GREAT OCEAN ROAD WEDDING

This intimate Great Ocean Road elopement was one of the most incredible things we’ve been a part of. What more could you want to do for the day you marry the love of your life than have an adventurous elopement full of exploring and connecting on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. It is our absolute favourite place to visit in the world and just happens to be just a few hours up the road from our home in Geelong.

Dicky & Dania’s Intimate Wedding on the Great Ocean Road

Dicky and Dania’s adventures started on our first meeting, we met up with them halfway between our houses and heard them tell their story, how they met, why they wanted to elope, why the Great Ocean Road and what they envisioned for their day. We had so many ideas and let them know what was possible, how to get it all to work and brainstormed ideas about locations for the ceremony and first look and all of our favourite spots in the area that we could explore together. The two of them loved the ideas and agreed that we had organised their perfect day

Morning of the wedding - Port Campbell

D + D had booked a room at Port-O-Call Motel in Port Campbell which is about a 10 minute drive from the ceremony location at Loch Ard Gorge.
They spent the morning together and talked about how excited they were to see more of the Great Ocean Road. We wanted to show them some caves that we love exploring when we are in the area and Gibson Steps which is so incredible with it’s rock formations and gorgeous sunsets.

Where to stay when eloping on the Great Ocean Road

Port Campbell is an incredible little town about 50 minutes out of Warrnambool and an hour and a half from Apollo Bay. There is plenty of accommodation and places to eat and drink at. Our biggest recommendation is to of course find a beautiful AirBnB to stay at but as they typically get booked quite a bit in advance a couple of our favourite local to stay are the Port-O-Call at 35-37 Lord St, Port Campbell VIC and the Southern Ocean Villas at 2-6 McCue St, Port Campbell VIC. Our favourites to eat at are 12 Rocks Beach Bar and Timboon Ice Creamery because Sabrina is ice cream obsessed and 12 Rocks makes a good steak sandwich.
Aside from the cute shops, there is so much to see in this part of the world including some of the best beaches in Australia.

Sunset at Gibson Steps

Gibson Steps is a magical little beach that we had all to ourselves. Just 2 minutes up the road from the Gorge but as the name suggests, there is quite a few steps to get down there. Even the tourists didn’t make it down that evening which gave us the opportunity to let loose and really just spend some quality time with the newlyweds.
We brought along smoke bombs and lanterns to explore and have fun with, it was an evening we will never forget.
Dicky and Dania you are both such incredible people and we will forever be grateful for our time spent with you. 
Thank you for becoming such honest and true friends, we will see you soon!

What time of year should you get married on the Great Ocean Road?

Each and every time we get to go and shoot an elopement on the Great Ocean Road it seems like it’s always a different story with the weather. It’s quite unpredictable but we have found that the best time to organise your elopement to happen is right at the start of Autumn in March or April. Typically it is not too hot but we still have a lot of nice days and won’t pass out from the heat. It can get quite windy down on the south coast of Australia so be prepared to power through the elements and embrace the chaos as it always makes for better photos and video.

getting ready

Dicky decided to suit up in our motel room at the Portside Motel, Port Campbell and he then headed off to Loch Ard Gorge to wait for Dania to arrive for the first look. We headed back to Dania’s room and saw her in her wedding dress for the first time. We had the same reaction as Dicky, watch the video to find out what it was.

Dania finished up getting ready and was so nervous and excited to see Dicky and finally get to marry him in their intimate beach elopement, it was a dream about to come true and we were ready to head on down to the Gorge and watch this all happen. Dania got a ride with our favourite celebrant in the world Fiona Garrivan down to Loch Ard Gorge and the adventure continued.

First Look and Wedding Ceremony at Loch Ard Gorge

Dania arrived looking incredible in her wedding dress and made her way down the gorge. This was super nostalgic for us as it is the exact spot where we eloped in 2019 with Fiona as our celebrant.
Fiona Garrivan is a rare celebrant that doesn’t just read from a questionnaire that the couple filled out, she shares our same values and is a deep and meaningful storyteller that truly cares about her couples experience. This is why we have teamed up with her and you can book all 3 of us as a package for a truly immersive elopement experience.
Needless to say, the wedding ceremony was full of laughter and tears, secret messages from loved ones and an obvious and true connection between Dicky and Dania.

Video - Taken by Turners
Photo - Taken by Turners
The most incredible Celebrant - Fiona Garrivan
Make up artist - Megan Nash 
Dress - Grace Loves Lace
Ring - Larsen Jewellery
Couples Accommodation - Port-O-Call, Port Campbell
Our Accommodation - Portside Motel, Port Campbell