Byron Bay Marriage Celebrant - Michelle Shannon
Love Stories - Recent Weddings - Wedding Professionals
Love Stories - Recent Weddings - Wedding Professionals
Every week I feel so lucky to work with wonderful couples, who share their love, their life and their family and friends with me. With this blog I try to show you just a little of what I do - who I work with and how much fun your wedding day can be. Enjoy!
Erin Holland and Ben Cutting
Thanks to the wonders of social media a true love story began when these two made contact and decided to meet in person. Although living in different states Erin had her doubts on long distance love but Ben was so upfront about his feelings and proactive with planning their next dates that their love blossumed and grew.
Although they had a couple of prior attemps at wedding dates before this day thanks to Covid restrictions everything turned out like a dream at Elements of Byron Resort.
Erin stealing the show wearing two incredible J'Aton gowns that took our breath away.
Testimonial
"Michelle was simply a joy to work with from day one. Our ceremony was completely personalised and tailored to exactly what we wanted, It technically and verbally
went off without a single hitch. I found her warm, engaging and so personable.
You always remember if a ceremony doesn’t go well, and Michelle was absolutely flawless. Thank you so much for being a part of our special day,
you made it all the more memorable .Erin and Ben xx"
The Team on the Day.
Photos by Bayleigh Vedelago
Film Allume Weddings
Venue Elements Of Byron
Florist/Stylist Kashaya and Co
Coordination Alysia Bridger Events
Music Jess and Matt Price
Lisa and Bane - Earth House
You wouldn't know that Bane and Lisa had a wet day for their wedding at the Earth House. These two met when they were just teenagers chatting to one another from the other side of the train tracks on New Years Eve. Bane won Lisa over, crossed the tracks and Lisa and her girlfriends all travelled to the same party that night with Bane and they have been inseparable ever since.⠀
We managed to bring their ceremony forward by 20 mins to beat showers of rain, but once the party started there was no mention of the word. A truly fun wedding.
The Team on the Day.
Photos by Lucas and Co
Film Allume Weddings
Venue Earth House
Florist Wilderness Flowers
Coordination Byron Bay Weddings
Styling The Wedding Shed
Music This is Sarah Archer
Chloe and Ruairidh - Beach Restaurant
Chloe and Ruairidh travelled from their home base in New York bringing with them guests from around Australia and the world to celebrate their love at
Beach Restaurant in Byron Bay.
Initially meeting at a friends engagment party in 2013 they were
drawn to each other from the moment they were introduced.
Chloe wrote to me about her love for Ruairidh and said;
"I love that Ruairidh is literally always happy. He is so easy going and approaches life with such positivity. I love his fierce loyalty. He puts me and his family first, and is incredibly loyal and would honestly go above and beyond to do anything for the closest people in our lives. Marriage to me, means being a family unit and team.
It means continuing to always respect and support one another, and to
always uplift the other person and look out for what's best for them."
We had a stunning day and the bright sunshine and gold tones
really added to the festival feeling of Summer.
Testimonial
"Hi Michelle, we wanted to thank you again for Saturday. We had the best day, and we felt the ceremony was so warm, love filled and special.
Thank you for making it so lovely, for helping us with our vows and for your patience. So many people mentioned how wonderful you were in your approach and how nice the ceremony was. It's obviously a day we will remember forever.
So thank you again, Chloe and Ruairidh."
The Team on the Day.
Photos by Megan Kelly
Venue Beach Restaurant
Florist The French Petal
Coordination Belinda Kirkwood (Beach Restaurant)
Cake Let them Eat Cake
Dress Ines Di Santo
Stephanie and Eamonn - Earth House
Stephanie and Eamonn first met over breakfast in a little cafe in 2016.
Stephanie told me;
"I knew I liked Eamonn, a lot, straight away and he made
me feel very nervously excited."
Eamonn said;
"Marriage for me is me is declaring our love and declaration for one another
with our family and friends to celebrate this momentous occasion.
Marriage is taking on the responsibility to love and protect
Stephanie and our family always and forever, to give
Stephanie the very best life possible."
