Nicole and Daniel celebrate romantic wedding in beautiful Dandenong Ranges

A shared love of helping others brought Melbourne couple Nicole and Daniel together.

“We met in Thailand on a ‘fly and build’ service project fixing up a rundown school at the end of 2014,” explains Nicole, 23. “He likes to think he was smooth and wooed me with his charm, but I definitely did most of the conversation starting!”

The couple had a long-distance relationship for two years until Daniel, 28, moved to Melbourne to join Nicole.

“Under a year later, and picking a Monday to throw me off properly, Dan took a knee in our apartment surrounded by petals, fairy lights, and candles and asked me the question. I said ‘of course’ instead of yes but it still counts,” Nicole says with a laugh.

The couple set the date, September 8, 2018, for their romantic wedding in the Dandenong Ranges, holding the ceremony at picturesque Chateau Wyuna.

“The reception venue was one of the easiest ones to lock in. We’re very outdoorsy people and when we drove to Mist @ Olinda through the gorgeous forests and huge trees we knew immediately that we had to have that setting and show the stunning area off to our friends and family,” Nicole says.

The bride also wore her mum’s wedding dress, modified to suit her style.

“My wonderful friend is a dressmaker and took my mum’s amazing 90s lace dress apart and put it back together in a style more suited to me. It was such a special touch to such a beautiful day that I couldn’t have imagined any better,” Nicole says.

Photos courtesy of The Ame Collective.

Accessories from Fletcher & Grace complemented Nicole’s vintage gown.

Nicole’s bridesmaids wore classic burgundy dresses from Bridesmaids Only.

“We focused on each other and making it the most stress-free and fun day possible for us and all our loved ones,” Nicole says of their romantic wedding.

Nicole says she became a big fan of spreadsheets in the 11 months of wedding planning. “While I filled my tabs with research, Dan was my wonderful decision maker and made a lot of the final calls on who to book.”

Bon Appe-Sweet created the couple’s wedding cake.