Though Sam and Ty first met in a fairly typical way – “I was the bartender, and he was the regular,” she says – their wedding was anything but typical! There were fun customized touches of colour, both figuratively and literally, from start to finish. The bride wore a wedding dress she designed herself and had custom-made by Alex K, and she topped off her custom comfort by going barefoot throughout the whole ceremony. Rather than settling on one or two traditional wedding colour themes, Sam and Ty’s bridal party brought a rainbow of colour to their beachside photos in colourful shorts and sarongs.
Thanks to Fred + Hannah Photography, we see how the colours continued in the quirky photo zone for guests, tabletop decorations and even beach wood chandeliers, and how they perfectly offset the natural hues of their island paradise. Though Sam and Ty knew they did not care much for most wedding traditions, they set out to make sure their special day was “as fun as humanly possible.” It is safe to say that with their twists on tradition, like a bridal cake piñata and a rented ice cream truck, they accomplished their goal!
How awesome are these bridesmaids and groomsmen?
We love these kind of laid back ceremony decor for casual beach weddings.
We love this fun idea a bridal cake piñata – Nothing makes a wedding party fun like a piñata. Though you may not be able to eat it, this piñata still looks totally sweet.
How did the two of you meet?
I was the bartender, and he was the regular… and after 2 weeks of chats over drinks (for him) we decided to see if it was just as fun when i was having a wine too – turns out it was even better 😉
How did he propose?
In Thailand on bended knee at the most idyllic restaurant over looking the ocean, after asking my dads permission first – text book really.
How did you choose your dress?
I knew very early on i didn’t want any of the dresses i had seen in magazines, so i decided to design it myself and get it made… however i did try on as many as i could to make sure i was sure.
What made you choose your wedding theme?
It is exactly us… barefoot, by the beach, with bright summer colours and as much fun as humanly possible
Why did you choose your wedding and reception venue?
The wedding venue is one of our local beaches, and with the amazing view, setting and natural sandstone and red ochre wall it was a no brainer.
The reception venue is a small tidal island just down the road, and being set on the sand dunes by the river mouth it has the most breathtaking sunset views. There was loads of space for guests and dancing, and best of all we were able to decorate it however we wanted. Plus the venue had loads of accommodation, so we took advantage of that and turned it into a 3 day wedding weekend. Which was perfect as most of the brides family are from South Africa, and the groom had a lot of interstate family, ti gave both sides of the family a chance to really get to know each other. There was more than one or two snooker challenges
Tell us about your reception:
The reception was exactly what we wanted. I changed out of my gown into something more party friendly – and we settled into a night of very memorable moments. The food and wine was a serve yourself situation – Beautiful platters of the most amazing salads and BBQ meats were placed on each table and guests could help themselves. Also at our engagement party we asked our friends to bring local wines instead of gifts and we served theses at the wedding.
Both of us had never really connected with a lot of wedding traditions so rather than forgo them all together we just gave them a little twist. Instead of a guest book, we set up a guest door, for people to paint and draw on, it takes pride of place in our home now, and we get to read it every day. Neither of us like cake either, so I made a piñata cake to hit instead of cut, and in lieu of actual cake we hired an ice ream truck – the novelty factor was through the roof. After all the speeches, and eating – the rest of the night was a blur of dancing, photos and laughter, at the very end of the night – one of our Ukrainian friends made good on a promise, made months earlier, to bring the best Vodka ever, and so once the band had packed up, and night day was done – the last 20 of us sat by the river and passed around our Ukrainian Nightcap.
What reading did you have at your ceremony?
My cousin from South Africa read something she wrote herself.
What songs did use throughout your wedding?
I walked down the isle to Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat – Lucky. Our first Dance was by Pharrell – Happy. The rest of the tunes were from our amazing band.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?
Of course saying ‘I do’ was right up there, but the absolute highlight was my brother as MC… he knocked it out of the park!! And having ice cream on tap – that was pretty great too.
Photographer: Fred + Hannah
Gown: Custom design by the bride and made by Alex K
Shoes: Barefoot at the ceremony, at the Reception the bride wore shoes from MYER and the Groomsmen wore Country Road
Groom’s suit: Routleys – Shirt, Shorts – Gazman, Pants – MYER
Bridesmaids’ dresses: Ceremony: Kikoy sarongs bought on a trip home to South Africa, Tops – Witchery, Reception dresse – Pia Gladys Perey
Groomsmen’s suits: Routleys – Shirt, Shorts – Gazman, Pants – MYER
Hairdresser: Matt Minol – Sfumato
Makeup artist: Ange French – the brides sister in law
Beauty (facials): I didn’t really do any of that.
Jewellery: Hair Feathers and Jewellery – etsy, Gold Locket was my grandmothers, and emerald ring was my other grandmothers.
Wedding rings: Chris Hood – Metal Urges
Wedding planner: The bride
Stationery: The brides own business – Butterfly Kisses
Florist: The brides mum Lynne
Wedding cake: Butterfly Kisses
Catering & drinks: Ken n Barbie did the BBQ, and Cafe 188 did the salads, Wine was bought online at VinoMofo
Entertainment: Rum Jungle
Transport: Father of the Grooms first car, a restored Austin A90, and classic 1974 Mercedes.
Gift registry: Sheridan Wilson – Travel Managers
Honeymoon: Bruny island Tasmania and Bali
Celebrant: Maura Kerr
Love the ice cream van. Great addition to the night time wedding plans