Eamonn, originally from Ireland added touches of his Irish heritage to the ceremony having his mother and sister read Gaelic Irish blessings.
Stephanie looked incredible in her gorgeous Pronovias gown.
Testimonial.
"Hi Michelle, Thank you so much for being part of our special day.
You were fabulous and we couldn’t ask for more in a celebrant.
The day we met you, you put ours minds at ease. You are such a beautiful person inside and out and delivered such a professional, wonderful
and personable ceremony on our wedding day.
I will highly recommend you to others.
Steph and Eamonn xx
The Team on the Day.
Photos by Byron Loves Fawn
Venue Earth House
Florist The French Petal
Coordination Frank and Joy
Cake Tara from Byron Bay Cake Boutique
Emily and Cohen - Earth House
Emily and Cohen chose the divine Earth House as their location
for their wedding day.
Thanks to mutual friends at a party in 2012 these two first met. A week or so after the party Cohen spied the beautiful Emily on the dance floor at a night club, plucked up the courage to go over and say hi, they danced and they kissed - phone numbers were exchanged
and well, you could say the rest is history!"
60 guests joined them to celebrate - Byron Bay Weddings managing a smooth team on the day for the perfect evening of love.
Testimonial.
"Michelle, We just wanted to say thank you so much for making our wedding day so special. We had an amazing day and we really felt you helped capture the mood of our wedding perfectly. Your kind and calm nature made us feel relaxed, and your helpful tips made the day run smoothly and helped us to appreciate every moment.
We look forward to catching up for a coffee one day soon when we are in Byron!
Lots of love and thank you again, Emily and Cohen xx"
The Team on the Day.
Photos by Fig Tree Pictures
Venue Earth House
Florist The French Petal
Catering Feast
Coordination Byron Bay Weddings / Styling - The Wedding Shed
Cake Sweet Obsessions Music Tom Francis
Samantha and Sam - Fig Tree Wedding
Samuel and Samantha met in January 2014 at a party being hosted by a mutual friend. They had both just recently returned from separate Europe trips and had plenty to talk about. Samantha spent a little time stalking Samuel on facebook and before she knew it they had arranged their first date. After that date it really just kicked off their relationship and 4 years later they gathered their close loved ones to celebrate at Fig Tree Restaurant.
Testimonial.
"Hi Michelle -We just wanted to say thank you so much for everything,
we loved having you as our celebrant and part of our big day. You made us both feel very comfortable and relaxed during the whole process, from the moment we first met you in Byron on that rainy morning for coffee we knew we were in good hands and that everything would work our perfectly.
On our wedding day you were that friendly and familiar face who
made us feel instantly relaxed.
Thanks again, Lots of Love Mr and Mrs Luff xx"
The Team on the Day.
Photos by Fig Tree Pictures
Venue Fig Tree Restaurant
Florist Alstonville Florist
Makeup/Hair Luxe Beauty
Music Lark Music
Coordination Byron Bay Weddings / Styling - The Wedding Shed
Lesley and Trish - Harvest Cafe
Their love story stole my heart and made me feel very humble to be part of a couples long, long awaited day with pride.
They both met in an Yoga Ashram in India in 2000. They became friends and two years later reconnected when Lesley flew from Sydney to Adelaide for a visit.
Lesley said;
"We have been together for 15 and half years, always committed and focused on a future together. Now that we can legalise our commitment, I feel a deeper connection to Trish. Although I didn’t think I could be more committed than I already was, I do feel a stronger sense of commitment to her and feel stronger in myself. Marriage has always been a sacred institution from my perspective."
Harvest Cafe making the day run as perfect as they always do, delicious food and great service just part of who they are. Justin from Bushturkey Studio capturing all the action.
The Team on the Day.
Alana and Ben - Deux Belettes
Alana and Ben first connected via a mutual friend just over 3 years ago. Conversations soon turned into a first date at a little bar in George Street called Palmer and Co. They clicked straight away, talked for hours and ended up having McDonalds at 1.30am in the morning. It was a cold and rainy winter’s night and the city pavers were slippery, as Alana lost her footing in her leather shoes she grabbed hold of Ben's hand and hasn't let go since.
