Judge us all you like, but we think the 200 cheeseburgers and copious amounts of chicken nuggets this couple had delivered as late night ‘dance floor fuel’ was the best bit about this unique Sydney wedding, held at The Freedom Hub Ethical Weddings. Well, that and the G&T station. And the live music. And the personalised vows. And the flowers. Dammit, it was all good. Check out the entire celebration captured by WS fave Russell Stafford below.
Brooke and Tim, 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 met through two mutual friends who introduced us and set us the task to find a share house all together whilst they were travelling Vietnam. The plans were foiled when Tim took me to look at puppies – claiming he was going to purchase! Needless to say, the shared flat didn’t quite eventuate. Tim never officially asked me out, his friend at the pub declared we must be boyfriend and girlfriend and the rest is history.
The proposal was certainly very quintessential us. Tim had surprised me with a ring picking appointment – at one of our really good friends jewellery stores (Petersens in Christchurch). My twin sister who lived in Christchurch had no idea. So when the ring was ready, Tim asked her to collect the ring and bring it to Sydney. Little did I know the cheeky thing wore the ring the entire flight because she loved it so much.
The actual proposal was a Wednesday night – we were both in PJs on the couch – with top gear re-runs (specifically the Bolivia special) playing in the background. We’re still debating whether he actually asked me the big Q, or if I just grabbed the ring. Given it was 9pm Sydney time – we had to wake lots of NZ relatives up to tell them the exciting news.
In a few sentences, how would you describe your wedding day? Was there a particular vibe or theme you went for?
Our wedding day was everything we wanted it to be. It was a very relaxed vibe – allowing for all our family and friends to spend the day catching up and hanging out.
We decided to get photographs done before the wedding and opt against a sit-down dinner – with grazing boards and pizzas being served instead. We really wanted everyone to be able to engage the entire night and not be constrained by table settings or us leaving for pics. We wanted a casual vibe – where people felt comfortable and relaxed.
We really wanted people leaving the wedding saying that was a very “Brooke and Tim” event. We achieved this by having things like a G&T station, a whiskey lounge, copious amounts of cheese, and bangers playing on the dance floor. The dancing was a huge part of what we wanted – so having live music allowed the band (The Baker Boys Band) to sense the crowd and play banger after banger.
We really wanted an industrial vibe with lots of greenery and florals to really shine against the concrete. Hunt & Heart events nailed the floral brief… We absolutely loved the fairy lights in the roof, it made for such a magical vibe. Our venue, the Freedom Hub allowed us to bring this vibe to life given they let you have free reign in set up and design.
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 and I’m so glad we did. It made it such an emotional and connecting time. I’m not a crying kind of gal, but man I sobbed out my entire vowels. We’ve re-read our vows since our wedding day and re-lived the emotion, which was lovely. We both felt the weddings we’ve been to where the vows have been self-written were so much more intimate – so we opted to follow suit. Although we didn’t take inspiration from quotes or poems, I certainly Googled to get a sense of what kind of structure would work.
What’s the best piece of advice you took on when planning your wedding?
Decide on what is non-negotiable. Set that list up early and stick to your guns. Don’t be pressured by family or others getting married – your wedding is your day. If a live band from walking down the aisle to the end of your event is your dream, then make that happen. Don’t feel like you’ve got to conform to all wedding traditions if they don’t fit within your budget.
Find vendors that fit into your vision and share your passion to make the day a reality. To give a second piece, always budget for slightly more than you expect! There are always expenses that seem to crop up – dry cleaning, hair cuts, transport costs, new shoes etc. Better to have a buffer to reduce the stress afterwards!
What’s one thing you wish you knew before you started planning?
To be really specific in the tasks you set other people. Everyone wants to be really helpful, but people aren’t sure on what they should be doing. It adds more tasks to your list and means you’re not utilising all these amazing people in your life.
Planning got a lot easier when I was much more specific – for example getting a friend to research specific quantities of food for a grazing board, or the bridesmaid researching several cake suppliers within budget in Sydney.
Now that you’re married, what’s the best piece of advice you can give other couples?
Take time to take in the venue and your family and friends at some stage during the night. It’s so easy to go through the entire day and you haven’t actually soaked it all up or truly seen anything. Take some time to sit back and watch it all unfold and enjoy the moment with your new husband/wife!
Did you scrap any wedding traditions? If so, what?
We didn’t do a first dance or wedding favours. They just didn’t feel like us. We instead opted for new traditions like late-night McDonalds and espresso martinis. We also didn’t send paper invites. We sent e-invites and created a website. It was a great way to save costs, but also being able to update guests continuously as required was epic!
Finish this sentence. The best (or most unique) thing we did at our wedding was…
A late-night delivery of 200 McDonald’s cheeseburgers and insane amounts of chicken nuggets!
CREDITS: Photos and video Russell Stafford Photography // Flowers and styling Hunt & Heart Events // Ceremony and reception The Freedom Hub Ethical Weddings // Music The Baker Boys Band // Catering McDonalds // Cake Stacey Brewer Cakes // Bridal gown and veil Luci Di Bella // Brides shoes Kathryn Wilson // Accessories Sanlucar and Meadowlark // Bridesmaid dresses Zimmermann and Scanlan & Theodore // Bridesmaid gifts Mimco
Grooms and groomsmen suits and bow ties M.J. Bale // Groomsmen gifts Country Road // Rings Petersens Jewellers // Hair and makeup Eternal Elegance.
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