After multiple, COVID-related setbacks, Lucy and David made a ballsy last minute decision to ditch their original Byron Bay wedding plans and organise a micro-wedding in Moana, NSW. Turns out, it was a blessing in disguise.
“Our wedding was a mini-holiday for all of our nearest and dearest, most of whom we hadn’t seen all year because of COVID restrictions… it was just a really good time; everyone was so happy to be together at last which made it even more special”, said Lucy.
Captured by Pure Mac Photography, you can check out their entire NSW micro-wedding below.
+++++
Tell us about how you and David met and the proposal. We’ve been together for around three years after meeting in country NSW, both working in tiny rural towns. We were engaged after 12 months and then our baby Freddy was born at the start of 2020. We’ve done a lot in our short time together but when you know, you really do know!
Dave had planned to propose with a picnic on the farm one Sunday evening, but he couldn’t get onto my father to ask for his ‘blessing’. He lost his nerve and I never suspected a thing. The next day Dave proposed with a beautiful sapphire and diamond ring – the most stunning I’d ever seen – and I was so shocked I didn’t even say yes straight away!
The venue: We had given up on getting married in 2020, until we had a weekend away in Moama on the Murray River. We visited Junction Restaurant one night for dinner and decided it would be the perfect wedding location. We decided to organise a ‘micro-wedding’ there for in a month’s time.
Everything fell into place, including having all the state borders opening up and it was perfect. We wouldn’t have changed a thing if we could.
Moama is such a beautiful place to consider getting married. It’s right on the Murray River and there are some stunning accommodation options on the water. We rented a huge house right on the river that the majority of the people attending our wedding could stay at. Junction was a faultless location for our ceremony and reception. They have a beautiful outdoor garden and ‘birdcage’ area and their private dining was ideal for us and our 25 guests. We couldn’t fault their food and service.
The vibe: We wanted the whole wedding weekend to have a real holiday vibe, since we couldn’t be in Byron Bay for our original wedding. Everyone stayed for three nights around the wedding day and we spent a lot of time relaxing by the pool and river with cocktails and amazing food. We wanted the wedding itself to be simple and elegant, which I think we achieved with the help of our local vendors.
After spending hours deliberating on little details of what we wanted for the original Byron wedding, we were completely different this time around! We were super decisive with everything, knew exactly what we wanted and had it all booked within a week of deciding on the new location and date. We still gathered inspiration by looking at ‘real weddings’ on blogs and Instagram, especially those set in similar locations to ours.
Did you write your own vows? How did you find that experience? Our legendary celebrant Tracie Kyne helped us write our vows after we contacted her last minute to help get us married. Everyone at the wedding knew us quite intimately, so we wanted to keep the ceremony light, fun and simple. Tracie did exactly that.
Words of wedding wisdom: If you’re considering doing an elopement or micro-wedding because of COVID restrictions (or just because you want to)…do it! It was the best and we wouldn’t change a thing.
I’ll always remember… that we organised it in a matter of days and it was exactly what we envisioned!
Budget: Our wedding budget changed throughout the year because of the micro-wedding we ended up having, and we spent a lot less than originally budgeted. After the year we’d all just had we just wanted to be married with our loved ones present. We spent money on beautiful accommodation, food and wine but didn’t bother with things like extra flowers or styling or anything extra. We lost a few small deposits for things we’d booked in Byron, but were still well under our original budget.
Traditions: adopted, adapted or ditched? Having only 25 guests meant that we got to spend lots of quality time with everyone attending, which we wouldn’t have necessarily been able to do had we chosen to have a big wedding. To us that was really special. We did away with ‘traditions’ and did it our way. Our photographer Mickala Brady also recommended we do a ‘first look’ as we were having some photos before the ceremony. It was a really lovely moment that we’re glad we had captured.
Hit or (near) miss: Well, it was 40+ degrees on our wedding day which made it just a tad uncomfortable but luckily we weren’t outside for too long! Our family photos were right on nap time for nine month old Freddy so he was pretty intolerable for most of them! But Mickala worked her magic and got a few with him cracking a sly smile. We also didn’t want to do a first dance but at about 2am our siblings forced us to dance on a table top to ‘Good Times’ by Chic, which is quite hilarious in hindsight.
Standout vendors: We couldn’t recommend all of our suppliers high enough. Junction were really easy to work with and catered to all of our needs; including letting us move the ceremony last minute because of the heat. Mickala Brady of Pure Mac Photography is incredible; her photos have absolutely blown us away, especially considering we both don’t really like having our photo taken at the best of times. She really is magical and made the photo experience fun, which we weren’t expecting!
Makaila from Clementine Florals created a beautiful white rose and orchid bouquet and button-holes for us last minute, Courtney Edgar did a beautiful (sweat-proof) job on our makeup and my gorgeous hairdresser from Deniliquin, Tori from Hair Desir, travelled down to do our hair.
Everyone was beyond brilliant, and just as importantly, good fun to hang out with over the course of the day too.
The outfit/s: My dress was from Rachel Gilbert, the Juno gown. It was simple, modern and exactly what I wanted. I purchased it online without trying it on first. Luckily it fit perfectly and I just had it hemmed to show my shoes. Dave’s linen jacket was from Rodd and Gunn, as were his navy pants. His shirt and bow-tie were from Hugo Boss and his boots from R.M. Williams.
The future: Making our own traditions as a family.
CREDITS: Photos Pure Mac Photography // Venue Junction Moama // Celebrant Tracie Kyne // Flowers Clementine Florals // Bridal gown Rachel Gilbert // Brides shoes Gorman // Accessories Amber Sceats via Coco and Lola // Bridesmaid gifts The Daily Edited // Grooms suit Rodd and Gunn // Grooms tie Hugo Boss // Rings Cushla Whiting // Hair Hair Desir // Makeup Courtney Edgar Makeup Artist.
+++++
CHECK OUT: REAL WEDDING: Danika + Matt – Mimosa Wines.
