Ryan + Caity

27-11-2021

Having both ceremony and reception at the beautiful backdrop of MacKenzie Quarters meant that décor and floral arrangements were chosen to highlight the stunning architecture of the space. It was a total family affair, from Ry’s Dad making the ceremony backdrop to Caity’s parents holding the recovery brunch the next morning. With many of guests travelling from Melbourne and interstate, getting married in their hometown was a really special way of celebrating their relationship and introducing their mates to the city where they met.

How did they meet?

We met during high school though mutual friends.

Caity: I had a huge crush on Ry and devised a plan with the help of some friends so that he would offer to walk me home from a party we both attended. About halfway home, I confessed to him how much I liked him. Luckily he felt the same and then we shared out first kiss at the foot of my parents driveway.

Ryan: Caity and I were introduced by a mutual friend and shared a class at school together and became friendly. Caity and I were both attending a friends party, and as the party was wrapping up Caity was offered a lift home by a friend of hers. Unbeknownst to me she was hatching a cunning plan to get me to walk her home. Caity denied the lift and insisted she would walk home as it wasn’t that far. I was never going to let her walk home alone at night so I offered to walk her home. Once we got to Caity’s house she leaned in and kissed me at the end of her driveaway and the week after we were officially dating.

The proposal story.

Caity: I still can’t believe he surprised me! We’d spoken about getting married so I knew it was coming but didn’t suspect a thing when he organised a surprise day trip to the Redwood Forrest in Warburton. I was wandering around, totally clueless and it wasn’t until we posed for a photo and I felt his heart almost beating out of his chest that I twigged! He then kept the surprises rolling with a dinner with our families to celebrate in the evening and fireworks on our way home.

Ryan: On the day I proposed I had organised a picnic out at the Redwood Forest in Warburton. I was super nervous and didn’t want flocks of people around, so we got there nice and early. We began walking and I was scoping out a nice spot to propose. Once I found a nice spot I set the camera up so we could take a “selfie” and started recording. I proposed and it took Caity almost 2 minutes to say yes. There were lots of ‘oh my gods’ and ‘is this real?’ before a firm yes was said. Later that evening I surprised Caity with dinner with our parents to celebrate our engagement. After dinner we managed to perfectly time our Uber, as we were treated to a fireworks display on our way home.

Fav part of the day?

Caity: Apart from gaining a husband, my favourite part of our wedding was how excited and involved out families were. Particularly after the last couple of years it was just so special to have so many of our loved ones present to celebrate our relationship. My parents’ speech was also pretty special.

Ryan: We spent a long time planning our wedding (it was our pandemic project). This is a bit of a cop out but my favourite part (outside of Caity becoming my wife) was seeing everything that we had planned come together perfectly. Two weeks before our wedding we were still had strict COVID restrictions, and the weather was looking pretty wet and wild. A week before our wedding all restrictions were lifted and we had to most amazing weather on the day. It was the first big event for most of our family and friends following a big COVID-19 lockdown and it was amazing to have everyone with us to celebrate us.

Advice for couples planning their wedding.

Caity: Just like everyone says, the time whizzes by so fast! My advice would be to make an effort to relax and just enjoy the moment because it’s those little bits between everything else that make a lasting impression. Also make time to have a quick debrief with your partner some time during the day to just soak it all in.

Ryan: Make the most of your day. It is a big effort to plan and organise a wedding and, on the day, time flies so fast. Take the time to revel in the celebration of your love. Another thing is, problems will arise on the day, but don’t let them ruin your day. At the end of the day your family and friends are there to celebrate your love and most people won’t even pick up that something is wrong. They are there to have a good time and watch you marry the person you love.

How did Culture Hitch help?

“For our wedding, we just scrolled down the curated Culture Hitch directory and picked our people. Simple!”

Tell us about your vendors!

“We loved our vendors! We took a leisurely 18 month run up to our wedding, which meant our vendors were with us throughout the ups and downs of 2020 and 2021. We always felt really well looked after and supported.”

Vendors:

Photographer |

Videographer |

John Kurt

Florist |

Ceremony Venue |

Reception Venue |

Hair Styling |

Tim’s Hair Room

Make Up Artistry |

Rings/Jewellery |

Natalie Marie Jewellery

Celebrant/Officiant |

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