Mt Coot-tha Elopements

Mt Coot-tha Elopements

With Celebrant Jamie Eastgate of Brisbane City Celebrants

The Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens boasts a wide variety of lush greenery and botanical goodness, making the gardens an ideal spot for weddings and also doubles as a great spot for post wedding photos. There are 3 ceremony lawns that can be booked through the council for weddings, which now include use of ceremony chairs. As the Mt Coot-tha ceremony lawns, tend to be surplus to the needs of eloping couples, instead, couples are choosing their favourite little spot to arrive at with their 2 witnesses, Photographer and Celebrant to tie the knot in a short, relaxed and stress-free ceremony, often followed by an intimate celebration lunch or dinner at the top of Mt Coot-tha at Summit Restaurant.

Today Celebrant Jamie is sharing some recent Mt Coot-tha elopements with us.

Jen & Ryan

5 STAR REVIEW – “Jamie was very professional and helpful. Assisted us with all our needs and minimised the stress leading up to the eventful day. Highly recommend anyone who is looking for a celebrant who is both mindful and professional with flexibility.” Jen & Ryan

Mt Coot-tha elopement with Celebrant Jamie Eastgate. Images by Blank Canvas Photography

Saskia and James

We chose a small, intimate wedding ceremony to focus solely on us and our relationship. There were a few practical reasons why we decided to have a small, intimate ceremony such as our extended families living in different countries and the sheer cost of a traditional ceremony and reception.

5 STAR REVIEW “Jamie at Brisbane City Celebrants was extremely professional from the moment we first made contact with him about our planned private wedding ceremony. He was very quick to respond to our emails and professional in his communication.

When we met Jamie to discuss what we wanted for our ceremony, he was extremely personable and showed genuine excitement and interest in what we wanted. Jamie also organised all the necessary paperwork for our marriage and was always prompt when sending or receiving anything.
He also supplied us a helpful vow writing worksheet and lots of extra information that really made the entire experience stress-free and easy to manage.

We customised our vows and the ceremony entirely to our own preferences (besides the legally required sections). It was a perfect ceremony that went exactly the way we imagined in no small part to Jamie’s fantastic, beautiful personal service.

We would highly recommend Jamie as a Celebrant for anybody’s future marriage ceremony.” Saskia and James

Having what some might consider a ‘non-traditional’ wedding highlights our unique personalities and traits. A private ceremony appealed to us because we could get married stress-free knowing that the day was relaxed and natural, rather than having to worry about following standard protocol and tradition.

Saskia and James share more on their Mt Coot-tha elopement including their beautiful vows with us on an earlier blog post here. Images by Blank Canvas Photography

Maylea and Fergus

5 STAR REVIEW – “Jamie made us feel relaxed and comfortable. Everything was made simple and stress-free for us – Jamie took care of everything! His easygoing personality helped make our little ceremony perfect – Thankyou Jamie!” Maylea & Fergus

Image: Karley Peters Photography

If you are looking to elope in Brisbane or perhaps even considering your own Mt Coot-tha elopement, Jamie Eastgate from Brisbane City Celebrants and elope.net.au would love to hear from you.

Contact Brisbane Elopement Celebrant Jamie HERE for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

An intimate Brisbane Elopement

An intimate Brisbane Elopement

With Celebrant Jamie Eastgate Brisbane City Celebrants

The adorable Saskia and James are sharing their inspiration for their sweet elopement style wedding ceremony which took place in Brisbane’s Botanical Gardens.

We chose a small, intimate wedding ceremony to focus solely on us and our relationship. There were a few practical reasons why we decided to have a small, intimate ceremony such as our extended families living in different countries and the sheer cost of a traditional ceremony and reception.

The main thing is we believe that everybody’s wedding should be a reflection of their relationship.

This loved up duo arrived together hand in hand.

Our Celebrant Jamie Eastgate was extremely professional from the moment we first made contact with him about our planned private wedding ceremony. Jamie was extremely personable and showed genuine excitement and interest in what we envisioned for our day.

He supplied lots of extra information that really made the entire experience stress-free and easy to manage, including a helpful vow writing worksheet.

