It was a lovely afternoon for a garden tea party the day Duncan made Leanne his wife in a ceremony and reception on their country property. They each asked their sibling to be their respective attendants, and invited 50 guests to be part of their backyard wedding on their 10th anniversary. Special!
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Leanne’s father passed away two and a half years ago, and it was really important to Leanne to include him in her day in some special way. So she wrote for him a poem to incorporate into the ceremony. Beautifully, Leanne has shared her poem with us, which we find completely touching.
“When the light shines through the clouds,
A rainbow cascading through tears,
I feel your arms around me,
Sheltering all of life’s fears.
We all stand here today,
In the presence of undying love,
Feeling your smile beam down,
From the highest heavens above.”
Matt Rowe Photography took some stunning images of Leanne and Duncan’s wedding day.
“My dad passed away two and a half years ago and incorporating him into the wedding was incredibly important. I wore a locket on my wrist which contained a lock of his hair and I wrote a poem that was incorporated into the wedding ceremony:”
“We really wanted our animals as part of the day, even if it was just for photos. They form such a big part of our life and incorporating them in the wedding day was really important to us. I asked if I could get photos with my bird, Jackson, as he couldn’t be part of the festivities.”
“We’re the best of friends and just generally love being with each other. We both have our own interests and hobbies which ensure we keep our own individuality and remain the people we originally fell in love with.We’re the best of friends and just generally love being with each other. We both have our own interests and hobbies which ensure we keep our own individuality and remain the people we originally fell in love with.”
“The idea for a garden tea party at home came after many many hours of searching for venues around South-East Queensland and none of them being ‘us’ and then one afternoon when I was with the horses the thought popped into my head. We also set up badminton, bocce and horse shoe throwing games for everyone to play while we had our photos taken.”
“My younger sister was getting married and I told Duncan that I wasn’t going to stand up there as her older sister, not even engaged, so he organised a whole surprise ‘birthday weekend’ away and proposed. The proposal was itself was at Kondalilla Falls in Maleny. “
“I don’t think there’s one main thing that makes us work together, it’s a mixture of everything… Love, trust, honesty, life goals, morals and being able to make fun and laugh at each other.”
A-Listers
Photographer: Matt Rowe Photography
Caterer: Sandy’s Incredible Edibles / Cake: Marche Du Macaron / Bombonnieres: Marche Du Macaron / Hair and Makeup Artist: Harpier / Celebrant: Victoria White – White Weddings / Wedding Night Accommodation: Incholm Hotel
“(The wedding date) had to be July 13 as this is our anniversary and 2013 meant it would fall on a Saturday and be our 10 year anniversary… perfect!”
Wedding Secrets Revealed
Biggest splurge: The photography – and very glad we did!
Biggest bargain: My dress, which was purchased on sale for $800. It was two sizes too big, but my friend altered it for me.
Bridal gown: Pronovias
Accessories: Prive Bridal Accessories
Shoes: Peeptoe
Groom and groomsman’s suits and shoes: The Black Jacket Suits, Geoffrey Beene shirts, The Tie Bar ties & pocket squares & Happy Socks socks
Jewellery: Leanne: Engagement ring – Diamonds International, Wedding Ring – Glen Worth Jewellery. Duncan: Wedding ring – Family signet ring.
DIY: Bouquets, table decorations and runners, welcome sign, wishing well.
Number of guests: 50
Wedding budget: $10,000
“We paid for the wedding and as we already have mortgages etcetera, we had to stick to quite a strict budget and know what we could save for and afford. Neither of us wanted to take a loan out.”
“We both wanted a fun, laid back wedding, but still classy where everyone could dress up and make an event of it.”
“I made the bouquets, table flowers, table runners, table decorations (birds and glitter jars), Dolly’s garland and the welcome sign (painting). We both made the food tiers by buying a range of white plates from lifeline stores and the centre pieces from EBay. And Duncan and his brother made the bird house wishing well, which is now our letterbox.”
“As it was an ‘afternoon tea’ wedding we had a selection of finger food on food tiers. They included 2 types of tea sandwiches, mini potato cakes with smoked salmon and crème fraiche, mini sausage rolls, mini quiches and mini spinach & fetta triangles. We also had a macaron tower with lemon meringue, strawberry & Turkish Delight flavoured macarons which everyone could pluck off.”
