Amy & Mitch’s wedding was held on a bright sunny day in April 2024 at Caves Coastal Bar & Bungalows, which is the perfect destination for a seaside wedding.
The day was filled with joy, laughter, and heartfelt moments that made capturing their wedding truly special.

In this Q & A chat the couple share their experience and tips for other couples planning their wedding.

WHERE AND WHEN DID YOU GET ENGAGED?

Amy –
“Hamilton Island on the 1.9.23, just as the sun was going down.
We were going upstairs to have sunset photos (thankfully I put my pants back on after sun baking in my bikini) and I saw the set up.

Still no clue, thought Mitch had set up something for his parents as he would do something kind like that and then he started talking and it clicked.

Best moment and surprise of my life 1.9.23.
In that very moment time stood still and I was completely lost in his eyes!
(Cringey I’m sure, but after all the excitement I realised I hadn’t even looked at the stunning ring)”

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE MOMENT ON THE WEDDING DAY?

Amy & Mitch –
“There were so many favourite moments from the day but both of us agreed
that doing the ‘reception room reveal’ with just the two of us before everyone
entered was really special and our favourite.

The room was stunning, the fairy lights made it and it was magical.
We also had a little practice of our first dance which was really special.

I also think sharing that we were having a girl in our gender reveal cake cutting segment and having that captured was really significant for us as well.”

WHY/ HOW DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR WEDDING VENUE?

Amy & Mitch –
“The day we chose Caves Coastal Bar and bungalows we had venue hopped a couple before in Newcastle.
When we arrived to Caves we loved the modern feel and vibe of the place.
We then were taken into the reception room and we both said “oh wow” at the very same time,
we knew this was the perfect venue for us.”

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ANICA HOFMANN PHOTOTGRAPHY?

Amy & Mitch –
“Apart from the amazing portfolio of work we had viewed,
Anica catered to what we imagined the day to look like,
the packages included everything we wanted and we vibed with her from the
very first call we had with her.
We also loved that we got a pre-wedding photoshoot with the package
(highly suggest to do this, so you get a little practice before the actual day)”

TESTIMONIAL

“Anica is amazing! She and her team captured our ‘day of days’ beautifully as we celebrated our marriage.
From the engagement photo shoot to the wedding day, everything was handled flawlessly.

Anica worked closely with us to brainstorm fantastic shots for the day,
and she structured detailed timelines to ensure we captured moments with us,
our family, and friends across multiple locations post-ceremony.

The team hit the ground running on the day,
exemplifying professionalism mixed with a welcome sense of humour.
The photos truly encapsulate the day, a testament to Anica’s skills.”

WHAT WERE YOUR MUST HAVES FOR THE WEDDING?

Amy & Mitch –
“For us we wanted great music, food and drinks and our day to be
captured in the most magical way and depict exactly us as a couple.
This meant photography and videography were must haves for us!

We loved that we had 2 photographers and 2 videographers, so that they could divide and conquer throughout the day and not miss any moments.

We also really wanted a celebrant that understood who we were and the ceremony was personalised to us, which we found with Marry Me Mel.”

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE DRESS!

Amy –
“I got the dress of my dreams!
It was from Made with Love, it was fitted to me with beautiful lace designs with a bit of sequins.
My favourite part was that I wore a veil at the ceremony and took that off for the reception.
I replaced the look with tulle bows on my shoulders, it was very much a moment for the bows.

I ended up being 17 weeks pregnant at our wedding but even with some alterations the dress was perfect for me!”

HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON A SUIT?

Mitch –
“It was very much along the lines of the colour scheme that I like the most with
the blues for the top half and the sand colour for the pants. I wanted to be a little
bit different from the groomsmen and I do like a floral like top normally I thought
I would change it up for wedding so I wore a floral tie and a different colour shirt to the groomsmen.”

ADVISE/TIPS FOR FUTURE COUPLES GETTING MARRIED?

Amy & Mitch –
“Enjoy the planning process and remember this is your day so make the decisions that align
with how you want the day to look and feel not for the guests attending.
There may be things that are forgotten and things will go wrong,
it’s inevitable but only you know how they were meant to be.

Happy planning lovers!”