Here are the vows we wrote to each other:

James Vows to Saskia

Saskia, I promise that I will be a loving husband to you from this day forth forever. You are a headstrong, determined and inspiring woman who has opened my eyes to the best of this world. Ever since we first met, you have been by my side, as I grow into the man I am on this day, and into the future. I promise to always have you by my side. Together we can accomplish anything, and continue to experience the best of this world through each other. Today, I promise to love, support and respect you for the rest of my life.

Saskia’s vows to James

James, I am so proud to take you as my husband. I love your caring nature, your enthusiasm and your passion. When I’m with you, I can be the person I want to be. Thank you for being who you are. You have helped me become the person I am today. You bring out the best in me, and I cannot imagine my life without you. I promise to always have you by my side; to be with you forever, just as you are. Today, I promise to love, support and respect you for the rest of my life.

A friend and our Photographer were official witnesses which kept our ceremony intimate and relaxed.

Our ceremony was perfect and went exactly the way we imagined!

Having what some might consider a ‘non-traditional’ wedding highlights our unique personalities and traits. A private ceremony appealed to us because we could get married stress-free knowing that the day was relaxed and natural, rather than having to worry about following standard protocol and tradition.

Elopement Celebrant Jamie Eastgate Brisbane City Celebrants

Photography Blank Canvas Photography

 

If you are planning a Brisbane elopement or wedding and are looking for a Celebrant for your special day, Celebrant Jamie Eastgate Brisbane City Celebrants would love to hear from you.

Contact Jamie now to confirm availability for your special day.

 

 

Brisbane same-sex wedding with Celebrant Cara Hodge

Congratulations to the new Mr & Mr!

The warm and fuzzies of this Brisbane same-sex wedding ceremony with these two happy grooms were off the charts! The happy couple wed in a short and simple, small and intimate ceremony surrounded by close friends on a gorgeous autumn afternoon at the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens.

Brisbane Celebrant Cara Hodge with the two grooms.

It’s a very exciting time to be in the wedding industry, particularly as Celebrants we now get to say the words “marriage according to the law in Australia is between TWO PEOPLE’… “

These two words that so many people have longed to hear for so long, now result in cheers, applause and even goose bumps from those present (myself included!).

With just a slight change of wording, the Celebrants mandatory wording has suddenly become celebratory!

Being a Celebrant I feel incredibly grateful that I get to spend my weekends (and often week days) amongst so much happiness with the loveliest of people.

If you are looking for a Celebrant for your wedding, same-sex  or otherwise Cara from Brisbane City Celebrants would love to hear from you.

View more Brisbane City Celebrants same-sex wedding weddings here and contact Cara to confirm availability for your special day.

 

A heartfelt Mt Coot-tha wedding

A heartfelt Mt Coot-tha wedding ceremony with Celebrant Jamie Eastgate

The team from White Lace Films did an impeccable job in capturing Maureen and David’s heartfelt ceremony that took place at the Pavilion at Summit Restaurant in Mt Coot-tha. They each wrote the most amazing vows to each other which they shared for the very first time right here – absolute romantics and so perfectly captured.

Congratulations to the happy couple and thank you for choosing me as your Celebrant for your Heartfelt Mt Coot-tha wedding, it really was such a memorable day.

View more on this wedding including all the photos in our blog post here.

If you enjoyed hearing about this heartfelt Mt Coot-tha wedding ceremony and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Jamie would love to hear from you.

Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

 

Intimate wedding on a mountain top

With Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants
What an amazing day it was helping Susie and Trent tie the knot in an intimate wedding on a mountain top at Mt Coot-tha, in the company of their immediate family.
That backdrop is simply amazing, as was the couples connection as they became husband and wife.
Big thanks to the girls at Papillon Studio for capturing this special moment.
Following the intimate ceremony, the happy bride and groom headed to the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens at the base of Mt Coot-tha for their wedding photo shoot with their photographers, before joining their close group of guests at Summit Mt Coot-tha’s outdoor pavilion for a coverred outdoor style reception with delicious food and stunning views. Thank you to Susie and Trent for kindly sending this beautiful photo of your Mt Coot-tha wedding to me. I am so happy to hear you enjoyed your relaxed and intimate wedding so much!

