Most couples visit Bunnings (Australia’s version of B&Q/ Home Depot) to buy paint, DIY supplies or plants, but Daisy and Daniel held their wedding ceremony there!

The idea began as a running joke as the warehouse held a specific place in their relationship. Daniel is a gardener and Daisy is an artist so trips to Bunnings form a part of their usual weekend routine. Even before they started dating, Daisy dreamt that she and Daniel were shopping there with a group of children who all wore matching glasses. The dream actually encouraged her to ask him out!

“We got married in a hardware shop, which is pretty non traditional, but to us Bunnings is a special place”, Daisy told us. “We go to Bunnings most weekends and always joked about getting married there, but when we found a Bunnings willing to host us we decided that DIY and Hi Vis inspired neon themed wedding would be fun while still be true to who we are and what we love.”

The branch in Alexandria offered its outdoor courtyard free of charge, with Daisy and Daniel only needing to pay for public liability insurance. The warehouse asked them to avoid the busier spring and summer trading periods, so they chose to get married in winter. “We think its so funny that our wedding anniversary will forever be determined by Bunnings peak trading times!” Daisy laughed. “It was literally a dream come true, to have this super far out dream of getting married at Bunnings and then be walking down an aisle. Having it all come together it felt amazing!”

A winter ceremony actually suited them though. The colder weather gave their guests an excuse to wear coats alongside the requested dress code of ‘wear something joyful’. Daisy and Daniel collected second-hand blankets for anyone feeling the cold and set up coffee and snacks for guests as they arrived. Guests went all out on the dress code and the wedding party’s outfits pushed the neon theme further. Daisy handmade the bridesmaids’ and flower kids’ clothes, treating the bridesmaids as Powerpuff Girl-style magical guardians inspired by the original tradition of attendants acting as decoy brides to confuse evil spirits. Each bridesmaid outfit cost around $40 to make and came with a heart-shaped bubble wand in place of a bouquet.

The groomsmen wore thrifted suits with shirts dyed by Daniel and bows sewn by Daisy. Daniel also dyed his own shirt, painted its patch and made filo cufflinks. Daisy added the pink bow.

Daisy’s wedding look became a collaboration between the couple and their friend MYXI BUN. Together they hand-painted the dress before Daisy sewed it, while Daniel customised her platform trainers. “The tradition of not showing the groom your dress was hard because I was making it in our lounge room, so we said who cares! And for us that was really special cause it meant that Daniel got to help paint my dress and make elements of the outfit which made it more special to me too, I love Daniel’s art and being able to wear a dress covered in our art and our memories really meant a lot to me.”

Daisy encountered plenty of unsolicited opinions during the planning process. People questioned whether a handmade dress could look suitable for a wedding, some even commented on her body and suggested that her height (she’s taller than Daniel) should mean she wears flat shoes. Rather than change what she really wanted because of other people, she went the opposite direction with a a larger dress, higher platforms and a stronger commitment to taking up space”

“I had so many weird comments made to me about what I was planning to wear, and whether I would be able to make a dress good enough for a wedding in the lead up”, she explained, “It really sparked me to be like fuck that, I’m gonna be as massive and obnoxious as I can and just have fun and be 100% myself!”

Even the engagement ring was totally right for them, Daniel had proposed with a Ring Pop because Daisy rarely wears jewellery and spends too much time putting her hands into paint, glue and assorted creative goo to want an expensive ring. Some people interpreted the lack of diamonds as a lack of seriousness. Daisy saw a partner who knew her. “Love has nothing to do with diamonds. Daniel knows me and knows what I like, stop projecting your weird engagement rules and nonsense onto people!

After the ceremony, everyone moved to Brew Dog for burgers, drinks and what became the ‘official Sandwich Marriage Meal’. Daisy and Daniel perform together in a novelty band called Sandwich Magic, whose members dress in diner uniforms and sing about sandwiches. So, of course the reception menu required commitment to the bit

The couple screen-printed custom meal boxes in their kitchen before delivering them to the venue, where each one was filled with a burger and fries. Every box also contained a blind-box toy designed and 3D printed for the wedding. Guests could receive Daisy, Daniel or Crungus, Daisy’s goblin character and the rarest figure in the set. “Sure we can only afford to feed the guests burgers, BUT we can design our own happy meals a make a it unforgettable burger! We took the budget limitations as a chance to scheme and constantly thought how can we make this as fun and extra as possible?”

The couple skipped fresh flowers in favour of fake ones and had second-hand trinkets and toys decorating the reception space. Troll Dolls appeared in Daisy’s bouquet, while bridesmaids carried bubble-wands. Fake flowers kept costs down, worked through winter and reflected Daisy and Daniel’s habit of collecting peculiar objects from thrift shops.

“Sometimes as an artist you feel like your skills don’t translate to life well”, Daisy concluded, “but weirdly, my many years of organising zine fairs and gigs really came together, and every challenge we met in the planning process we were able to be like what niche random skill can we call upon to solve this problem with minimal budget! I think you can celebrate however you like! Be as chaotic and punk and silly as you can!!”