Alana told me;
"I knew this was something special by the second date. I remember driving back home and speaking to my sister saying “I think he is the one". Ben had this genuineness and ability to make me feel at ease from the moment we met."
They celebrated again amongst showers of rain but they had plenty to smile
about and enjoy. The champagne flowed and Coordinator Jane Magnus
made sure every detail was perfect.
The Team on the Day.
Photos by The White Lane
Venue Deux Belettes
Videographer The White Lane
Catering 100 Mile Table
Cake Sweet Obsessions
Coordination - The Wedding Series with Jane Magnus
Florist - Florals and Co
Music Ineka
Marquee /Furniture Lismore Party Hire and Hampton Hire
Emma and Tim - Byron View Farm
Seventeen years ago in year 7 at high school Emma and Tim's paths first crossed. Emma said that Tim was always very sweet, had perfect manners and everyone always gravitated around him, he was loved by all. In 2009 their paths crossed again, this time thanks to a mutual friend as they were all heading to a 21st birthday party. Emma believes this moment was the first time she really met Tim.
Working with these two was a dream, easy, lovable and fun - which reflected so much in their ceremony held at the divine Byron View Farm. Tim and Emma have the same drive, enthusiasm for life and love of family as one another - a perfect match in my eyes. Every moment captured beautifully by Ann-Louise at Possum Creek Studios.
They wrote:
"Hi Michelle, Tim and I cannot thank you enough for our perfect ceremony on Saturday. We knew exactly what to expect, were so comfortable and
even managed the tears! Every single person said it was the most heartfelt
and genuine ceremony they had been to. They were in awe of how you
worked the space and allowed Tim and I to be in each others arms,
kisses and whispers whenever we needed. The comment about how
well everything went are a testimony to all of your hard work and preparation-
I couldn’t have imagined our ceremony any other way.
We had the perfect day, and it all kicked off with you. Lots of love from us xx"
The Team on the Day.
Dress designer - Friend Linda Smith
Photos by - Possum Creek Studio
Venue - Byron View Farm
Caterer Feast Events
Styling and Furniture - The Wedding Shed
Coordination - Byron Bay Weddings
Florist - Wilderness Flowers
Henry and Anna - Summergrove
If it wasn't for Anna's friend Kevin, Anna and Henry might never have met. In the class of 2012 Chartered Accountants' Kevin who apparently idolised Henry and his muscular physique had seen Henry around in the gym. Kevin sat down a seat away from Henry, leaving Anna to sit between them (next to Henry) as there were no other seats available. Henry told me;
"From the moment we met I thought Anna was just gorgeous. I loved that she was so family orientated, intelligent and smart. I soon discovered her love of food matched my own. We have a lot of fun together and today means I will always have her by my side where ever I go - growing old and building a life together, forever."
Their beautiful wedding at Summergrove, touched us all with tears and laughter
The Team on the Day.
Cake designer - The Vanilla Rabbit
Dress designer - Keooula Designs
Earrings - The Two Mrs Grenvilles
Lion Dancers - Mantis Kung Fu
Live band - The Hip Stars Band
Groom's suit - Joe Black
Photos by Fig Tree Photography
Venue - Summergrove
Florist - Daisy and Co Flowers
Hair and make up - Andri Makeup, Sarah Neill Hair
Bianca and Michael's Stunning Duex Belettes Wedding
Bianca and Mike's paths crossed a few times before they officially met in September of 2012. It seemed Bianca had her eye on this handsome man a few times before she had the courage to walk right up to Mike, tap him on the shoulder and asked if he wanted her phone number. Bianca wrote;
"From the start I liked that Mike was easy to talk to, really humble and we shared a lot of the same values. He is a true gentleman. Mike is the best person I have ever known and I’m very, very lucky to have such an incredible man by my side."
Bianca looked stunning in her Karen Willis Holmes gown, her gorgeous smile beaming throughout the day - and a very emotional Michael watched eagerly as his beautiful bride made her way down the aisle at Deux Belettes.