If you enjoyed this post and are looking for a Celebrant like Cara that is located just a short 5 minute drive from this venue (we believe it’s particularly important to have a local Celebrant during the summer months when the Brisbane weather is less predictable). Brisbane City Celebrants have performed many weddings at this venue with a view and would love to hear from you, contact us now to confirm availability for your special day. Congratulations to the happy newly-weds! Cara – Brisbane City Celebrants

Summit Mt Coot-tha Wedding with Jamie

With Jamie Eastgate of Brisbane City Celebrants

It was an absolute privilege being the Celebrant for Maureen and David’s intimate and heartfelt Summit Mt Coot-tha wedding.

The happy couple married at Summit Restaurant on the top of Mt Coot-tha on a clear Summers day with sweeping views of Brisbane in the backdrop.

The happy couple enjoyed a first look photo shoot in the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens with their photographer Jonas Peterson where David walked up to Maureen and they locked eyes as bride and groom for the first time in this intimate setting.

First look shoots are increasingly popular with couples who love the idea of having their location photos take place earlier in the day, so once the ceremony concludes they aren’t separated from their guests and they can get straight in to the celebrations. It’s also great for the guests as it usually means a later ceremony that transitions straight in to the reception with no waiting in between.

The couple wrote thoughtful, heartfelt, emotional and meaningful vows to each other. There were tears, laughter and above all else they both glowed with love!

Congratulations to the happy newlyweds and thank you for choosing me for your Summit Mt Coot-tha wedding.

Jamie Eastgate – Brisbane City Celebrants

If you enjoyed hearing about this heartfelt wedding ceremony and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Jamie would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

A Mt Coot-tha Palm Tree Lawn wedding with Jamie

A Mt Coot-tha Palm Tree Lawn wedding with Jamie

We are so happy to share with you this Mt Coot-tha Palm Tree Lawn wedding with Jamie Eastgate of Brisbane City Celebrants

Bride and Groom: Angela and Adam

Wedding Ceremony Location: Palm Tree Lawn, Botanical Gardens, Mt Coot-tha, Brisbane

Tell us about your ceremony:

It was a perfect sunny day, we had a harpist playing the ceremony music and the ceremony concluded with a dove release.

Reception Location: The Botanical, Mt Coot-tha

Tell us about your reception:

We enjoyed a nice outdoor deck setting overlooking the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens with great food and great service.

What we loved:

The day was perfect – nice and sunny! We loved the harpists music and having a dove release during our ceremony. We got some great photos from our photographer, the botanical gardens made the perfect backdrop for our wedding, they were stunning!

The reception was refreshing with great food and service and the wedding cake was very delicious and looked gorgeous. We had a lunchtime wedding reception at The Botanical and the venue and staff were great, we never felt rushed by the staff even though we stayed a little late, which was lovely of them, and most important of all our guests all had a really lovely time.

Describe your experience with Jamie Eastgate from Brisbane City Celebrants:

From start to finish Jamie helped us all the way throughout the process, he made us both feel very relaxed on the day and ensured the ceremony all went completely smoothly. He organised all the marriage paperwork and gave us some great advice for the day, which really helped the day come together so well .

Tell us about any other wedding suppliers that you were impressed with:

Venue – The Botanical Cafe in Mt Coot-tha, our Botanical wedding planner went above and beyond to make sure our wedding reception was perfect.

Wedding Cake – Jennys Cakes, it was the best cake we have ever tasted and our guests agreed too, plus it looked so stunning!

Wedding Harpist – Sally Beaumont was great

Photography – Peta Boardman Photography, the photos turned out wonderful, everyone was blown away.

Your advice to bride and grooms to be:

Think about the difference between needs and wants as the important things are your love for each other and of course your guests as well. Also prepare yourself to be flexible during your planning.

Mt Coot-tha Palm Tree Lawn wedding with Celebrant Jamie Eastgate at The Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt Coot-tha.

Image result for Peta Boardman PhotographyDove release ceremony image by Peta Boardman Photography
If you enjoyed hearing about this Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens Real wedding with Jamie Eastagte and you are looking for a Celebrant for your special day, Jamie would love to hear from you.
Based locally to Mt Coot-tha he knows the Gardens really well. Contact Jamie to confirm availability for your special day.

