Modern Romance in Perth

Photography by Nectarine Photography for Brooke and Matthew

Having first crossed paths as High School sweethearts, Brooke and Matthew’s wedding was a celebration years in the making. An ode to their history together and the friends and family that surround them, the pair chose to wed in their hometown city of Perth at a ceremony imbued with personal sentiment.

Unfolding before uninterrupted views of the Swan River, the couple exchanged vows beneath an arbour artfully styled with exotic blooms and dried botanicals. The bride, a timeless silhouette in an intricately beaded Jane Hill gown, glided elegantly across the grassy reserve.

Post-ceremony, guests made their way to Lamont’s Bishop House where dinner was served beneath balmy summer skies. Tables dressed in desertscape hues beautifully contrasted a backdrop of manicured gardens and towering city silhouettes. A curated composition of lavish florals paired with modern ceramics and imperfectly cut stone slabs created an exquisite dining space for an evening of festivity.

Meanwhile, behind the lens capturing every romantic moment was Loren Ioppolo of Nectarine Photography.

Our Story

Names / Brooke & Matthew

Wedding Date / 1st February 2019

Guest Numbers / 80

How We Met

We met at High School. I don’t think we really noticed each other until Year 11 when we took a maths class together. We started officially ‘dating’ in Year 12.

Our Engagement Story

We got engaged in Bali in November 2014. We were staying in a beautiful resort with a room overlooking the ocean. Matt went ahead of me to the room and when I got back, there were rose petals from the entry all the way out to the balcony where Matt was dropped to one knee.

Marriage to us Means

It brings us just that little bit closer as a family.

The Details

Wedding Location

We have always loved the idea of a destination wedding, however having a (non-sleeping) baby/toddler during the wedding-planning process meant we tried to keep things as simple as possible. So, we decided on keeping it in Perth. We’re so glad we did because it meant that everyone was able to make it. Including our heavily pregnant friends who wouldn’t have been able to travel if we had decided to have a destination wedding.

Our ceremony was held at Bishop Road Reserve in Dalkeith. We always wanted our ceremony to be near water, and this reserve ticked all the boxes…secluded, filled with beautiful big, shady trees and elevated views of the river.

Our reception was at Lamont’s Bishop House. It’s a beautiful old building that stands amongst the high rises of the Perth CBD. It is surrounded by lush heritage-listed gardens, creating an oasis in the heart of the city. On arrival, our guests were served drinks and canapes in the Rose Garden before heading down to the lower courtyard to be seated for dinner. Our wedding was in the middle of summer and we had the most glorious night for it. We loved that the reception could all be outdoors/open air, and the lower courtyard provided us with the most incredible space to style and make our own.

Theme & Style

The styling drew inspiration from natural tones and textures of the “desertscapes” – earthy, natural yet also modern. Tones of creams, clay, nude, rust and burnt rose were paired against vast bright whites and hints of black. The styling was approached with a contemporary minimalist feel to contrast the beautiful grounds of Lamont’s Bishops House, one of Perth’s most historical buildings.

Photography

We used Loren from Nectarine Photography. We loved the relaxed, candid style of her photography and the way her photos tell a story. She was so easy to work with on the day.

Fashion Notes

Bride’s Dress

My dress was custom made for me by the gorgeous girls at Jane Hill Bridal in Melbourne. They were a dream to work with and I was so happy with the end result.

Bride’s Shoes

I wore a classic silver stiletto by Gianvito Rossi.

Flowergirl/Pageboy Outfits

Our 17-month-old son Max was our pageboy. He looked so adorable and did such a great job. Dressed head to toe in Bardot Junior – they have super cute formal wear for little boys!

Wedding Rings

My engagement ring/diamond was sourced and made by a diamond wholesaler in Perth. My wedding band is from Stefan’s in Perth.

Jewelry & Accessories

I wore earrings from Swarovski. They were a very last-minute purchase (the night before the wedding – it was challenging trying to be totally organised with a baby/toddler. I didn’t LOVE my earrings but I was desperate and they still worked with the dress.

Groomsmen’s Attire

Matt wore a classic black tuxedo from Calibre.

Hair

I had my hair down with loose waves. I used my usual hair stylist – Marie from Head Studio. She’s amazing and I had total trust in her on the day!

Makeup

We used Tamizin Mulder and Fitz Adi for our make-up on the day. They are both incredible artists.

Although we didn’t have an official bridal party, I still had my Mum and five girlfriends get ready with me on the day. It was SO relaxed and lots of fun and I think the girls all enjoyed being a part of it and having freedom in what they wore and how they had their hair/make-up etc.

