Katy & Sean’s Unconventional Camp Wedding

There are not many people who can say that they met their future husband while he was wearing a blonde wig and big fake boobs, but Katy and Sean are not your average couple. The pair met in 2009, while working on a short film (thus Sean’s interesting choice of attire) and quickly bonded over their shared love of Daria and Labyrinth. The became best friends first and even shared a house before beginning to officially date in 2013.

Bride's Instagram is @ scarlettsixgun and the Groom's is @ seanyboydraws — Bride’s Instagram is @scarlettsixgun and the Groom’s is @seanyboydraws

Never ones to follow tradition, the couple actually had two proposals. They had talked about marriage and knew that they both wanted to get married, but it was Katy who first proposed to Sean.

One day they decided to play tourists and caught a bus to a nature park a few hours away. They spent the day feeding native birds, walking in the sunshine, laughing, and just enjoying the time together.

On the bus ride home Katy realized that she had been waiting for Sean to propose because that’s “the done thing” and she thought, “pfft, I want to be with him always, as soon as possible.” So she played “their song” through the headphones they were sharing and asked Sean if he wanted to marry her. He said yes and they happy cried together and went out to a celebratory dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant.

However, never one to outdone, Sean wanted to have his own “grand gesture proposal.” Four months later, when they went on their first overseas holiday together to Rome, Sean dropped to one knee in the courtyard of their apartment and asked again. Katy’s response was a resounding, “yes!”

The couple tied the knot at the Log Cabin Ranch in Monbulk, Victoria, Australia on April 21st, 2018 in front of 100 of their closest friends and family. They wanted to have a fun, laid back, party kind of wedding and a pre-requisite of that was to have the ceremony, photos, reception – everything – all at the same place for maximum ease and fun. They liked the idea of the wedding being outdoors, and being amongst nature, so the Log Cabin Ranch was a perfect fit. There was a donkey, lovely birdsong, and fresh forest smells all around. It was love at first sight.

Another bonus to the venue, was the sleeping accommodations. It operates as a school camp during the week, so people could stay the night in one of the venue’s many bunk beds and have breakfast and nurse their hangovers with the couple the morning after the wedding.

The venue was so stunning that the couple did not feel a lot of obligation to add their own decor. There were a lot of eclectic things around the venue already and they used autumn tones for their colors since that is the couple’s favorite color palette. They hung ribbons from the trees and around the venue and the colors were also referenced in the outfits that their “Bridal Gang” wore.

“We let our Bridal Gang chose their own outfits for the day, as long as they were in an Autumn-y color scheme,” explained Katy. “We wanted everyone to feel as comfortable and as much themselves as possible and it really shows with the different styles they chose. They did incredibly well and they all looked so amazing. “

The DIY is strong with this crafty couple and they made almost everything themselves. Sean is a graphic designer (peep some of his work here!) and he designed the invitations and comics featuring the couple. They also made brooches for the bridal gang, ribbon wands, and all of the signage that they displayed around the venue. For flowers, the couple wanted to keep it local and meaningful so they featured native Australian flowers, sea holly, and roses.

For the ceremony, a friend of the couple’s led their Bridal Gang down the aisle to “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by the Proclaimers while they all boisterously sang along. Instead of exchanging rings, Katy and Sean put their rings on themselves. “We didn’t expect people to be blown away by,” said Katy. “But so many people commented that it was a beautiful touch.” They included quotes from Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel and from Katy’s favorite book, “The Little Prince,” in their vows before processing out to a Weezer song.

To keep with the low-key camp feel of their venue, they gathered picnic blankets and rugs to spread on the lawn with cushions for people to chill. Instead of a formal sit down meal, they had a few tables set up both outside and inside for people to enjoy the “All-You-Can-Eat” pizza food truck they hired. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, Katy’s maid of honor baked delicious brownies for everyone to enjoy.

Katy knew that she did not want the traditional white, poofy wedding dress so a close friend of hers made her dress and Katy helped her hand-dye the material. Her faux fur shawl that she wore during the reception was an ASOS find. It is Katy’s second wedding and she thinks that that actually really helped her during the planning process because it made her realize what she definitely did not want.

“I THOUGHT that a big challenge would be the dreaded fat girl dress hunt, but a friend of mine ended up making my dress to fit me.

The first time I got married I wore a very traditional white dress that I liked at the time because it was “appropriate” and “flattering to my shape” etc. This time around, I wore a light purple dress that I absolutely loved (and it’s in three separate pieces, so I can wear each piece often!) and I felt so comfortable, and like myself, all day!”

Sean’s suit jacket and shoes were also from ASOS and his shirt and pants were from TOPMAN. His tie was from H & M and his tie pin belonged to his grandfather.

Katy and Sean planned the whole event together and it really made the festivities more special. It can be stressful to try to plan everything yourself and if, everything goes according to plan, the day should really be about your partnership. Some of their shared favorite moments were actually the events leading up to the wedding. “Our parents and the bridal gang stayed at the venue with us and we all had an epic dinner together,” said Katy. “The morning of the wedding we went to a local picnic ground, got coffees and fed native cockatoos together, as it is what Sean and I did the day we got engaged.”

Katy’s personal favorite moments were getting her hair and makeup done while singing along to her favorite sixties girls’ groups, seeing Sean’s smile during the ceremony and his face during their “First Look,” sitting on the floor, in front of the band with Sean, singing along to the Beatles, and all of the cuddles and laughing.

Sean’s favorites were the ceremony and the dancing, “It’s hard to pick,” said Sean. “I was on a pretty huge high the whole day!” It is easy to see why…

The couple’s best advice for others planning weddings is to embrace the things that make you unique.

“Don’t do certain things, or shy away from a style or look because it’s “not wedding-y” or “flattering” blah blah blah. Wear, do, be who you want to be. Every day, but especially on your wedding day! You don’t want to look back on it and think oh, that’s not me at all.”

Do not let other people’s opinions detract from the vision you have for your day, but do not be afraid to ask for help if you need it!