Elopement spots at Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens

Elopement spots at Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens

With Brisbane City Celebrants

As Mt Coot-tha locals and Marriage Celebrants, we often get asked by eloping couples if we can suggest any special little spots in the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens for their elopement to take place.

Before I go on to tell you about these gorgeous little spots, I need to mention:

a. The following elopement sites aren’t available for booking, while this does means there is no booking fee payable, we also don’t have the usual authority to politely move members of the public on (although we have only ever known people to be courteous and move on once they realise a wedding is about to take place).

b. The following photos were all taken on a camera phone, we are in no way, shape or form photographers so you can rest assured that the sites look much more picturesque in person and will look a thousand times better in professional photos!

Mt Coot-tha Elopement Site 1 – The Point

This picturesque spot that juts out in to the lagoon is simply beautiful, giving you the feeling that you are almost completely surrounded by water and photo opportunities looking on to this spot are abundant from around the lagoon. This is also a perfect spot for ‘reflection’ photos as the lagoon is tranquil and still.

Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens Elopement Site 1 20151128_081509_resizedAs the point isn’t fenced it may not be a suitable area if young children are in attendance.

Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens Elopement Site 1

During our visit the lagoon was full of pastel pink and blue lotus flowers with ducks floating between them and nesting in the lagoon.

Mt Coot-tha Elopement Site 2 – Lovers Jetty

This romantic little spot sits over the lagoon and could comfortably hold a group of 10 guests for an intimate elopement.

During our morning visit this gorgeous spot was very well shaded by the willow tree making it an ideal location for a summer elopement.

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Mt Coot-tha Elopement Site 3 – The Lawn

Looking back over the Gardens with the mount in the backdrop, The Lawn is a quiet spot for an intimate Mt Coot-tha Gardens elopement also suited for a larger number of guests. However wedding furnishings are not permitted so guests would need to stand.

This area has a covered gazebo on either side each with a picnic table and benches where the signing of the marriage documents, or post ceremony nibbles and drinks could take place.

This is considered the most child friendly area and a recently built children’s playground is just a few steps further around the path to keep the little ones entertained.

Mt Coot-tha Elopement Site 3 - The Lawn 20151128_082138_resized_1

What if it rains?

We thought of that too, every wedding ceremony spot needs a wet weather option and this little gazebo nestled just behind site 2 is our top pick of the perfect wet weather alternative location.

It overlooks the lagoon and is no more than a 5 minute walk from any of these elopement spots at Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens.

It would also make a great spot for a post wedding celebratory drink and nibbles.

Mt Coot-tha Elopement wet weather site 20151128_081706_resized

Directions

The Brisbane Botanic Gardens are open daily between 8am- 5.30pm (closing at 5pm during April to August).

Entry to the main car park is from Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong. Park on the cafe side of the car park (to the left as you drive in) and follow the footpath beside the cafe and turn left, where you will walk past the back of the cafe and see the lagoon in front of you. The sites listed are shown on the following map.

Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens Elopement Sites Map

Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens Elopement Sites

We hope you found our overview of your potential elopement spots at Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens helpful.

Brisbane City Celebrants are based just 5 minutes drive from the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens and either of us would love to be the Celebrant to perform your Brisbane elopement.

We LOVE elopements!

Please contact us for more information and to confirm availability.

A Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens wedding with a dancing bridal party!

A Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens wedding with a dancing bridal party!

With Celebrant Jamie Eastgate of Brisbane City Celebrants

When the bridesmaids and bride arrive by dancing their way down the aisle to the applause and cheers of the guests you just know you’re in for seriously fun wedding!

Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens wedding with Celebrant Jamie Eastgate. Image: Milque Photography

Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens wedding with Celebrant Jamie Eastgate. Image: Milque Photography

The mother of the groom was kind enough to recommend Brisbane City Celebrants to this couple, after being a guest at one of our weddings earlier in the year. Referrals are the biggest compliment we can receive, as let’s face it, we all only want the very best for our family and friends on their wedding, so to be recommended by the mother of the groom, to us is huge!

Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens wedding with Celebrant Jamie Eastgate. Image: Milque Photography

Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens wedding with Celebrant Jamie Eastgate. Image: Milque Photography

Being based just minutes from Mt Coot-tha, Brisbane City Celebrants have had the pleasure of performing many weddings here over the years so we know the area and ceremony sites well. Wedding Lawn 1 (Palm Tree Lawn) is one of our favourite ceremony spots having recently been landscaped to create a flat surface, it’s surrounded by the lush botanical gardens greenery allowing privacy from passing public.

Happiness, fun, love and laughter at this Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens wedding with Celebrant Jamie Eastgate. Image: Milque Photography

Happiness, fun, love and laughter at this Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens wedding with Marriage Celebrant Brisbane Jamie Eastgate. Image: Milque Photography

Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens Milque3 Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens Milque4 Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens Milque5 Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens Milque6 Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens Milque8

It was great working alongside the highly renowned Milque Photography for this wedding. These photos captured around the Brisbane Botanic Gardens in Mt Coot-tha are simply divine! Thank you to the awesome Milque team for kindly providing these wonderful images.

A very special mention to this lovely bride and groom also for being so kind to leave this amazing 5 star review for Jamie Eastgate. Nothing makes us happier than hearing that our couples had a really great experience with us on such a special day of their lives.

5 star review for Brisbane City Celebrants Jamie Eastgate

5 star review for Brisbane City Celebrants Jamie Eastgate

If you are looking for a Celebrant that can deliver a relaxed, fun and seriously enjoyable wedding ceremony at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens in Mt Coot-tha or anywhere in Brisbane, Brisbane City Celebrants would love to hear from you, contact us to confirm availability.

A sweet Botanical Mt Coot-tha wedding

With Celebrant Cara Hodge of Brisbane City Celebrants

A sweet Botanical Mt Coot-tha wedding with guests asking their own fun vows of the bride and groom, the bride and groom surprising each other with fun and heartfelt vows, followed by an evening of celebration and fun!

Botanical Mt Coot-tha Wedding with Marriage Celebrant Ciara Hodge. Image: Nicole Barralet Photography

Botanical Mt Coot-tha Wedding with Marriage Celebrant Ciara Hodge.
Image: Nicole Barralet Photography

This happy couple traveled all the way from North QLD to marry on the spacious covered deck of the Botanical, surrounded by the stunning greenery of the Botanical Gardens which was also the perfect place for their post wedding photo shoot.

Botanical Mt Coot-tha Wedding with Marriage Celebrant Ciara Hodge. Image: Nicole Barralet Photography

Botanical Mt Coot-tha Wedding with Brisbane Marriage Celebrant Ciara Hodge.
Image: Nicole Barralet Photography

When I first met with the happy couple to discuss the atmosphere they envisioned for the ceremony and to bounce around ideas, they were excited about the concept of a light hearted and fun wedding ceremony that was inclusive of all their guests.

Together we created a ceremony that involved not only their surprise wedding vows to each other (which they heard for the very first time on the day), but we also included their close family and friends who before the day sent me their own surprise vows that the bride and groom had to agree to.

The guests vows were a combination of fun promises for the bride and groom to commit to, vows based around the couples future goals and some side splitting hilarious vows!

Botanical Mt Coot-tha Wedding with Brisbane City Celebrants. Image: Nicole Barralet Photography

Botanical Mt Coot-tha Wedding with Brisbane City Celebrants.
Image: Nicole Barralet Photography

I loved working alongside the bubbly and effervescent Nicole Baralett Photography for this wedding. Brisbane City Celebrants have had the pleasure of working alongside Nicole a number of times over the years and she is the kind of photographer that lights up a room with her passion and enthusiasm.

She has an amazing ability to instantly have people relax in her presence and let their personalities shine through which makes for some pretty special photos.

mdw_0015

Botanical Mt Coot-tha wedding. Photo credit: Nicole Barralet Photography

Botanical Mt Coot-tha wedding
Photo credit: Nicole Barralet Photography

mdw_0023 mdw_0041A huge thank you to the lovely Nicole Barralet Photography for this beautiful 5 star review.

Nicole Barralet Photography review for Brisbane Marriage Celebrant Ciara Hodge

If you enjoyed hearing about this wedding and you are looking for a Celebrant for your Mt Coot-tha wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.