Style Notes

Stationery

Paper Fusion did all our invites and wedding stationery.

Flowers & Bouquets

Rebecca at Natural Art did all our florals on the day – organised through Tiffany Keal. They were honestly the most amazing flowers I have ever seen (I might be a little bias). Orchids, anthuriums, roses in the most beautiful neutral colour palette. We had SO many comments about them during the wedding.

Videography

We chose Nat from Auburn Hour as our videographer. Her films are well made, authentic and the perfect mix of fun and romance. She also gets some great still-shots and is just generally a legend.

Preparation

I got ready at our house with five of my closest girlfriends, my mum and our gorgeous 17-month-old son, Max. Our day started around 9 am, all the girls had their hair and make-up done and then came with my Dad and I in the limo to the wedding.

Matt went out for brunch with two of his closest mates. They then got ready at my parent’s place with my Dad and my brother also. As most grooms and groomsmen do, they just relaxed, swam and had a few beers in the lead up to it all.

Ceremony Décor & Reception Décor

Tiffany Keal styled both our ceremony and reception. Our ceremony was kept really simple. We had a black arbour surrounded by neutral florals by Natural Art Flowers and blush velvet bench seats from Event Artillery.

Our reception at Lamont’s was outdoors. Drinks and canapés were served in the Rose Garden which we left more or less ‘as-is’… simple bar tables, stools, some occasional furniture and festoon lighting strung above. The remainder of the night was in the lower courtyard. We had three long white-wooden dining tables from Maisey Collections with white French dining chairs and some lounge furniture from Event Artillery. The tables were bought to life with beautiful neutral blooms in blush, nude and black vessels, gorgeous candles, linen table clothes and rose gold and black cutlery. The hero of the setting was a featured nude tone arch backdrop, which housed bursts of blooms growing organically around the quote “Written in the Stars’ defining our (Matt and I) journey together.

Wedding Planner/Stylist

We used Tiffany Keal Creative Studio to style our ceremony and reception. She is super talented and nothing was too much trouble. We were so happy we chose her as our stylist.

Cake

We had a two-tier wedding cake which was made by Sukar. The bottom tier was ‘Double Chocolate and Raspberry’ and the top was ‘Vanilla and Salted Caramel Praline’.

Food and Beverages

Our reception venue Lamont’s took care of all the food and beverages. We chose to serve canapes on arrival followed by a sit-down dinner where guests had a choice of entrées and mains. Dessert was a selection of petit fours followed by a selection of cheeses and wedding cake. We chose to serve dessert in more of a cocktail style as we wanted to encourage guests to get on the dance floor. Beverages including French sparkling, a selection of wines, beers, ciders and non-alcoholic drinks were served all night as well as espresso coffee and organic tea later in the evening. Everyone commented on how great it all was and you couldn’t fault the service. I don’t think anyone ever had an empty glass.

Wedding Songs

Ceremony: ‘That Home’ by Cinematic Orchestra

After Ceremony: ‘Days in the Sun’ by Ziggy Alberts

First Dance: ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran

Entertainment

We had Adrian Wilson an acoustic guitarist/soloist during our wedding ceremony and for the drinks/canapes part of the reception. He has the most incredible voice. We then had Rob Sharp from ‘Simply Entertainment’ DJ for the remainder of the night.

Gift Registry

We chose to have a wishing well rather than a gift registry as we already have most of the things we need. Some of our guests blew us away with their generosity.

Celebrant

Kristy Wright was our celebrant. She was recommended by a couple of people within the industry and she was amazing. Chilled, easy to work with and just generally a good person.

Readings

We wrote our own vows which was the BEST decision. We both loved hearing each other’s vows – for us it made our ceremony that little bit more special and personal.

We also had two of our closest friends do a reading for us during the ceremony. They were, ‘I Will Be Here’ (Author Unknown) and an excerpt from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres.

Special Details

A Memorable Moment

Ooooh too many to choose from….

Arriving at the ceremony, seeing Matt, all our friends and family and taking in how beautiful it all was. AND our son Max lapping up all the attention during the ceremony. He just ran up and down the aisle clapping with the biggest smile on his face. It was SO adorable and made our day so special.

One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…

I wish I knew we were going to use a stylist so I didn’t waste so much of my own time trying to ‘wedding plan’ in the early days!!

If I could give other Brides-To-Be one Piece of Advice

Try to be as organised as possible on the week of your wedding so you can relax as much as possible and enjoy your time together getting excited about your big day!