This morning wedding at Brisbane City Botanic Gardens showcased just how relaxed, fun and memorable an inner-city celebration can be, with the ceremony flowing seamlessly to their reception cruise along on the Brisbane River.
Beneath one of Brisbane’s most beautiful grand old fig trees, the couple made it official in a happy and heartfelt morning ceremony, followed by tasty nibbles and refreshing celebratory drinks, before cruising down the Brisbane River for a long leisurely lunch on a private boat.
The Thoughtful Details That Made Their Day
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Choosing to have a morning ceremony beneath one of Brisbane City Botanic Gardens’ most spectacular fig trees, just a short stroll from where they boarded their Brisbane River lunch cruise reception on a private boat.
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A stunning wedding party entrance between two trees, creating a beautifully framed, picture-perfect moment.
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The elegant white ceremony styling by With Love – Brisbane Wedding Decorators, featuring a white arbour with white and ivory dried florals, fresh rose petal confetti cones, and a stylish drinks and canapés station for guests to enjoy.
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As their Celebrant, I brought their brief for their ceremony to life with a fun, happy ceremony with a good dose of laughter, perfectly reflecting their personalities and relationship.
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A meaningful Russian wedding bread ritual (Korovai) presented by their friend Nina, celebrating the joining of two cultures – the Australian groom and Russian bride.
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Keeping their location photos brief and nearby meant they could enjoy celebrating cocktail hour with guests instead of missing out on these moments.
A Morning Wedding Ceremony in the Heart of Brisbane
The couple decided on a morning ceremony beneath this magnificent grand old fig tree at City Botanic Gardens, creating a peaceful romantic start to their day with dappled light and natural shade for their guests.
Surrounded by lush greenery, the Palm Avenue lawn feels surprisingly private while still being incredibly convenient for Brisbane City weddings. The generous canopy of the fig tree offers a beautiful natural backdrop, so the ceremony styling can be simple and elegant while making a visual impact.
This inner-city ceremony location is just a short, level stroll to the river, making it ideal for couples who want a relaxed timeline without needing to move guests’ long distances between locations.
Elegant White Ceremony Styling by With Love – Brisbane Wedding Decorators
With Love – Brisbane Wedding Decorators styled the ceremony in a chic white palette, keeping the look timeless and framing the couples ‘I Do’s’ while allowing the gardens and the grandeur of the fig tree to take centre stage.
The focal point was the elegant white arbour adorned with a white and ivory dried floral arrangement, adding texture and a soft, romantic feel while also being a more sustainable option.
Fresh white rose petal confetti cones were provided, ready for the exciting moment.
A Wedding Party Entrance Between Two Trees
What a way to start the ceremony! One of the most striking visual moments of the day was the wedding party entrance between two perfectly positioned trees. This arrival framed their entrance beautifully as they walked through the trees to the ceremony space as guests watched on.
A Fun, Happy Ceremony That Felt Like “Them”
As their Wedding Celebrant, I created and delivered a ceremony that was light-hearted and full of warmth, as the couple had envisioned.
Their ceremony was filled with happy moments, laughter and personal touches, allowing their personalities and story to shine through, like their first impressions:
When Aaron first met Sasha his initial thought was, “Her Russian accent scares me!”.
Meanwhile Sasha’s first impression of Aaron was, “Oh nooo, he cannot get any more Aussie than this!”
The tone of the ceremony was fun and playful from start to finish, setting the mood for the rest of the day.
Thoughtful Drinks and Canapés so Guests didn’t go Hungry
Wanting to take great care of their guests, the couple added With Love’s A-frame table and ice-filled drink tubs so everyone could enjoy refreshing celebratory drinks in the gardens after the ceremony.
They also arranged for boxes of canapés to be delivered by a caterer, allowing guests to snack, sip and mingle comfortably.
This thoughtful choice meant no one was left hungry (or thirsty!) and it kept the mood relaxed and social as the couple greeted their guests and enjoyed hugs, congratulations and photos beneath the fig tree.
For couples planning a Brisbane City Botanic Gardens wedding, adding simple, stylish refreshment stations is a practical way to elevate guest comfort and create those relaxed, garden-party vibes.
Honouring Heritage with a Russian Korovai Tradition
To honour the bride’s Russian heritage and celebrate the joining of two cultures, the couple included a special Korovai ritual during their day. Korovai is a traditional Russian and Ukrainian wedding bread.
Their friend Nina presented the Korovai, creating a heartfelt and joyful moment while acknowledging the bride’s family roots.
Brisk Location Photos Nearby
A wise choice this couple made was keeping their location photos brief and nearby, ensuring they didn’t miss a moment of their own celebration. After the ceremony, they stayed connected with guests enjoying drinks and canapés under the fig tree, then took a short stroll through the gardens for some stunning shots, let’s face it, every path and corner in Brisbane City Botanic Gardens makes a breathtaking backdrop for photos, so you really don’t need to go far.
This relaxed approach meant they quickly returned to mingle, laugh and continue celebrating with everyone before boarding the nearby YOT boat, conveniently moored at the City Botanic Gardens.
For Brisbane City Botanic Gardens weddings, this strategy is perfect, allowing you to feel fully present with your nearest and dearest, rather than being separated and pulled away for hours of photos.
A Seamless River Cruise Reception on a Private Boat
After the “I do’s” and cocktail hour celebrations, guests simply made their way for a short stroll from the ceremony lawn through the gardens to board the boat for a relaxed Brisbane River lunch reception cruise.
Planning Your Own Brisbane City Botanic Gardens Wedding
This wedding is a wonderful example of how thoughtful planning and personal touches can create a day that feels effortless, full of happiness and deeply “you”.
If you also love the idea of a Brisbane City Botanic Gardens wedding, as highly experienced Celebrants and ceremony stylists in these gardens, together we can help you bring everything together smoothly.
With Love – Brisbane Wedding Decorators and Brisbane City Celebrants love weddings in the botanical gardens and would be delighted to guide you in creating a beautiful, stress-free celebration.
With Celebrant Jamie Eastgate – Brisbane City Celebrants
You can see more weddings that we’ve been both the Celebrant for and also provided the ceremony decor on these blog posts
Wedding ceremony decor, set up & cocktail hour setting by With Love – Brisbane Wedding Decorators
You can view more inspirational blog posts of weddings styled by With Love at the beautiful City Botanic Gardens here
Ceremony at Palm Avenue Lawn, captured by Still Wild Love
If your keen to explore Brisbane City Botanic Gardens wedding lawns, to see which area is the perfect location for your ceremony, you’ll find a great variety of images of wedding ceremonies styled by With Love here.