Real Wedding // Marge & Aidan’s Byron Bay Surf Club Wedding

Over a decade after meeting on a warm summers night, Marge and Aidan went with a beach party vibe for their wedding at the amazing Byron Bay Surf Club. With multiple curve balls thrown at them (their original venue burning down and having a baby whilst trying to re-plan their wedding), Marge and Aidan truly are a story of determination and love. While Marge’s family and friends were stuck on the other side of the world in Estonia, we did our best to make Byron Bay feel just like home. Their venue was transformed with amazing floral arrangements by Bower Botanicals to create a European summer feel, along with the earthy relaxed elements from The Wedding Shed. In their own words “we are an example that if you can push through and adapt to whatever situation is thrown at you, then your special day will still be the most memorable day you will ever have.”

Tell us about your story, how did you meet and where did the proposal happen?
Our story began in January 2010 with a dollop of a warm summer night, a hint of unplanned events and a heaped spoonful of destiny. We both went to a house party at Bondi beach in which both of us were not really going to attend. Marge had just arrived in Australia from Estonia and was urged to go by the mother of the party holder and I went as my friend was DJing. Marge caught my eye on the edge of the dance floor/corner of the living room with her bright yellow blonde hair against her European tanned skin. Somehow, I could not resist myself to go and have a chat. As soon as Marge indicated she was Estonian my heart melted as I knew of the Estonian culture through growing up with a close friend and had an instant connection. We danced the night away and our relationship blossomed from there.

The proposal happened rather organically even though there were plenty of opportunities along our world travels that I could have proposed but thought maybe were a little too obvious or cliche. Usually, we would spend our New Years with family or friends but our first New Years Eve together in 2015 with just the two of us, I had organised a small getaway to Mollymook for some pampering. The evening involved some couples massages, fine dining and a bottle of Champagne to celebrate us and the year that was. The clock struck midnight and we decided to go down to the beach and sit on the sand and with Bob Marley playing in the background I popped the question with a prepared ring which made for a perfect start to a new year.

What style were you striving for with your table settings, florals and reception? Was there a certain look or vibe that you wanted to create?
Since Marge’s family and close friends from Estonia weren’t able to attend our wedding, we were trying to create something that would remind Marge of her home country and have the vibe of a European summer field. The lovely ladies from Bower Botanicals, Jaala and Kelley truly nailed it with all the floral arrangements that they delivered and went above and beyond our expectations! They even managed to source the national flower of Estonia! This along with the earthy relaxed elements from The Wedding Shed, a handpicked soulful musician and a picture-perfect beach backdrop at the Byron Bay Surf Club made it for a dreamy wedding reception!

Were there any vendors that you particularly loved working with and why?
Planning a wedding can be daunting but all the vendors we chose through Byron Bay Weddings were easy to deal with and we really appreciated the support we received especially from Che and Kate to help get us through all the challenges we faced like our venue burning down and then dealing with a pandemic. Even when things got unpredictable, our beautiful and delicious cake creator Marina Machado reassured us and adapted to the situation like delivering our tastings to our door and calmly explaining all the backup plans in case of further restrictions or a border closures between Queensland and New South Wales on our wedding day. We have to mention our celebrant, Michelle Shannon who made us and all our guests feel comfortable from the start and gently massaged our love story into everyone’s hearts. Also our photographer, Nina Claire was just right for us… not over the top but just enough direction to get the best shots out of us. She would weave around like silk and be able to capture the feelings and the emotions of the wedding perfectly from some incredible angles that we didn’t know were possible. The last shout out is to Ava Belle who made Marge look absolutely stunning!

Tell us what were the most important aspects of your wedding and what moments really stood out to you.
The vibe of the venue when you enter the space was very important to us but also the music as we had a specific musician that we wanted to play at our wedding. When you put the Fig Tree venue and our musician together in that space it truly made it magical. Even though the Fig Tree Restaurant burnt down our alternative reception venue at the Byron Bay Surf Club actually created a change of scenery from the hinterland to a beach party feel with the added bonus of a later curfew, fewer noise restrictions and a projector screen for visual aids to allow our overseas guests to join the party. Another factor was the food in which Che and the team definitely created the most perfect array of different cuisines that were carefully married together and were all delicious, fresh and mouth-watering. All these aspects created many memorable moments over the whole day that we will cherish forever. 

You got married during a global pandemic, how did you find the experience?
As stressful and uncertain as it was to plan, we were very lucky that the pandemic cloud cleared for a short period which allowed us to have a beautiful experience, considering the circumstances. Marge’s family and friends were not able to attend so, the next best thing was to have a Zoom live video feed set up thanks to North Coast Events who managed all the audio and visuals for our international guests and those who could not make it. This made the experience for Marge reassuring that they were present with her but was still very emotional when I played all the pre-produced video messages that I had organised as a surprise to Marge from all her loved ones. We couldn’t have asked for more from the team at Byron Bay Weddings especially Sihanie our Wedding Coordinator, Kate our inspirational guiding light and Jimmy our Day Coordinator who made it all come together on the day with his attention to detail and even with all our extra touches that we wanted, he just knew how to make it work.   

What reassurance would you give to other couples in the same situation that are hesitant or have concerns about their upcoming wedding?
We endured and stayed positive even though our venue burnt down, changed our date 3 times, had to plan alternative venues… oh and had a baby as well. We have to say we’re probably not the most organised couple but having Byron Bay Weddings on our side definitely made the experience much easier and enjoyable. I guess we are an example that if you can push through and adapt to whatever situation is thrown at you, then your special day will still be the most memorable day you will ever have.

Marge & Aidan xo

Suppliers
Venue: Byron Bay Surf Club // Hair & Makeup: Ava Belle Luxury //
Celebrant: Michelle Shannon // Photographer: Nina Claire Photographer // Florist: Bower Botanicals // Musician: Lovegrove Music // Cake: Marina Machado Cakes // Bridal Transport: Byron Luxury Tours // Guest Transport: Steve’s Transport // Catering: Fig Tree Catering // Lighting:  Byron Audio // Furniture & Styling: The Wedding Shed // Planning & Coordination: Byron Bay Weddings

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