Wild at heart: Andrea and Matthew’s Werribee Zoo Wedding

Andrea and Matthew added some animal magnetism to their big day with their Werribee Zoo wedding.

“Before we were engaged we knew we wanted to get married at the zoo. We both have a massive love for animals,” Andrea, 33, says.

The bride says the venue, Werribee Open Range Zoo, also had the advantage of tying in with her South African heritage.

“The ceremony location was the Gorilla Platform, which gave us the most amazing back drop of Gorilla Island. We really hoped the gorillas would put on a show for our guests and we sure got we asked for,” Andrea says of the March 18, 2017, celebrations in front of 65 friends and family.

The reception was held at the zoo’s Meerkat Bistro, where a large glass window allowed guests to dine with the meerkats.

Geelong couple Andrea and Matthew, 34, organised much of the big day themselves, with help from close friends and family, incorporating native blooms and tribal-inspired signage.

“We tried to stay true to ourselves and what we wanted out of our big day,” Andrea says.

“As a bonus we got to share it with not only our closest friends and family but with some pretty cool animals too.”

Photos courtesy of MB Captured.

Andrea says celebrant Anthony Cribbes ensured their ceremony was far from boring. “Anthony doesn’t do your run of the mill ceremony he injects fun, laughter and audience participation in the ceremony making this the most memorable part of our day,” she says.

Andrea’s Allure dress from Embrace Bridal was the second one she tried on. “And I knew it was the one. It was a strapless, mermaid, English lace dress in ivory with a beautiful train,” she says.

Andrea incorporated plenty of native foliage and flowers in her rustic bouquet.

The couple first met working in retail, but didn’t have their first date until they were based at different stores. Eight years later, they are married and have a baby on the way.

Loveit Cakes created a two-tier naked cake with salted caramel drizzle and decorated with native flowers.

“What we love about us as a couple is we complement each other, we are so different in so many ways yet we manage to come together so cohesively,” Andrea says.

The couple spent their first night as newlyweds at Werribee Mansion Hotel and Spa.