Wedding | Lowana & Tom

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Lowana is a visual artist born in a rainforest area of Northern NSW called Barkers Vale. Tom is a composer and lawyer born in Adelaide. We met during university on the Gold Coast, and actually kissed on the dance floor at a “Where’s Wally” themed uni party before Tom messaged me about collaborating about a year later. Over about 8 months we experimented, played, and created some super weird and interesting performance art pieces, combining my interest in climate and body politics with Tom’s experimental piano techniques. There was a moment when we were holding a massive block of ice (that I was going to attempt to melt with my body heat later) where I remember locking eyes and feeling so connected — like knowing this is my person.

We have now been together for 9 years, and have spent much of our time together collaborating on various creative projects and hospitality ventures. We spent time living and working in Japan for Tom’s parents and helping them set up and run a restaurant/bar in the snow. For now we have settled in Brisbane where we love going out to art gallery openings, theatre and comedy shows, and meeting our friends for dinner and live music. We share a love of cooking and enjoying good food, wine, dancing, music, and good company.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We were looking for a venue that could accommodate all our guests and give us the time and space to take our wedding slow, avoid driving for 3 days, and enjoy the big sweeping landscapes that Maleny Country Estate has to offer. We also felt really welcomed by the owners and knew as soon as we met them that we would be in good hands.

Originally we wanted to have a destination wedding, like maybe even in Japan at the restaurant. But we realised how expensive it would be for my family to get there, with all their kids and passports etc. We wanted to be inclusive and make sure that everyone that is important to us could feasibly be there. After doing an art residency on a regenerative farm in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, we fell in love with the area. We also loved how secluded the property is, engulfed by nature, while still having luxurious amenities — we felt that we could capture the atmosphere of a destination wedding just an hour and a half north of Brisbane.

How many guests did you have?

70 adults and 12 kiddo’s.

What was your budget?

Hard numbers make no sense here as my sister Elanora grew and arranged our florals, my Mum made the vases, and Tom’s parents chipped in financially. Safe to say we could have spent more or less, but above all it was worth it.

Tell us about your outfits.

My dress and veil were hand-beaded and hand-dyed in Bo & Luca’s Atelier in India, using the ancient Indian technique of Tambour embroidery. Each bead is individually hand-sewn onto the finest silk by local master craftsmen and women over a three to six-month process. As a champion of the slow fashion movement, I was attracted to Bo & Luca for their ethical philosophy, caring processes, and the beautiful, unique results that can be achieved when we make things slowly and by hand.

For my shoes, I chose a comfortable pair of bone leather mid heels (Jo Mercer’s Karina) and for my jewellery, I kept it super minimal as my dress and veil were heavily beaded. I borrowed an art-deco style, sapphire and diamond ring from my Mum that has been in the matriarchal line of my family for generations. For Tom’s something blue, we had a pocket square made using an offcut from my dress which I embroidered with a blue heart.

Tom’s tuxedo, shirt and bow-tie were designed and created by local Brisbane made-to-measure tailor Patrick Mackenzie. The jacket is made of an ivory barathea woven in England by Holland & Sherry, and the trousers are an ink-black Venetian weave woven in Japan. The ivory tuxedo was chosen to evoke a more vintage feel, and the shoes (black calfskin oxfords from Thomas George) and wristwatch (a gold Omega dress watch from 1970) were chosen with the same feeling in mind.

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

We wanted to be able to enjoy it — the process of planning included. So it was important for us to stay grounded. There is so much wedding content and product marketing out there, especially on social media. But we really wanted our wedding to look and feel personal and reflect our shared values. So we set aside time every Saturday morning to do a little planning together over our morning coffee. This helped us be more intentional about our decisions, stay on top of what needed to be done, share any stressors or concerns, and enjoy the process of creating what turned out to be the best weekend of both of our lives.

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

The three elements that we focused our attention on were: Good Food & Drinks, Music, and People.

After getting engaged in Florence, the obvious choice for our food was an Italian feast. Fortunately, we met the Bertino Brothers! Originally from Naples, they have built a business in SE QLD delivering authentic handmade woodfired pizzas, beautiful antipasti and cannoli to weddings in the area. They were such a joy to work with, so flexible and communicative, and everyone loved their food and energy on the day.

Tom is a jazz pianist and we spent lots of time dancing in jazz clubs in Tokyo & Osaka, so it felt fitting to have a live jazz band play during our reception. Lowana’s brother Gareth also played a song on the violin, chosen by Tom for her to walk down the aisle.

Part of the people element was including those we love in creating our wedding. Lowana’s younger sister Elanora grew and arranged all the florals and is now starting up her own grower/floristry business called Estudio Rosa — we are so proud of her! Tom’s parents helped us with our final stages of planning and decision making. Lowana’s Mum made the amphorae and ceramic vases that were featured during our ceremony and reception. Mindy & James wrote a beautiful, personal script and officiated our ceremony. Having creative and resourceful family members on our side was truly a blessing!

Any tips for couples getting married?

Be true to your relationship and what is important to you as a couple. Delegate where possible, especially on the day. Most of all, make sure to take time to enjoy the moment while it’s happening, as it is incredibly easy to be caught up in everything going on.

If you are going to therapy, don’t stop. When I was getting worried about what would go wrong at our wedding, my psychologist encouraged me to expect things to go wrong, process that beforehand, and refocus my attention on Tom — the person I am marrying. Right before our ceremony, no one could find my Dad and people were super stressed about it. I was like “Oh well, I will just walk myself down the aisle, haha”. In the end my Dad made it right on time and it was lovely to share that moment with him. But at the end of the day, all the little issues don’t matter when you are so deeply in love with the person you are marrying.

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

Lisa Noble from The Light Photo & Film, our gorgeous photographer. Everyone felt so comfortable and relaxed around her, and this is truly reflected in the photos. I actually met Lisa at a fashion show in Brisbane years ago where we left the show to talk about art and the environment over gelato. Fortunately I followed her on Instagram and as soon as we got engaged I looked her up and reached out. She was so caring and took the time to meet with us at my work before we built a vision board for our photos.

Gemma Morgan, our makeup artist, and Naomi from Evalyn Parsons were a dream to work with. They responded to my feedback after my trial, created a look for me that felt like me, and brought the energy and vibes to the makeup room while we got ready in the morning!

Tiannah Heron (Timeless Tales by Tiannah), our on the day coordinator, was worth her weight in gold. She came 6 weeks before the wedding and helped us to write the timeline for the day and asked us the right questions to make sure we were ready and organised. She also made sure my Dad held the umbrella in the right spot so I didn’t get wet walking to the ceremony!

Photographer: The Light Photo & Film @thelight.photoandfilm | Planning: Timeless Tales by Tiannah & DIY | Styling: Lowana Davies @lowanaskye | Flora: Estudio Rosa @estudiorosa.farmerflorist | Ceremony & Reception Location: Maleny Country Estate @malenycountryestate | Celebrants: Mindy & James | Rentals: Maleny Country Estate | MUA: Gemma Morgan @gemmamorganmua | Hair: Evalyn Parsons @evalynparsonsweddings | Catering & Beverages: Bertino Brothers @bertinobrothers_mobilefood | Cannoli: Bertino Brothers | Limoncello: homemade from the couples's lemon tree | Stationery: DIY | Entertainment: Eden Armstrong Trio @eden_iivi | Dress & Veil: Bo & Luca @boandluca | Suit: Patrick Mackenzie @patickmackenzie | Engagement Ring: Artisans Bespoke Jewellers @artisansbespoke

jewellers | Wedding Rings: Atelier CraM @ateliercram_niigata | Wedding Party Attire: Various Designers