Real Wedding | Sofia & Mitch

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We live in the Sunshine Coast, QLD. We met through friends/ housemates when I (Sofia) was living in Far North Queensland and Mitch was living on the Sunshine Coast. My housemate was Mitch’s best friend from school. After a year of joking about introducing us, a bunch of us friends went to visit Mitch on the Sunshine Coast. I pretty much rocked up on his doorstep and the rest is history. My favourite thing is we are just best mates, and honestly love any second we get to spend together!

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We wanted somewhere beautiful that was near our home on the Sunshine Coast. A close friend’s parents own the property and they were so generous to let us have our ceremony there. The Sunshine Coast is where we met and is home so it just felt right having this moment there too.

How many guests did you have?

120.

What was your budget?

$25k.

Tell us about your outfits.

We both wanted to go for something timeless and classic. 

The general vibe I was going for was comfort, vintage, classic and effortless. Howeve,r most of all I just wanted to feel like myself on the day. I initially wasn’t drawn to my wedding dress on the rack, but tried it on anyway, as my motto for dress shopping was ‘surprise me!’ I said I would never go with a strapless dress however, when I tried on my dress, I removed the spaghetti straps and added a silk drape which totally changed the look of the dress. I wanted my accessories fairly paired back to make the dress really stand out. My gold shoes were also super comfortable and added a subtle gold pop to the look. 

For Mitch, we both agreed black was just classic. After trying on a few suits off the rack, we ended up going to Institchu for a custom Australian wool black two piece. I feel like our outfits really complimented one another.

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

We really wanted our wedding to be as easy and as cost effective as possible. We are both very relaxed and wanted our wedding to reflect that. I wanted a slightly sophisticated feel for the ceremony, but we were happy for a laid back reception. We also wanted a big party with all our family and friends with no strict guest limit, so we opted for a cocktail style reception at Terella Brewery, catered with our absolute favourite Italian pizza’s (they are honestly to die for!). This also meant we got to mingle with our guests and hang out with our guests.  

Given the cost of weddings at the moment, we were so lucky we were able to pull off the wedding of our dreams within our budget!

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

Having Mitch’s Grandfather marry us was a must. All 16 of his cousins have been married by him, and we were the lucky last.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Keep it simple! Even with us trying to keep everything as simple as possible, it was still a big job to pull it all together. 

We did a tiny bit of DIY for our ceremony however, more than that would have been too chaotic I think. I wouldn’t recommend doing an entire DIY wedding unless you are really brave!

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

My hair (Niki Taylor) and makeup artists (Madeline J Makeup) were absolute professionals and so incredible to have on the day! They have it down to a fine art. 

Our photographer (Mandy Wood and her husband Scott who was the second shooter) were absolutely incredible! They were so lovely to have on the day, but also so professional and helpful with their directions. They even helped move our flowers and cake into the right place to make sure the shots were perfect!

Lastly, our caterers (Dar Nasone Pizza) were incredible. They were wonderful to deal with and an absolute delight to have at our reception – even making sure the friends/ family with allergies got their special orders. Could not recommend all of our vendors enough!

Photographer: Mandy Wood @mandywood.studio | Flora: Arranged @a.rranged | Videographer:

Own Camcorder | Ceremony Location: Private property | Reception Location: Terella Brewery 

@terellabrewing | Celebrant: Grooms Grandfather | Makeup: Madeline J Makeup @madelienejmakeup | Hair: Niki Taylor @nikitaylorhair | Catering + Beverages: Terella Brewery 

@terellabrewing (Drinks)+ Dar Nasone (Pizza) @darnasoneitalianstreetfood | Cake: Kikki Cakes, Sunshine Coast @kikicake.sc | Stationery: Shannanigans Creative @shananigans_creative | Dress:

Karen Willis Holmes @kwhbridal | Suit: Institchu @institchu | Veil: Aniko Dress Making @anikodressmaking | Engagement Ring: Louise Jean Jewellery @louisejeanjewellery | Wedding Rings: Seven Swans Fine Jewellery @sevenswansfinejewellery | Shoes: Bared Footwear @baredfootwear | Wedding Party Attire: Shieke, Bec & Bridge, The Iconic (Bridesmaids) &

(Groomsmen) Target, MJ Bale & Insitchu