elise & lucas

Elise Robinson & Lucas Nichols { 26 JANUARY }

PRIVATE RESIDENCE, MORNINGTON, VIC

photos captured by: Wild Romantic Photography

Elise and Lucas met at their local nightlife spot in Mornington. “We knew each other briefly before that as Lucas’ daughter was a young gymnast at the same gymnastics club where I coached. In true Lucas form he proposed to me in the shower!” Elise and Lucas took a laid back approach to their wedding planning. “It was very cruisey. We planned and prepped everything in 6 months. I slowly tapped away at our list until the day rolled around. There was no stress or crazy high expectations because the true meaning of getting married was at the forefront of everything we did.”

PURE JOY | “It was the best day! Our guests have all mentioned how much fun they had at our wedding and that is exactly what we wanted to create, a day filled with love, laughter and fun for everyone involved. We also announced at our reception that we are expecting a baby and telling my mum, dad and sister we were pregnant before the ceremony was a moment I’ll never forget. Thanks to our wonderful photographer the moment was perfectly captured.”

Another highlight for Elise was watching her 3 stepchildren speak at the wedding ceremony and reception. “It was heartfelt and the sweetest moment.”

ORIGINALLY US | Elise and Lucas hosted their wedding reception in their backyard. “It was casual and festive. We will forever be able to look out into our garden and be reminded of all the memories from our wedding. The day was authentically us. We decided to ignore the glitz and glam of modern weddings and kept love and family at the forefront of the day. I’m so proud that our day embodied that.”

“We take great pride in our house and garden and lots of thought went into the look of the day. We kept decorations minimal with a rustic and bohemian feel.” Festoon lighting decorated the reception marquee as well as a gorgeous foliage installation featuring Pampass grass. Wine barrels with bar stools and hay bales covered with cushions and blankets were also scattered around to create warm and inviting areas.

A pizza truck was serving up delicious slices to guests and, “For our food and drink, everyone was accounted for with both alcoholic and non alcoholic yumminess to suit all the pregnant mums!”

BRIDE’S ADVICE | Having been a bridesmaid 4 times prior to her own wedding, Elise had a good idea of the amount of work that goes into planning a wedding as well as some great ideas.

“My advice to newly engaged couples would be, if you plan on doing a DIY wedding, it can be a lot of work so be prepared for that and try to do as much preparation as you can in the weeks prior. Unfortunately there’s a lot you can’t do until the day of or a couple of days before the wedding but be open and willing to accept help and also delegate to your circle of friends and family. It’s lots of fun all working together!”

BOHO STYLE | Raw materials and neutral colours gave Elise and Lucas’ wedding a bohemian feel. “Timber accents, greenery and Australian native flowers were the order of the day. We also had lots of photos wrapped around a pine tree in the entranceway.”

CAKES | “We had 6 cakes! The flavours were lemon syrup, chocolate cake and flourless orange. We had 2 of each flavour made by our local fine foods store. They were loved and devoured by all!”

MAKE A STATEMENT | In keeping with the bohemian style of the wedding, Elise and Lucas’ flowers had a ‘just gathered’ look with eucalyptus leaves, Pampas grass, misty, king proteas and hedgerow roses in white.

“I drew inspiration from Pinterest and then added my own style to the designs. We had lots of comments about the flowers and how unique they were. My dear friend put the bouquets together and our local florist sourced all the flowers. We worked together to create the arrangements for the garden and filled every nook and cranny!”

FUNNY MOMENT | According to Elise, one of the funniest parts of the day was when her dad made his speech, “He wished us a Happy Mother’s Day instead of happy wedding day. I think all the emotion of the day had him a little confused! Also, after the speeches were finished and the music started, Lucas decided to rip his shirt off and began doing his infamous ‘worm’ on the dance floor!”

THE GOWN | Elise wore a gorgeous lace gown by Lovers Society. The Phoenix gown featured a chic halterneck and scalloped lace for a modern, romantic look.

“I had been eyeing off the Phoenix gown for weeks knowing that it would suit my figure. I took my stepdaughter to an appointment and she too picked it as her favourite. It has a sexy, form-fitting silhouette which kicks out into a generous skirt and full train.”

Elise’s bridesmaids wore blush coloured MuMu gowns with an individualised cut. Elise’s stepdaughters looked gorgeous in their lace dresses by Tea Princess.

WITH LOVE | “The kids did a reading called ‘a family’ which we all wrote together drawn from inspiration online. Our wedding not only signified the union of Lucas and I but also as a family of 5. Having the kids heavily involved in the day was really important to us. We are a close knit family. The kids didn’t just see it as, ‘Dad and Elise getting married’, but referred to the day as ‘our wedding’.

“Lucas’ youngest daughter Indianna’s speech was so sweet, ‘I am so happy Dad and Elise got married. Unicorns are magic and so is my family.’ This was followed by the drop of her head and 20 minutes of happy tears!”

I CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU | An acoustic duo played Elvis Presley’s I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You for the couple’s first dance. “This was also Lucas’ mum’s favourite song. As we were unfortunate to lose her 2 years before our wedding, so this song was a tribute to her.”

“We were so thrilled with Joey and Sarah from Blue Planet Entertainment, they fit our vibe perfectly.”