Every moment captured by photographer Janneke Storm.
Kind words from Bianca and Mike ;
Hi Michelle,
We are still reminiscing about the day as it was so magical and special.
Many of our guests commented about how lovely and calming you were,
and the experience with you was great.
Thanks again for all your love and light! Bianca & Mike x
The Team on the Day.
Photos by Janneke Storm
Venue Deux Belettes
Coordinator/stylist Hayley Cravigan Event Stories
Gown Karen Willis Holmes
Bridesmaids White Runway
Florist The French Petal
Caterer Your Gourmet
Chantelle and Matt - Celebrate at Beach Restaurant
Eight years ago Chantelle met Matt through mutual friends. Being beach lovers Byron Bay was the perfect choice for a weekend getaway with family and friends to celebrate their love. Matt told me;
"Chan grabbed my attention with her pretty looks and fun-loving personality
from the moment we met. I knew Chan was someone very special in that
moment and then after a few years of friendship it blossomed into love.
I feel very lucky to be marrying her today."
Beach Restaurant looked beautiful as did the gorgeous bride in her Made with Love Bridal gown - the white arbour the centre stage for the ceremony. Having booked Raes at Wategos for their honeymoon they had plenty of stunning locations to capture the fun and happiness of the day.
Kind words from Chan and Matt ;
"Hi Michelle,
Just want to say a HUGE thank you for being part of our special day.
You really are amazing at your job and couldn't of asked for anyone else to marry us. It was truly the best day. Lots of love Mr and Mrs Whitehall xx"
The Team on the Day.
Photos by Shane Shepherd
Venue Beach Restaurant
Bridesmaids Shona Joy
Orchard Estate - Lauren and Billy's beautiful day
Billy and Lauren chose the beautiful surrounds of the hinterland and Orchard Estate for their wedding celebrations. They met at the local gym back in 2012. It wasn't long before they soon fell in love and the very week they celebrated 5 years together they married on that day. Lauren wrote and said;
"I love Billy's ability to make me laugh even on a bad day. I love his dedication
and motivation to his work and studies. I love that he makes me feel so relaxed.
I love how polite he is and never takes anything for granted.
But most of all I love the way Billy loves me for me."
The Team from Byron Bay Weddings putting together another amazing destination wedding event - they really are the dream team.
The Team on the Day.
Photo by Paul Bamford at Finch and Oak
Venue Orchard Estate
Caterer Fig Tree Restaurant
Management Byron Bay Weddings
Styling The Wedding Shed
Flowers by The French Petal
Gown Karen Willis Holmes
Cake Millies of Newrybar
Music McGee Entertainment
Mel and Luke's gorgeous Ewingsdale Hall Wedding
What started out as friendship soon turned to love when Mel and Luke were introduced to one another in 2011 through mutual friends. Luke had plans to move to the USA and Canada for a year but after 6 weeks of travelling he headed home due to missing Mel so much. He told me:
"I knew that I loved Mel when I couldn’t stop thinking of her while I was away
from home. I knew I was in deep! I was on a trip of a lifetime; however,
I was totally love sick. I kept having to drop into convenient stores to
find pre paid credit so I could stay in touch.
It was clear as day that she was for the one for me! "
They began their celebrations with a gorgeous setting at Ewingsdale Hall followed by their reception at The Belongil Restaurant. Mel looked beautiful in her Grace Loves Lace gown and flower crown by Vitoria Fiztgibbons.
Kind words from Mel and Luke;
"Hi Michelle, We just wanted to say a huge thank you! You were absolutely wonderful, and we are so happy to have shared this big moment in our lives with you. Your kindness, calmness, and expert knowledge really helped us
in being calm on the day (trying to be at least haha). We had many comments
from guests about how fantastic you were, and we couldn't agree more.
It was a beautiful ceremony, and in our eyes couldn't have been more perfect.
So thank you very much, you were a huge support to us.
Love Mel and Luke Granger xx"
The Team on the Day.
