Home » The Real Wedding Of Ashlee & Mik

The Real Wedding Of Ashlee & Mik

Ashlee and Mik’s breathtaking Whitsundays wedding makes an extremely strong case for a winter beach ceremony. With honey-coloured sunsets and what looks to be the funnest bridal party in existence, their wedding photos capture the essence of an elopement with all the warmth of a family wedding.

Shot by the remarkable House of Lucie, we dare you to scroll through these photos and NOT relocate your entire wedding and pick up an incredible Karen Willis Holmes wedding dress.

(Fifty bucks says you fail miserably in that pursuit.)

The Details

Ceremony Venue // Freedom Shores, Airlie Beach

Photographer // House of Lucie

Number of Guests // 65

Wedding Theme // Modern coastal

Wedding Date // 17th August, 2019

The Start Of The Love Story

“Mik and I met at a High School dress-up party. He was dressed in a suit he got from Vinnies and I was dressed as Alice in Wonderland. Despite living on the same street as one another, we had never met until this night and we spent the whole time chatting and dancing. We’ve been together ever since.

The Proposal

“The proposal was a total shock! 2019 marked 10 years of being together and whilst Mik talked about marriage earlier on in our relationship, I had always said to him that marriage wasn’t something that I needed and I’d leave it up to him if he wanted to or not. For me, I loved him and I knew he loved me so it really didn’t matter if we did or we didn’t. Also, my parents were never married and I have always admired their relationship, just simple, easy and loving.

“So, we were on holidays with Mik’s family in Cape York, making our way to the tip of Australia. We had stopped to camp at a remote beach, just north of Weipa, called Pennefather. It was such a magic spot, nobody else around, the water was crystal clear and my favourite part was the sunset over the water. On our last night, Mik’s mum, Donna, was down by the water taking photos of the sunset. She called the whole family down to get a picture. Mik & I were first and as we were standing there, Mik pointed to the ground and to my shock there was a beautiful diamond ring positioned in a shell. Before I knew it, Mik was on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was such a surreal moment and when I found my voice, of course I said yes!

“I think my favourite part of the proposal was afterwards, our family went back up to the camp site to prepare a celebratory dinner and Mik and I sat on the beach together while the sun set and soaked up the whole moment.”

The Dress

“My mum, sister and I met in Brisbane for a girls weekend to choose a wedding gown. I had been looking online at a number of different stores and gowns, however I couldn’t really see any that I loved so I was a bit worried about the dress shopping. I wanted something simple and elegant that wasn’t what everyone else was wearing and wasn’t too ‘wedding dress’ (if that makes sense!). I had seen Karen Willis Holmes online and I loved that they had a range of wedding gowns that were different, modern yet still very elegant.”

The Dress

“I loved that the dress I chose from Karen Willis Holmes was everything I wanted to feel in a wedding dress… and my absolute favourite part was of course the sleeves! Oh my god, the sleeves!!!! I loved this dramatic touch to such a beautiful and elegant gown.

“I tried on about 5 gowns at KWH and honestly, I would have been happy to wear most of them on our wedding day. Which was pretty amazing because I couldn’t find a single one at any of the other two stores. The gowns at Karen Willis Holmes are seriously in a league of their own. Every gown I put on felt so lovely to wear and you really could feel the quality in the fabric, especially the lace. I can’t say enough positive things about KWH, the boutique, the gowns, the service we’re all exceptional and I also loved supporting an Australian brand.”

Memorable Moments

“I was most nervous about the ceremony and I remember thinking early on, I wish we could just have the reception and not the ceremony. However, this actually proved to be one the best parts of the whole day! We chose to write our own vows and I was nervous about being able to get through mine without ugly crying the whole time. Mik’s vows were absolutely beautiful, he has a way with words and it took me back to when we were teenagers where he’d write me love letters. I also really loved the night after the wedding night as we took time to re-read our vows and the pre-ceremony letters to each other. It was so beautiful and special.”

Memorable Moments

Mik said his favourite part of the day was our on location photos with our Photographer, Khara (from House of Lucie). This is pretty amazing coming from a guy who isn’t into photos but he said he didn’t even notice that photos were being taken, it was just such a great vibe with all of our closest mates and sharing our first moments as husband and wife.”

What I Wish I Knew Before Planning My Wedding

“Reading blogs like these and checking out vendors on Instagram from around Australia really helped us draw inspiration for our day.”

Advice For Engaged Couples

“I was such a sceptic in terms of weddings, I didn’t place a high value on them. People would tell me it’s the best day of your life and I didn’t believe them…. Until we got married! It was honestly the best day of our lives, so many emotions, so much happiness and then being able to share that with all of our closest family and friends. It truly was the best day ever and my advice would be to soak up every moment as the only downside is that it goes so fast!

“Also, do a budget and figure out what matters the most to you and spend more of your budget on those things. Then with everything else you can look at alternatives to keep within your budget.”