Katie and Zac head to Brisbane’s highest point for Mt Coot-tha wedding

Hopeless romantic Zac Smart treated long-time girlfriend Katie Pavliuchenko to a day of pampering before popping the question on Brisbane River.

“Zac proposed a few months before our six-year anniversary on a beautiful gondola that was floating us along the Brisbane River at sunset,” Katie, 23, explains. “That day he had taken me shopping, bought me Lush bath-bombs and a new dress; little did I know this was all leading up to the question!”

The Brisbane pair then began planning their Mt Coot-tha wedding, wanting to keep the celebrations laid-back and intimate to reflect them and their relationship. Family heartache – Zac’s grandfather was unwell and Katie’s sister was also battling her own health problems – led the couple to bring their wedding forward. “It’s been an emotional rollercoaster of a ride,” says Katie, “but Zac is my love, my life, my rock. He is the purest in heart and I couldn’t be more proud to stand by his side.”

The loved-up pair married at the summit of Mt Coot-tha with 45 family and around 10 friends on January 23, 2016. The Summit Restaurant hosted the ceremony before the celebrations moved downstairs to the Fountain View room. Following the reception, the bridal party moved on to a private room at the Breakfast Creek Hotel to meet up with more friends and continue the celebrations long into the night.

The couple is now planning a move to Canada to visit Zac’s family where they will walk down the aisle a second time for those who couldn’t make the trip to Queensland.

Photos courtesy of Kylie Williams Photography.

Katie’s three-stone engagement ring and wedding band were sourced from Michael Hill.

Katie looked every inch a beautiful bride thanks to a little help from the team at Harpier Beauty Hair Fashion.

 

The couple were over the moon with their photographer Kylie Williams, praising, “She caught all of the parts of the reception that we missed.”

DIY bride Katie says she put most of the wedding together herself, with help from family and friends to create a rustic look at the reception.