This Melbourne wedding was less about tradition and more about creating an epic party. Being co-owners of a brewery meant their reception venue was already decided – all they needed to do was add a few neon lights, some music and away they went.

“The vibe was definitely more a celebration of friendships and family”, says Kirsty who also wrote individual letters to each guest to read at the ceremony. “These letters were filled with memories and praise for the people attending. We wanted everyone to know exactly what they meant to us and why it meant so much for them to be there on the day.”

Read more about their very personal and love-filled day below.

Congrats on getting married. First, could you tell us about how you met, any funny first date stories and a bit about the proposal?

We both met while at uni, working our part-time jobs at Apple. After going on a whirlwind round the world trip together nine months into dating, I moved to Melbourne to pursue my career and Kirsty stayed in Queensland to complete her degrees. We did long distance for three years before she joined me down in Melbourne.

Kirsty always likes to travel to new countries together, and much to her dismay I went to Japan the year before on a snow trip with some close friends. In order to right the wrong I booked a surprise trip for us both to Japan with my eyes on proposing.

We are quite an adventurous couple and after spending a few days scuba diving, we commenced the overnight hike of Mt. Fuji. After half a day and night of climbing we were lucky enough to summit on one of the clearest days you could imagine.

I am a photographer and set up my camera on a tripod to take a time-lapse of the rising sun. After a small French boy suffering from altitude sickness spewed all over the tripod we moved to a more discrete location and I put the tripod down. It just allowed Kirsty to stand perfectly in frame with the sun rising behind her. I figured now was better than any and got down on one knee, opening the ring box upside down due to nerves.

In a few sentences, how would you describe your wedding day? Was there a particular vibe or theme you went for?

Our wedding was more about everyone who allowed us to be who we are as a couple. We wanted everyone to know why they were invited and what they meant to us as a couple and as individuals. We hand wrote individual letters to every guest, that they were to open during the down time before the ceremony started. These letters were filled with memories and praise for the people attending. We wanted everyone to know exactly what they meant to us and why it meant so much for them to be there on the day.

The vibe was definitely more a celebration of friendships and family. We had a brief ceremony in an old warehouse building in Collingwood and then continued around the block at a brewery that Jackson is a part owner of. We changed the brewery into a big private party, lit with neon… We had a live band that just jammed the night away before the late night began with our friend running as an aux cord DJ.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what made you do that and did you use anything in particular for inspiration, for example, love quotes?

We did write our own vows. But our incredible celebrant Oliver Thomson gave us an idea of writing each other letters to each other that we would read as our vows. So Kirsty prepared a letter for me to read and vice versa. We structured them similarly with what we first fell in love with, what we have learned from each other and what we hope for in the future.

What’s the best piece of advice you took on when planning your wedding?

Make sure that your wedding day is about the both of you. There is a lot of pressure from family, especially if they are contributing financially. But you need to find compromise between expectations set and the things that you want as a couple and individuals.

What’s one thing you wish you knew before you started planning?

You think that you can do everything on your own but as much as you don’t want to be a burden, the people closest to you want to help. There is nothing more special than sharing more than just the day with people you care about.

Now that you’re married, what’s the best piece of advice you can give other couples? 

The feeling of security that you get after you are married, you must not take it for granted. Everyday is another day in your relationship and you should try and remember how you felt on that day and carry it with you into the next.

Did you scrap any wedding traditions? If so, what?

Wedding traditions can feel extremely old fashioned and unbalanced. Our relationship is based on two people existing to support and help each other. Kirsty has always been an extremely independent and strong woman and wanted to walk down the aisle alone. We hated the tradition of the father giving away the bride etc. We also opted to go without cake and just go with the finest imported cheese we could find haha.

Finish this sentence. The best (or most unique) thing we did at our wedding was…

Writing individualised letters to every guest. My mother also folded 1,000 paper cranes as a sign of good fortune and as a homage to the beginnings of the partnership in Japan.

CREDITS: Photography Dave Le Page // Videography Aisle Productions // Flowers Babiana Botanic // Ceremony FIVEasy Upstairs // Reception The Mill Brewery // Catering Fat Cats Van // Cake Harper and Blohm // Bridal gown Rebecca Valance // Brides shoes Bared Shoes // Accessories and rings Jasmine Fraser Jewellery // Bridesmaid dresses Reformation and MLM // Bridesmaid gifts Dinosaur Designs // Groom and groomsmen suits and ties P. Johnson // Groomsmen gifts IEFrancis Minimalist Goods // Hair and makeup Jessica Jenkins // Music Wolf and Willow // Celebrant Oliver Thomson.