Real Wedding | Beth + Sam

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We’re both from a small town in the North of Scotland and we met through mutual friends when I was 19 and Sam was 21, which is when we became inseparable. 

Fast forward 10 years and in that time together we’ve trotted all over the world from NYC, to Bali, Canada, Spain, Singapore, Thailand, and the list goes on, left our friends and family behind to move across the world to Melbourne, endured farm work to stay in Australia, birthed our furry Son Freddie and became Permanent Residents of Australia together. 

I’m the extrovert of the relationship with the strength of a wet tissue to decline a social occasion, who also upholds incredible organisation skills, a master at being stressed, and who also lives their life via Excel. Whereas, Sam is the introverted Golden Retriever of our relationship with his happy-go-lucky energy and the inability to sweat the small stuff, who has a peaceful aura around him and who has a refined art of knowing exactly how to calm me down (most likely with joke). We are the Ying to each other’s Yang as what we both have in strengths and lack in weaknesses tend to complement each other perfectly. 

Everyone who knows us would most likely describe us as big kids as we just love having fun with each other and never stop laughing! Overall, we truly are best friends and love doing life with each other. 

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

Originally, we had the full extravagant traditional wedding booked in a gorgeous castle in Scotland. However, as time went on we quickly realised that traditions weren’t for us so, we cancelled everything and decided that doing things in reverse and completely against the grain of traditions, as it is more of our cup of tea. 

Heading back to the drawing board we decided on doing a destination wedding in Corfu which will take place on 1 June 2024. We came up with this idea. as it’s important to us to spend as much time as possible with our family and friends, since we live on the other side of the world rather it all over in one extravagant day! Also, we love travelling and experiencing new places so to us, we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate with our loved ones than on holiday together!!

Knowing that we couldn’t legally get married in Corfu and our 10th anniversary was fast approaching, we decided to mark the occasion by making it official and tying the knot just the two of us in secret. As well, by doing it this way we feel it’s taken the stress out of the big day as we’re not a PDA couple!

We planned to elope all along, as it meant the day was completely tailored around what we love and there was no stress or anyone else we needed to think about (selfishly). Having this moment together was everything we could have ever imagined. 

How many guests did you have?

Our two incredible witnesses Bree Birtles and Helen Cooper. Being from Scotland and having no family in Melbourne it was an easy choice to have them as our witnesses, as they are our chosen family. We love them dearly and they made our day so special by being there supporting us!

Tell us about your outfits.

As this was our elopement we wanted the vibe to be casual city chic! 

I wanted to wear a short dress and something completely untraditional with added spice – It’s giving… Anti-Bride…

With Sam, we opted for tartan trousers to tie in with our Scottish heritage but, sticking to the casual vibe with no jacket – With us lucking out with a scorcher of a day in Melbourne, Sam was relieved about having no jacket!

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

We wanted the day to emulate us with all our favourite things with an added sprinkle of adventure! 

We started off the day by getting ready together in the morning, then we got married, gallivanted around the city with our incredibly talented photographer Mandy Wood Studio, ate our favourite cheesecake from Stir the Pot, celebrated with spicy margs at HER rooftop, dined at our favourite steak house Angus and Bon, and then finished off the evening by high tailing it to the airport to jet off to Dubai for our honeymoon!

It was so much fun as we didn’t tell anyone! So having this shared secret made it feel even more special and adventurous! 

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate? 

Weddings don’t need to be stressful, so we wanted zero fuss and to just have fun together!

Any tips for couples getting married?

We would recommend blocking out the noise from others around you and trusting your gut! Get married however you want to do it, because getting married is so personal to you and your partner, that it’s important to not forget that the day is about you!

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

PSA: To all brides and grooms looking for a photographer look no further… Mandy Wood Studio is the one! 

We’ve had so many beautiful compliments about our photos and this is all down to Mandy and her incredible talent. Our brief was to be natural and candid which Mandy nailed. She made us both feel at ease throughout our day and at times we even forgot she was there snapping away! Sam also hates the camera but, with Mandy's words of encouragement, he took like a duck to water with it – work it boo! Overall, we are obsessed with Mandy and her work! 

As well, Amy Kirkpatrick Hair!  Amy is a very close friend of mine who moved to Melbourne around the same time as us from Scotland and we love her dearly. Not to mention, she is also an absolute wizard when it comes down to hair (I’m convinced she could do it with her eyes closed). Amy has a remarkable track record from styling models in NYC and London fashion week, to styling celebs at award shows, to being the director and manager at the infamous Frankie Salon and the top wedding hairstylist in Melbourne – name it, she’s done it and she’s dominated it! Amy has the kindest heart and is probably the calmest person I have ever met so, to all brides looking for an extremely talented hairstylist that can also act as your peace lily on your big day – Amy is your gal!

Photographer: Mandy Wood Studio @mandywood.studio | Ceremony Location: Melbourne Registry Office - The Old Treasury Building | Reception Location: Angus and Bon @angusandbon | Makeup: MAC @ahmakeupartistry | Hair: Amy Kirkpatrick Hair @amykirkpatrickhair | Cake: Stir the Pot @stirthepotfood | Dress: Alamour the Label @alamourthelabel | Beth's Shoes: Novo @novoshoes | Florals: Clara Flowers Prahran Market @clarasflowersprahranmarket | Sam's Outfit: YD @ydaustralia | Wedding Rings: Cara Jewellers, Dubai