Photo by Fig Tree Pictures
Reception The Belongil
Venue Ewingsdale Hall
Flowers by Victoria Fiztgibbons
Music Tom Francis
Gown Grace Loves Lace
Lu and Rich's Fabulous 'Forget Me Not' Wedding
Over 100 guests joined in the celebrations for Lu and Rich at the divine Forget Me Not venue. The incredible setting was true Bohemian fairy tale. Styled and Managed by the team at Story of Us, Lu's smile was filled with pure happiness and joy every moment caught on film by Janneke Storm.
A few years ago Rich was very lucky to meet the gorgeous Louise. Being a little cheap he told me he needed an ABN number to score some new furniture at a discount price. Lu was introduced to Rich by his friend Paul over the phone and before she knew it he had asked her out for a drink to say thank you.
And, well as they say the rest is history.
The Team on the Day.
Photo by Janneke Storm Photography
Video Story of Us
Coordination Story of Us
Catering Seaweed Cruise
Flowers by Bower Botanicals
Venue Forget Me Not
Styling The Wedding Shed
Samantha and Tom's bohemian dream wedding
Samantha and Tom chose the divine Fig Tree Restaurant & Rooms to celebrate their love. Initially meeting at work in 2013 - Sam wrote to me and said;
"I had just arrived in Australia and I managed to get myself a travel job.
My boss sent me for a training session in Kings Cross and Tom was my
work training guy! Who knew I'd find my Prince Charming in a rundown '
Travelbugs' shop in notorious King's Cross!
As soon as I met Tom I had this really strange feeling, but it wasn't the
typical 'heart skipping' feeling, it was much calmer.
I guess I knew there was something special from day one."
Family and friends travelled from around the globe to join them - Sam's gorgeous
86 year old gran also came all the way from the UK, telling me she wouldn't have missed it. Samantha's beautiful smile tells the story of the day, they were relaxed, happy and ready to celebrate.
Samantha wrote;
"Michelle is amazing in every single way. She made the marriage process so easy and enjoyable from the get go and her ceremony was everything we
dreamed of and more. Our guests couldn't compliment her enough;
her warm nature, professional manner and personal touches really did make our day extra special. I'd recommend Michelle in a heartbeat to anybody
looking to be married in the area."
The Team on the Day.
Photo by Fig Tree Pictures and videography Fig Tree Pictures
Coordination Byron Bay Wedding
Flowers by Alstonville Florist
Venue Fig Tree Restaurant Styling - The Wedding Shed
Music Tom Francis
Gown Grace Loves Lace
Hair Brides Aunt
Makeup Bodi Beauticious
Jess and Aron's Bangalow Guest House Wedding
Jess and Aron first crossed paths in 2011 in Jindabyne while working during the ski season - almost by accident. Jess needed a place to stay and her friend Terri kindly offered her room at her place - Aron and his brother Jake just happened to live there as well - And what started as a friendship soon grew into more..
Jess said;
"I was sold the minute I saw Aron in person, tall, dark and handsome - I was smitten, then when I saw him snowboard - I was swooning - an instant groupie."
They celebrated with 78 friends and family and their gorgeous daughter Charlie - gifting her with a special necklace during the ceremony to remember the day.
All the action captured by Van Middleton.
They wrote to me and said...
"Hi Michelle,
It was all so lovely. Aron and I were just saying how bereft we felt now that you are not a part of our lives! It feels like we made a friend! We loved every minute of the experience. Thank you for everything. Best wishes, Jess and Aron xx"
The Team on the Day.
Photo by Van Middleton
Videographer Gold Bear
Flowers by Bower Botanicals
Venue Bangalow Guest House
Caterer 100 Mile Table
Gown Shona Joy
Tents Sperry Tents
Makeup Friend
Hannah and Ben marry at The Farm Byron Bay
In 2006 Hannah and Ben met through mutual friends. It took months of crossing paths at various places before they started to chat, once they did the conversation flowed easily, they opened up to one another and they started to fall in love.
That was over 10 years ago.
Ben told me;
"I was smitten and knew pretty early on that this was a once in a lifetime kind of love. I had never thought it possible to feel so strongly for another person."
