement to their families?
As soon as they got back they couldn't wait to tell all their families. So how did they make their marriage announcement to their families?
With Mo's family in Brazil, she sent Ro's highlights video to her brother and asked him to show it to their mum, but not to play it until Mo and Cam phoned him. Waiting in anticipation, Mo and Cam FaceTime calls her brother, he finds their mum and starts playing the elopement film to her. It was mixed emotions... lots of shock... an avalanche of happy tears... lots of comments of "Mo, I'm not surprised you did this!" "I thought you'd never get married!"... Her family were so happy for them!
The news to Cam's family also went down perfectly. They even had emotion come out of Cam's dad who is not usually an emotional type. He told them how proud he was of them.
Mo says she scrolls through her hunderd of photos, and she watches their wedding film most days - she loves it all so much. Lots of couples are undecided whether to invest in having a wedding film created of their day. Mo and Cam say they are so happy they decided to go ahead with having a wedding film and are so grateful that they chose Ro has their filmmaker. Having a film made for your special day is so unique and customised, now they can relive the day time and time again, exactly how it unfolded.
I couldn't be any prouder of this elopement, and am so unbelievably proud of the full vendor team and that Mo and Cam had their dream day. Nothing makes me happier as a planner than this!
Let me do it again! If you want help with your weddings plans, no matter how big or how small, don't hesistate to email me at alison@alisonhughesweddings.com. I'd love to take away the stress of wedding planning from your shoulders and create your true signature wedding - just like I did for Mo and Cam.
With love
Ali xx
Alison Hughes Weddings www.alisonhughesweddings.com
Photography
Emma Wand Photography www.emmawand.com.au
Videography
Til Death Do Us Party www.tildeathdous.party
Venue
Royal National Park Sydney www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/royal-national-park
Stylist, Florals, Grazing
Lovestoned Styling www.lovestonedbridal.com
Celebrant
Andrea Calodolce Ceremonies www.andreacalodolce.com.au
Make Up
Ash Quinn Make Up www.ashquinnmakeup.com
Belle Tent & Styling
Nomadic Belle www.nomadicbelle.com
Caterers
A Plated Affair www.aplatedaffair.com.au
Cake
Chaos Couture Cakes www.chaosandcouturecakes.com
Christina's Honey Cakes www.ch-honeycakes.com.au
Wedding Dress
Morrison Clothing www.ch-honeycakes.com.au
Groom Attire
Scotch & Soda www.webstore.scotch-soda.com.au