Who says planning your wedding has to follow a set of rules? The best celebrations are the ones that feel right for you, filled with moments that reflect your love story, not just tradition. Whether that means redefining the wedding party, opting for a non-traditional venue, or swapping the cake for a dessert table, your wedding should be a day that feels completely and unapologetically you.
In this post, we’ll explore ways to break free from outdated expectations and embrace choices that make planning your wedding feel personal, meaningful, and full of joy. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about following traditions, it’s about celebrating your love, your way, and creating a celebration that is uniquely yours.
Planning your wedding can feel overwhelming and confusing at first, we get it!
With well-meaning relatives offering (sometimes very strong) opinions and an endless stream of online inspiration, it’s easy to feel lost in the noise. So how do you filter through it all and focus on ideas that truly feel like you, rather than what everyone else thinks your wedding should be?
Step back and focus on what truly matters to you as a couple. Start by listing the elements that feel most meaningful, whether it’s a certain atmosphere, a favourite colour palette, or a special tradition (or lack of one!). Limit your sources of inspiration to a few trusted places that align with your vision, rather than endlessly scrolling through trends. And most importantly, give yourselves permission to say no to ideas that don’t resonate. Your wedding should reflect your love story, not a checklist of expectations.
When Ben and I got married last year, we both knew we wanted our celebration to be a true reflection of who we are as individuals and as a couple. We wanted our wedding to feel personal, filled with the things that make us happy, and for our family and friends to immediately recognise that this was the wedding of Ben & Kris.
We started by discussing what we wanted our wedding day to feel like, and our answer was simple: a party, a celebration, full of fun and free from dull moments. We didn’t want our guests waiting around or traveling between venues. We wanted a day that flowed smoothly without any wasted time, and for both of us to experience every moment together.
When it came to choosing a colour palette and flowers, I knew it needed to be purple based. My Nans favourite colour was purple, and the flowers that remind me most of her are hydrangea! My nan was a huge part of my life and a very special part of my heart, it felt 100% right to have her as the inspiration for the colour and flowers. It helped me feel like she was with me on the day.
To bring this vision to life, we decided to host the entire day at one venue. We both greeted our guests as they arrived, enjoying the excitement of everyone being there, and spent the first couple of hours soaking up the joy of the day. Then, we moved into the ceremony.
There was no traditional aisle. Instead, Ben and I stood together on the stage at Marrickville Town Hall and welcomed our wedding team to join us. I wore a vintage lilac gown, our celebrant led the ceremony, and our dear friend narrated our love story. Our siblings acted as our witnesses, and then we dove right back into the celebration.
The day was filled with everything we love: favourite music, delicious food that hit all the right notes (long grazing tables, a food truck, and a dessert spread to satisfy every sweet tooth), small touches across the decor that were meaningful, and games we enjoyed. We even had a friend create custom tabletop game boards scattered around the hall for guests to play. For an extra dose of fun, we brought in a shot roulette trolley, inspired by Ben’s signature move of ordering a round of shot roulette when out with friends. It was the perfect touch to keep the party lively!
Instead of a traditional cake we made a wedding cake pinata and filled it with sweets, mini fireball bottles and scratchy tickets! Instead of the big cake, we had a dessert table filled with small treats, from a local inner west bakery we loved (Sweet Belem).
Instead of a traditional guestbook, we used a cookbook we love. We asked our guests to leave messages on different pages, so when we used the book in our kitchen, we’d stumble upon their beautiful notes for years to come. It felt more meaningful than a guestbook that would likely just sit unopened ever again. We also shared that we were planning a big 3-month honeymoon and provided little note cards for guests to leave travel recommendations based on their own experiences. It was a thoughtful way to make their wishing well generosity even more special!
For an extra special touch, we asked our dear friends, who just so happen to be talented brewers (Small Batch Brew Co, Mudgee) , to create a custom wedding edition lager for us. We designed the label, and they brewed the beer! It was such a fun, personalized detail and definitely one of our favourite parts of the day.
Ben and I have zero regrets about the choices we made. The day felt perfectly US.
A celebration, a party, and a day of memories that we will forever reminisce on.
If you’d love to chat to us about planning your wedding so it’s uniquely you, and breaks the traditional wedding mould, then click the button below and get in touch.
Finally, our amazing photographer was Rachel Gutierrez, you can find her here
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“Kris was recommended to me by a close friend for wedding flowers and she did not disappoint. The wedding process was a bit daunting for me and Kris took the time to have a chat about styles, flower sustainability and budget. Kris was amazing to deal with throughout the whole engagement, is sustainable and super understanding and smiley to boot. Love what Kris did for us on the day and would recommend Kris to anyone looking for wedding flowers.”
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