With many of their guests travelling from interstate, Angela and Todd were determined to make their Brisbane wedding at The Calile Hotel a fabulous, fun and laidback experience, which they delivered in spades.

Drinks flowed freely throughout the night (including espresso martinis – one of which came face-to-face with Angela’s reception dress, oops!); their band, McKenzie Entertainment, had everyone on their feet before entrées had even been served, and illustrator Eugenie Zhan provided guests with a custom portrait as a take-home keepsake.

To top it all off, they had the incredible Renee Green Photography there to beautifully capture every moment, all of which you can check out below.

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How did you and Todd meet? We first met on Tinder but it wasn’t exactly the smoothest start! After a few days of messaging back and forth, I decided to delete Todd and the App completely because his “chat was average”. However, for some reason, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. At this point we hadn’t exchanged numbers or social media accounts so I re-downloaded the App and went on a swiping frenzy to find him again. We soon met for an afternoon drink which turned into hours of endless conversation and a sunset walk on the beach.

The proposal: Todd would like to think the proposal was a surprise but I was onto him! We were heading for a weekend away to The Calile Hotel and then off to the Sunshine Coast. Once in Noosa, Todd suggested we go and get “sunset photos for Instagram”, which was the weirdest sentence to come out of his mouth and made me very suspicious.

Being nervous, I accidentally put a stop to the sunset proposal by suggesting a walk instead. On the walk, I kept checking Todd’s pockets looking for anything box-shaped but saw nothing.

On the walk Todd suggested we sit on the beach to watch the sunset. And I ruined it again because I had white shorts on and I didn’t want to get dirty before dinner! Eventually, we ended up stopping at a lookout where it was just the two of us, which is where he proposed. It turns out, he had the ring just flying loose in his pocket the entire time!

Wedding venue: We chose The Calile Hotel as our wedding venue because you truly feel transported when you are there. We were drawn to the European architecture and the modern design which provided the perfect background for our photos without having to travel off site. We really wanted to maximise the time we had with our guests and the Calile made that easy.

We had guests travelling from WA and NSW so the city location was convenient for those flying in as well as having plenty of accomodation options nearby.

The wedding coordinator, Kate, made everything so seamless and after meeting her we knew it was the perfect location for us.

Wedding vibe: Once we chose our venue, we knew we wanted our wedding to feel chic and fabulous while being fun and laidback. With so many guests travelling in, it was important to us that our wedding was just as much an experience for them as it was for us. We wanted it to feel social and fun so it was key that we had drinks flowing, a great band and our photo booth and fashion illustrator to entertain our guests.

Traditions: adopted, adapted or ditched? We chose to follow most traditions but we did them in a way that suited us. My dad walked me down the aisle but I wasn’t “given away”. We chose a silent give away where he shook Todd’s hand and gave me a hug and kiss.

We had a first dance and father/daughter dance but chose to steer clear of a bouquet/garter toss. We also surprised our mums by having them be our witnesses and they were so honoured!

I’ll always remember… My favourite moment was cutting our cake. Our band played Taylor Swift’s Love Story and I just love their version so much. Once we cut the cake, I was enjoying the song so much I danced my heart out up and down the tables of all our guests. Everyone called it my lap of honour! Once I got back to the bridal table, Todd was waiting for me, we had a little dance together and he dipped me and kissed me just as the song came to an end. Everyone thought it was planned but we were just in the moment and it was SO. MUCH. FUN! And Renee captured every moment!

Hit or (near) miss: What we laugh about now – I had my second dress on – a cute little Rachel Gilbert party dress – for about two minutes before espresso martini was all down the front of me! The girls took me off to the bathroom where I stood in my underwear and heels talking to my new aunties while they washed it under the sink and dried it under the hand dryer! I realised I was spending too much time worrying though and quickly got dressed again and back on the dance floor to enjoy the rest of the night!

The outfit/s: After changing wedding locations/states/themes, of course this meant I needed a new dress! Once I saw the Banks gown from Kyha Studios, I knew it was my dress. I bought it online without trying it on. As soon as I received it, it just felt like me. It was the perfect balance of modern, classic, fun and a little sexy! I loved the off-shoulder sleeve and the high leg split.

Todd always knew he wanted to wear a classic tux. As soon as he put on the M.J. Bale suit, he didn’t need to look anywhere else.

Standout vendors: Our team of vendors were INCREDIBLE, every single one! An absolute standout of course was our photographer, Renee. I truly feel like I made a friend in her. She made everything easy and relaxed and we just had the best time with her.

Our reception band, Nick and Jordy from McKenzie made our entire night! Everyone was talking for days about how great they were and our dance floor was pumping before entrées were even served.

We also had fashion illustrator Eugenie Zhan providing portraits for our guests as a thank you and this was a standout with our guests.

Soundtrack: Aisle song: “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”,  by James Taylor (performed by Kyle Bryant). Recessional: “Paradise”, by George Ezra (performed by Kyle Bryant). Reception entry: “Sweet Lovin”, by Sigala. Cake cutting: “Love Story”, by Taylor Swift (performed by McKenzie Entertainment). First dance: “The Best”, by Baily Rushlow.

Words of wedding wisdom: Getting ready is so much busier than you anticipate! You know it starts early but time flies. I wish I took 10-15 minutes to myself to take a few deep breaths and embrace the moment because it truly goes so quickly.

At the reception, take time for just the two of you. Step back and look at your guests and how happy they are to be celebrating with you. HAVE FUN, don’t sweat the small stuff and be spontaneous. Some of my favourite moments were completely unplanned.

Budget: Our budget was $50k and we probably spent closer to $60k or maybe a little more.

The future: Just continuing on our little journey together, making each day better than the last.

CREDITS: Photos Renee Green Photography // Venue and catering The Calile Hotel // Celebrant Brisbane City Celebrants // Flowers Mrs Gibbons Flowers // Cake Petal and Peach // Stationery and signage State of Elliott // Planning Wedshed Worksheet // Bridal gown Kyha Studios // Reception dress Rachel Gilbert // Bride’s shoes Lana Wilkinson // Accessories Amelie George // Bridesmaid dresses Shona Joy // Robes Le Rose // Hair Petula Jade // Makeup Lara Quinn // Suit M.J. Bale // Groomsmen suits Tarocash // Music Kyle Bryant (ceremony) and Mckenzie Entertainment (reception)// Illustrations Eugenie Zhan // Rings Diamond Vault // Photobooth Photobooth Collective.

PLAN: Discover the app that will revolutionise your wedding planning, We Do Crew.

WRITE: Nail your wedding speech with our much-loved speech-writing workshop.

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