Em and Odin had been together for 11 years by the time they married, so they didn’t love the idea of spending the morning apart. Instead, they got ready at home, surrounded by their wedding party, then travelled to Montsalvat Estate in a vintage Mustang together.

“We knew that we would feel more relaxed and comfortable getting ready and travelling together”, Em told us. “The familiarity of getting ready at home with the excitement from each other and our bridal party to hype us up, felt more natural and reassuring. And the car ride together gave us the opportunity to sit in the excitement together before it was show time.”

Located in Eltham, Australia, Montsalvat is an artists’ colony built from stone, timber and salvaged materials. Its medieval architecture and creative history gave Em and Odin the atmosphere they wanted. A plum and burgundy colour palette picked up the autumn tones around the venue. “We both value art and the warmth of the creative community, so in addition to feeling like it had stepped straight out of a novel, Montsalvat felt like the perfect place to host our ceremony”, they said.

The ceremony took place in Montsalvat’s Upper Gallery, with live music from Invictus Quartet and a glass of bubbles waiting for each guest. Em walked herself down the aisle after seeing a friend do the same at her wedding the previous year. With nobody beside her, she could concentrate fully on Odin as the doors opened. They exchanged rings that Odin made and after the vows, the newlyweds made their exit with a rehearsed dip that sent the room off. “We practiced that dip so many times in the weeks leading up to the wedding, the practice really paid off!” Em laughed.

Everyone then moved into the courtyard for one huge group photograph, followed by drinks and light canapés. Em and Odin skipped the standard big sit-down reception. Their 100 guests joined them for the ceremony and an extended canapé celebration, while a smaller group of 20 then continued to a private dinner elsewhere.

“For us, being non-traditional meant changing our perspective on why we were making the decisions we were making”, Em explained. “Instead of doing things purely for tradition’s sake, we chose to prioritise our comfort and values, and to find our own reasons for the decisions we had to make. Where we did find decisions that weren’t as important to us, or we didn’t feel particularly strongly about, referring to tradition was an effective way to just make an easy choice. We hadn’t expected the extent that redefining the purpose of our wedding around our comfort and values, would teach us so much more about what was actually most important to us, and further solidify those values and what our partnership meant to us both.”

Food and drink at Montsalvat still became their largest expense. But hosting the dinner separately, with only their closest family and friends, saved them around $8,000. The invitations stated that drinks and light grazing would be served after the ceremony, giving guests the information they needed to plan around it. Clear communication with your guests is key when you are doing something unexpected! .

The other part they really focused on was choosing the right suppliers. “Good vendors are the key!” they advise. “Planning every detail of any event this big (let alone this important) is monumental, and difficult to comprehend before you do it. Having a knowledgeable and capable team will allow you to delegate some of the decisions, and allow you to focus on the rest of your to do list.”