Ashleigh, a 26-year-old digital content creator from Sydney, Australia, shares her journey of transitioning from a corporate marketing background to pursuing content creation full-time during the pandemic. She married her high-school sweetheart, Jon, in a dream summer wedding inspired by the French Riviera. Ashleigh, a meticulous planner, embraced her creative side in organizing the wedding, aided by The Nuptial Collective. They took a risk with an entirely outdoor venue, opting for an al fresco dinner, and it paid off with a perfect weather day and a stunning sunset. The unexpected highlight was Jon's poetic vows, surpassing Ashleigh's own way with words. Looking back, the overwhelming feeling is joy, despite minor hiccups, as the love from guests and the vibrant atmosphere prevail in memories and photos. Ashleigh advises future brides to prioritize personal representation over tradition, encouraging them to celebrate their unique love with thoughtful elements.

Our approach to planning the wedding was…

I was the Type A planner who was all hands on deck! I felt like I was naturally in my element being a creative. Because I work within the fashion, beauty and events space, creating moodboards and liaising with vendors felt second nature to me. It was also really helpful that I knew my personal style intimately and could immediately tell what I wanted and didn't want, which made decision-making really easy and efficient. We had an amazing wedding planner, The Nuptial Collective, who helped with every step of the way, especially coordinating the day-of so that Jon and I could just enjoy our moment as bride and groom. 

Looking back on the day we are so glad that we…

Risked it all on our dream venue, even though it was entirely outdoors with no indoor option! It had always been my dream to host an al fresco dinner on one long table, but there were obvious risks involved with potential weather issues, even though we picked the summer months to host our wedding. We needed to have a Plan B, a marquee, on stand-by, which was more pricey, but I am so glad that we took that risk, because it ended up being the most perfect summer's day, with zero rain. Instead, we got the most vibrant pink sunset over our reception dinner, and it was one of my favourite moments of the day.

The most unexpected part of the day was...

My husband's incredibly poetic vows. I always thought I was the one who had a way with words, but Jon absolutely moved me to tears with his vows that would've honestly put Voltaire to shame. 

When I look back on the day now I feel….

So much joy. On the day, there are always little things out of your control that go wrong (for example, my Dad forgot to pick up our cake and we had to order an Uber delivery to drive it one hour from Sydney to our venue!), but the one feeling that prevails from the day would be the amount of love radiating off every one of our guests, and looking back at the photos and seeing how much fun everyone was having with each other and on the dance-floor.

A word of advice to new brides would be…

Never feel pressured to do something just because it's "tradition" or because there is pressure from others, though I know it can be really hard when it is familial pressure. Your wedding is your time to showcase and celebrate your unique love with your partner. Incorporate elements that you feel represents you as a couple and take your guests on that journey as well.