I absolutely LOVED being the Celebrant for this Bougainvillea House wedding. Isobel and Sam’s brief was for a relaxed, lighthearted ceremony that wasn’t too long, and it’s safe to say that together we nailed it – what an amazing day it was!
5 STAR REVIEW “Cara was a great Celebrant for our wedding. She was so organised and made it so easy we never had to stress! She completely understood what we wanted and was amazing on the day! We highly recommend!”
In line with their vision for a lighthearted, relaxed enjoyable wedding day. Here are some of the many unique aspects of their day, that fitted perfectly with their vision, making their wedding day so enjoyable and a huge hit with their guests:
- Switching up the traditional wedding day schedule by having their location photos together before the ceremony, which meant once they were married, instead of being separated from their guests and heading off for photos, they could stay to celebrate and party the night away with them.
- The relaxed and social cocktail vibe with drinks and tasty nibbles circulating from the moment the ceremony concluded.
- The iconic Brisbane City backdrop – Having a later (5pm) ceremony start time, meant within the space of an hour guests got to witness the sky transform from daylight to a beautiful vibrant sunset, followed by the sparkling city lights. Breathtaking backdrop!
Having pre-ceremony photos meant that the bride and groom were able to share in the excitement of the day as they got ready together, before a quick shoot by their hotel in New Farm, Spicers Balfour.
Then it was on to Howard Smith Wharves for some gorgeous photos, before heading to the top of the cliff as their final location, where their families joined them so they could get their family photos while they were there.
Then it was time for guests to gather ready for the 5pm ceremony at the stunning Bougainvillea House, Howard Smith Wharves.
Guests arrived and gathered including some who had travelled from interstate and overseas, and there was an amazing buzz in the air as they all shared in the excitement of the day.
These 2 have such wonderful support people in their lives. You could feel the love and happiness for them as I shared their love story together.
And a lighthearted ceremony was what they got. A little snippet:
Isobel’s first impression of Sam was that he was cool, had great hair and was a bit of a bad boy… boy was she wrong!
Meanwhile, Sam’s first impression of Isobel was that she was cute and sassy… boy was he right!
They’ve built an amazing life together. Conquering being in a long-distance relationship, followed by an interstate move together.
While they enjoy celebrating the big moments in life, having experienced that time apart what brings them the most joy are the everyday moments they get to share with each other.
Sam knew this was meant to be when his favourite moment would be picking her up from the airport to spend a weekend together, and his least favourite moment would be dropping her off to fly back to Brisbane. Also, when he would talk about aeroplanes, and she would at least pretend to listen!
I absolutely adored everything about their day. The happy newlyweds didn’t stop smiling (except to laugh) the entire day.
Guests loved that instead of being whisked away for photos, the newlyweds stayed with them to celebrate over drinks, canapes, speeches and more laughter. A day filled with the happiness and memories to last a lifetime.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about this Bougainvillea House wedding in the picturesque Howard Smith Wharves.
If you are looking for a Celebrant for your wedding, we’re honoured to be the recommended Celebrants at this stunning venue and would love to hear from you.
Contact us now to confirm availability and let’s start planning your special day.
Wedding Vendor Team:
With Celebrant Cara Hodge – Brisbane City Celebrants
Photographer Kirsty of Wildflower Weddings
Venue Bougainvillea House at Howard Smith Wharves
Eager to see more? you can view more blog posts of weddings we have loved being the Celebrant for on our blog at Howard Smith Wharves weddings.