Alicia and Matt’s Clear Mountain Lodge wedding

It started how many great love stories start – Tinder! Alicia and Matt connected on the dating app and it’s been love ever since. You know when you just… know? The couple recently celebrated their love with a Clear Mountain wedding.

Matt planned to propose to Alicia. In fact, he had it all planned out. That is until he got the ring – he was too excited to wait! With the original plan out the window, Matt did things a little on the fly. Alicia was upstairs in their home playing with their daughter when she heard her name being called from downstairs.

She followed the sounds of Matt’s voice through a dark house. He had turned all the lights off, only candles lit the home now. Luke Combs played in the background when Matt got Alicia to sit down as he read aloud a poem he had penned for her. From here, he dropped a knee and asked the mother of his child to become his wife. It was perfect.

Now it was time to plan the wedding. The Queensland couple wanted something classic and romantic, and definitely outdoors. But knowing the heat that’s synonymous with a Queensland summer, it had also to have some shaded options. Mercure Clear Mountain Lodge was the frontrunner from the start – with cocktail hour in the grand gardens, and the ceremony held under the pavilion. 

With 66 guests altogether, the ceremony location kept people out of the sun and had seats for almost everyone. Only a few stood to watch as Alicia and Matt exchanged vows. 

It wasn’t just the pristine outlook and lush surroundings that caught the attention of Alicia and Matt, but that it didn’t need much done to make it look spectacular. The couple are busy parents, and the wedding planning needed to be seamless. That’s why a venue that didn’t require over-the-top styling with lots of decorations was a big priority.

Florals were to be kept simple. “I wanted a garden vibe, all white. With just some greenery,” Alicia says of the simple yet classic colour palette. “The bridesmaids held different bouquets of just one type of flower. Mine was a mix of them all,” she continues. It was a stylistic choice and one that also meant the couple could save a bit of budget. 

“It was absolutely beautiful,” the bride gushes of the final floral arrangements.

When it came to the day itself, the sun shone down on the wedding. Nestled in Brisbane’s hinterlands, the Clear Mountain Lodge & Spa overlooks a breathtaking valley, with green trees as far as the eye can see. Local fauna, well, a bush turkey, cheekily made his way through the ceremony spot before the couple exchanged vows. It was perfectly fitting for the area locals.

To officiate the wedding itself was local to Brisbane celebrant Brendan Anning. Over a decade doing weddings, Brendan was able to slot into the couple’s nuptials, who were after something a little more casual for the day.

The couple switched traditions when it came to cake cutting and speeches however. With roaming canapes and cocktails straight after the ceremony, it was here that the newlyweds cut the cake and did the speeches. Why the switch-up? “Once we were inside the reception it was time to eat and party!” says bride Alicia. 

The result of this timing? “I would do it again that way!” exclaims Alicia, “It was such a good vibe, and it made the reception feel so smooth.”

Capturing the day for their memory books was Iris Faith Photography and Film. Specialising in heartfelt images, Judy from Iris Faith Photography focuses on candid and natural images to last a lifetime. 

After the early speeches and full of cake, the party moved onto the dancefloor. Musician Cassidy did the whole day, from the aisle-walk to cocktail hour and into the night. “She had the vibes going from day into the night, playing every song we wanted!” says Alicia.

It was a picturesque Queensland October Saturday afternoon the day Alicia and Matt committed to one another. Although the celebrations started the day prior and didn’t wrap up until Sunday evening. 

The young parents, now newlyweds, sure did know how to celebrate their love that has already brought them their beautiful daughter.