Pumpkins are Courtney’s favourite thing so, not only did Matt propose with “Will You Marry Me?’ carved into one, but they chose October 31st as their wedding date and went for an autumnal theme with lots of pumpkins everywhere! From the décor to the invites and even the bride’s earrings!
The chose Eco Studio Village in Mudgeeraba, Queensland as their venue and did all the decorating themselves. They bought flowers from the supermarket where Matt works and his cousin made the cake. The stationery was all homemade by the bride using her iPad and Procreate and the music was provided by the bride and her son, who spent hours and hours perfecting playlists! It was the perfect mix of emo love songs, 90s pop bangers and songs from their youth. And, of course, Matt carved A LOT of pumpkins!
“The venue was beautiful”, Courtney said, “being rustic and in nature. The venue and fairy lights really did all the work! We used pumpkins for vases for our table arrangements. Matt also carved teeny tiny pumpkins for all the tables and large jack-o-lanterns to place around. It would not be Halloween our party without pumpkins!”
“We also had cute handmade coffin shaped name tags and glitter pumpkins for all our guests. Matt and I crafted a vintage suitcase for our wishing well and Matt hand painted Jack Skellington stripes on the outside to make it more suited to us, we also lined the inside with deep red velvet.”
This couple also threw out a lot of traditions. They didn’t have bridesmaids or groomsmen and they chose to see each other before the ceremony. “We really wanted our wedding day to be about us a reflection of our relationship and family”, the bride explained. “We wanted to have fun and celebrate with our family. We said no to making it bigger than we wanted it. No bridal parties, no religion, no outdated vows, no garter toss – no thank you! We did our wedding photos off site before our ceremony which allowed us to work up the courage for our ceremony together. Plus, we got to spend extra time with our guests as photos were done!”
Their favourite bit of the day for them both was the ceremony, even though they were nervous about it beforehand. “It was the most daunting part in the lead up, but it really turned out to be the best part. We walked into Alkaline Trio’s, Every Thug Needs a Lady and we finished with Gerard Way’s, Baby, Your ‘re a Haunted House. Other than the usual and legally very important I do’s, we used vows from The Corpse Bride. We also finished with, I Love You and I Like You from Parks and Recreation.”
“Our advice to other couples would be to have fun!” the bride concluded. Some things you cannot control like the weather, other people and COVID-19, so surrender to the process and the moment and just enjoy it. It goes so fast. Also, find a celebrant and photographer who understand what you want. Don’t allow people to push you into anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.”
