Charlotte and Rowan's Sydney wedding was intimate and romantic. They wanted their wedding to be glamorous and black tie but held in an unusual location. The day took place in a laneway bar called Since I Left You.

"I decided that wanted to have a glamorous black tie wedding in a place that would normally be associated with being kinda dirty and gross", said Charlotte. "I started looking around Sydney CBD for alleyways to hold it in, and then one day I was out the front of my office and noticed the laneway across the road where people usually hide to have their cigarettes."

"Amazingly, the laneway had a tiny bar attached which was perfect for getting around any liquor licencing laws. The owners had never had a wedding there before and were keen to get involved, so from there I set about planning how I would transform this laneway in the city into a stunning wedding venue. The ceremony was held in the alleyway and the reception was at the en in a courtyard normally reserved for bins!"

"All the décor was collected by me from second hand stores around Sydney. It was mostly vintage crystal and cut glass. We had over 500 candles throughout the venue and a whole lot of wax for the poor bar owners to clean up the next day!"."

"The ceremony took place just after the sunset", she continued. "s gay marriage is still illegal in Australia, we asked our celebrant to acknowledge the fact that both Rowan and I are supporters of marriage equality and that we disagree with part of the ceremony which states that marriage is between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others. My husband's vows were written in the style of a Shakespearean sonnet and ended using the lyrics of the song that was playing when he proposed to me Only You by The Platters. My heart melted and I couldn't help but cry."

"One of my favourite things was the burlesque performer that I'd organised as a special surprise towards the end of the night for my husband. He had no idea and the look on his face was priceless. She was so good too!"

The couple saved money on a few things. They only had 45 guests, the bride's aunt made the 'cake' of gluten free brownies, and her dress was only $190. "When I first started looking for a wedding dress I got completely swept away in it all and ended up buying a gorgeous 'white dress'. As soon as I'd paid for it I knew I had made a huge mistake. What was I thinking? A white dress isn't me, by wearing white I really wouldn't be being true to myself, who I am or what I represent. In the end I went with a completely non-traditional burgundy velvet dress I found online dirt cheap compared to 'wedding dress' standards and I never looked back. I'm so glad that I had the courage to buck tradition and really be myself on our big day."