They celebrated with close family and friends at The Farm in Byron Bay.
Three Blue Ducks catering deliciousness on the day. Photos by Lucas and Co.
They wrote
Hi Michelle,
We would do it all I again if we could!! The day was perfect!!!
THANK YOU soooo much for marrying us. All our guests said, what a wonderful job you did. You made it so personal and just a beautiful ceremony.
You presented our story so well. Could not have been happier with the ceremony!
Thank you!!! Hannah and Ben xx
Hannah and Ben - The Team on the Day.
Photo by Lucas and Co
Flowers by Flowers at the Farm
Venue The Farm
Caterers Three Blue Ducks
Cake Sweet Obsessions
Gown Grace Loves Lace
Reece and Blake's - Gorgeous New Zealand Wedding
A couple of years ago I remember Blake cheekily telling me at her sister Rebel's wedding that she was next. Little did I ever imagined being invited to marry her and her gorgeous beau Reece in Queenstown, New Zealand. Being part of this incredible family never ceases to amaze me. Having first married sister Nicky in Byron to her handsome hubby Jamie and then going to Noosa for Rebel and Michael's wedding this for me was the icing on the wedding trio cake.
You only have to be with everyone for a moment to realise how much fun, love and dedication they have as a family towards each other and I feel very honoured to be part of this one.
Choosing a divine location at Jack's Point Estate, Gather and Gold set up their Giant nordic tents while photographer Kate Roberge captured every moment perfectly.
There were so many amazing photos of this stunning day and so I have also posted more on my facebook page - so check it out.
And a very big thank you to Victoria Hanrahan who as a local celebrant helped me out with the New Zealand legalities for the day.
The Amazing Team
Ceremony Venue: Private Home - Jack's Point Estate, Queenstown
Photographer Kate Roberge
Tipi Gather and Gold
Wedding co-ordinator Kath McKenzie
Wedding Stylist Amy Zareei
Lisa and Paul's Byron View Farm Wedding
during Cyclone Debbie
Many months go into the planning of the perfect wedding day. I met with Lisa and chatted quite a few times about enjoying the beauty of Byron for her wedding to Paul - but one thing we didn't plan on was Cyclone Debbie. Paul and Lisa embraced the day, their family and friends were supportive and ready to celebrate no matter what. And with the team from Byron Bay Weddings making sure everyone was happy the wedding went without a hitch (except the rain of course) - Lisa looked gorgeous in her Anna Campbell gown teamed with beautiful bouquet by Estelle.
Paul wrote to me about Lisa and said:
"Lisa cares so much about the people in her life. She always puts other people first and would do anything for her friends and family. But most of all it is the small things: Over time I have come to love Lisa more and more as I have seen the 1000’s of small things that go into making her the person that she is
and I love her for loving me."
The incredible TEAM on the day
Photographer Van Middleton
Cake Rebellyous Cakes
Gown Anna Campbell
Management/bkg Byron Bay Weddings
Styling The Wedding Shed
Flowers The French Petal
Venue Byron View Farm
Anneka and Kent were married at Byron Bay's beautiful Surf Club
They both met 5 years ago through work and started out having lunches together, river runs and hanging out on the weekends before they were an official couple.
Now residing in beautiful WA - family and friends travelled from New Zealand, Australia and the UK to enjoy the best of what Byron has to offer.
Including being lucky enough to run into actor Chris Hemsworth at The Pass beach while having their wedding photos taken by the fabulous Ben from Blue Tulip Imaging.
The Surf Club really is one of the best locations overlooking Main Beach at Byron Bay and caters easily for large wedding groups .
They both wrote to me and said;
Hi Michelle,
"We would just like to say thank you soooooo much for making our ceremony personal,
loving and enjoyable for us and our lovely guests. All our friends and guests commented
on how lovely you are. Thank you again for making our special day the best day ever xoxo "
The Team for the day
Photographer Ben Blue Tulip Imaging
Music Josh Boots -
Catering and Management by Equality Catering Co
Flowers by Flowers by Julia Rose
Cake by Byron Bay Cake Boutique