This once-upon-a-time fairytale of Amy and Micheal’s love is nothing but ordinary.
Amy and Micheal’s story started when they met at church.
The proposal
The couple was visiting Micheal’s family in Bali when he popped the question. There had been talk of getting married for a few months now, but Amy’s dream of being proposed to in Bali had started to fade away after already being away for two whole weeks. But on their second last night, whilst still getting ready, Michael asked Amy to go collect something from his parent’s room. When she turned around to head back to their room, Michael was waiting on one knee. It also happened to be raining, which only added even more sentiment to the magical moment when he asked Amy to marry him!
“For us marriage is covenant - it’s a commitment to each other not only as a couple but also for our future family. Getting married means also a marriage of two totally different cultures - Australian and Indonesian, so it holds a unique significance.”
From the start, the couple knew they didn’t want anything big or super traditional. The thought of eloping was also discussed as a possibility, but they ended up deciding on a small wedding in Brisbane at The Vita Nova. As their friends had previously gotten married there, they knew it could be the perfect venue to bring their vision to life!
The Vita Nova is a photo studio, so the styling was kept simple with half flower arches to match the bouquets, and were able to set up their registry and communion on opposite sides of the alter.
The floristry was done by Coco Lane, who create silk flowers as they’re able to maintain the bright colour scheme and avoid the flowers wilting in the Brisbane summer heat. Amy gave Chloe, from Coco Lane a colour scheme and mood board, and from there she was able to create something stunning.
The day
For the big day, both Amy and Micheal’s families were able to be there, with Micheal’s immediate family travelling to Brisbane.
”The most important thing to both of us was creating a space that felt relaxed and reflected who we are - this ended up being something that people kept coming back to when giving us feedback about the day!”
Amy knew the day was going to be an emotional one, so she decided to keep the two of them separated throughout the morning activities. This allowed for a very relaxed morning to get ready.
WFML experience
Amy had actually already purchased a different wedding dress when she thought they were going to elope.
“It was a gorgeous dress but when we began looking to book a larger venue for a slightly bigger event I decided it was time to look at another dress to fit the vision.”
Her brief was Barbie and the Nutcracker, and it was as if the Illiana Gown was created especially for this brief.
“I take pride in the outfits I put together so I knew my dress would have to really feel like something that I was meant to wear, but also had to be functional.”
Coming to see Vanessa at When Freddie Met Lilly felt automatically different, as “she was honest, no-nonsense and knowledgeable on all things bridal. Vanessa is incredibly welcoming and warm, the Illiana was the first dress she had me try on and it was immediate love at first sight!”
“I’d visited another bridal shop before When Freddie Met Lilly, and in all honesty, it just felt cold. Lighting felt off, experience felt off and it seemed as though staff were just trying to make a sale.”
”My experience was really incomparable to anywhere else I’d been. I knew I was in good hands right from the start, and was shepherded so well through the whole process.”
A special touch the couple added to their final looks was to pick out each others jewellery.
For Michael’s final look, he wanted something that blended all of the elements the couple individually loved to create something very special.
“Michael is blind as a bat without his glasses, so halfway down the aisle when he could actually see me he shed a few tears. He could not stop looking at the dress when we were standing up there together.”
The highlight of the day was sitting back during the reception and being able to really take it all in. “We are so blessed to have incredible friends and family and it was so special to have them all in the same room together.”
The best piece of advice Amy received during her wedding planning was; “If you don’t love it, it’s not for your wedding,” and we couldn’t agree more! Her advice to future brides is;
”Don’t compromise too much on your day! Family and friends will always have opinions, and yes it’s a big party that you’re hosting so you want your guests to enjoy themselves - but ultimately it’s your day!”
The couple decided to not have a dance floor and even took the City Cat home! Emphasising the importance to do and include the things you love, and it doesn’t have to be out of the ordinary to be special!
Flowers: Coco Lane @coco.lanee
Photography: Liam Bennett @liam.bennett
Videography: Ashton Bennett @junaweddings @ashtonbennettvideo
