Christian + Alexandra - Collits Inn

What began as a workplace romance officially became a forever thing when Christian and Alexandra tied the knot at Collits' Inn - a historic wedding venue in the Blue Mountains. A stunning winter celebration (their brief was "cosy tavern meets enchanted forest meets renaissance art"), they adopted a do-what-you-want approach that made their day feel less like a traditional wedding and more like a beautifully curated gathering of loved ones and their favourite things - including antiques, amaretto sours and good music. Proof that when you trust your taste (and your vendors), magic tends to follow.

How did you meet? At work, being professional button baristas at Nespresso and slacking off wherever possible to flirt in the back room.

Wedding venue: We got married at Collits' Inn in Hartley Vale. We wanted somewhere relaxed and beautiful without lots of restrictions and rules. The blue mountains is a special place for us so we wanted to share that with our loved ones. There is something very magical about Collits' Inn that drew us in immediately.

Wedding vibe: Cosy tavern meets enchanted forest meets renaissance art. We collect antiques and think nostalgia is a super powerful emotion for creating connection, so we wanted to play with that.

Best wedding planning resources? For inspiration - Pinterest, movies, artwork we love. Logistically, you can't beat a good excel spreadsheet. We also relied on our amazing vendors to help guide us - we were lucky to find a community of creative minds who understood exactly what we were going for and how to achieve it.

Expectations vs. reality: Wedding planning was way more fun than we expected! It was such a good way to spend time together and we both saw a different creative side to each other. Finding good vendors was also easier than we thought once we settled on a really specific vibe we wanted to achieve.

On the flip side - making seating charts sucks! You really start to analyse the relationships between your loved ones in a new light. We also had some push back around having a winter wedding in the mountains, but it all worked out for the best!

Best thing you did? Politely nod along to everyone's kind suggestions, and then do what we wanted anyway. Our day was perfectly us and went off without a hitch. We also leaned on our venue and photographers to guide us with some best practice suggestions. Sometimes there is a really good reason that things are done a certain way, and it was good to understand that before we locked things in. Also - we got married! Best idea ever.

Hit (or near) miss: Our best man dropped our rings during the ceremony! Cue huge gasps.

Hartley Vale was also hit by a massive barrage of rain for the entire week before our wedding (think rain-bomb) so our ceremony spot was completely washed out and the beautiful surrounding fields were a total mud pit. But the new spot we chose last minute was even more beautiful than the original and the rain left the landscape looking haunting and the light soft, so our photos are perfect. We also had a ball trekking through the mud all day, it took the pressure off and let us enjoy our time together before the reception.

If we had our time again... (anything you'd change in retrospect?) We wouldn't change a thing. The day flies by so quickly, we wish we could have slowed down the clock to appreciate it all even more.

Rapid Fire Questions

Splurge?

Our styling team at Penny Lane Studio.

Save?

Alex's mum made our cake! Also, no videographer - our siblings took camcorder footage on old family cams throughout and it turned out amazing.

First look?

Nope.

Best thing you ate or drank on the day?

Amaretto Sours from our cocktail bar.

Aisle song?

"Holocene", by Bon Iver.

Party starter?

"Last Nite", by The Strokes.

Ceremony or reception (which won?)

Both! They flowed together so nicely, it just felt like one long party.

On or over budget?

Over (kind of...).

Honeymoon destination?

Malaysia for now, Canada for later!

CREDITS: Photos Fiona and Bobby // Venue and catering Collits' Inn // Celebrant All We Need Is Love // Florist The Flower Cottage // Styling Penny Lane Studio // Bridal gown Watters // Alterations, veil and bridesmaid dresses Nicole Michelle Couture // Bride's shoes Bared Footwear // Suits Bentex // Rings Irene Byrne & Co Antique Jewellery and Ronald Crisp Jeweller // Hair Michelle Brown // Makeup Claire Jamieson // Music The Vintage Stylus // Marquee Blueys Event Hire