Wedding | Ali & Ed

The Anti-Bride
4 hours ago
4 min read

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We met in 2023 on a first date that neither of us were sure was in fact a date, and have been inseparable ever since. We were attracted to each other’s intensity and lust for life, qualities which surely contributed to our engagement 6 months later.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We were initially considering getting married at our favourite restaurant in a warehouse in Marrickville – Baba’s Place. But by the time the guest list shaped up it was clear we wouldn’t fit. So we poked around online at different places. The challenge was finding somewhere that had the amenities of a wedding venue without feeling super corporate, and it felt important for Ali to be outside for at least part of the day.

When we went to visit The Merribee the previous owner took us on the tour of the gardens he’d been cultivating for the better part of 20 years and complained about the need to have weddings to pay for it all – we loved that energy. And we loved the variety of quirky spaces on the property, that felt like it would do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of decoration. More importantly our dog Olive had a lot of fun zooming around the garden and no one seemed to mind. The Merribee has since changed hands and become a fair bit more expensive – but we hope it doesn’t lose the same vibe it had for us.

How many guests did you have?

85 guests.

What was your budget?

All up the wedding was about $50k: $15k for the venue. $20k for catering & drinks. $5k for photography. $3k for music. $2k for my dress and Ed's suit. $2k for everything else (flowers, cake, stationery, makeup).

Great food and wine were important to us, so we tried to prioritise that in our budget.

Tell us about your outfits.

I wanted a dress that I could feel comfortable dancing all night in. This was the first dress I tried on. I did try on some other dresses from Prea James which were divine, but I didn’t feel like myself in a long dress. My shoes were my favourite part of my outfit - I coveted them for about 10 months before I bought them. I wear them every single week at work, and get complimented on them every time. And I loved my cutie ‘Just Married’ underpants from Cou Cou Intimates. It was also special to wear a very delicate pearl ring on loan from Ed’s mum.

Ed wore a simple black tux from P. Johnson. We both had so much fun getting it tailored at the store.

We asked our guests to dress casually and colourfully for a garden party aesthetic, which contrasted nicely with the simple black and white.

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

It’s hard to pick one but - venue, catering, music and photos. We were pretty relaxed about everything else provided we threw a great party, in a nice place, and caught it all on camera – but we didn’t want anyone to leave the night feeling like they hadn’t eaten and drunk as much as they wanted and danced as much as they could.

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

We really wanted it to feel a sense of community and closeness – we spent the day before setting things up ourselves, the stationery was done by a friend, we picked and potted the flowers ourselves with the help of family. Including our puppy in the ceremony as a flower girl took a lot of planning (and getting out the zoomies) – but she behaved surprisingly well.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Figure out what’s important to you before you start. Don’t feel pressure to spend on everything – a lot of people found it odd that we didn’t have a florist or a planner etc. But you can do a lot with a little around the edges if you know what you want the event to look like from the outset.

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

One of the biggest unknowns for us was the photography – it’s such an intimate part of the day, and we are both fairly self-conscious and shy. We can’t recommend our photographer Sam Riles enough – she had such a gentle, warm and reassuring energy. She made sure we got the shots without it ever feeling like a photo shoot. You can tell how much she enjoys the craft and capturing the little details – but the skill is in making the final album reflect the energy and vibe of the day as a whole. Between the quiet moments, the noisy dinner, and the rain-soaked dancefloor she stayed out late to capture – Sam Riles nailed it.

Our talented friend Tamsin runs Tam Illustration, and designed our invitations and menus. She puts so much love, joy and thought into her work. Both of the designs she produced for us were personalised and reflected the venue and the vibe, and the production was very high quality.

Photographer: Sam Riles Photography @samanthariles.weddings | Ceremony & Reception Location: The Merribee @themerribee | Celebrant: Tess Myers @married_by_tess | HMUA: Monique Kazokas