The Wedding Planner who Eloped: behind the Scenes of my Tassie Elopement

I’ll be honest I always dreamed of an extravagant wedding. I envisioned everything being visually stunning, with an over-the-top dress that made me feel beautiful and confident and was something different to anything I’d seen anyone else in my area wear. I wanted a breathtaking location that was our own little love bubble, not just a trending venue every second person had been married at, a place so beautiful, it would be etched in our memories forever. I had high expectations for this location, with a hot tub to relax in afterwards being a must. I wanted the entire day to feel unforgettable and beyond the ordinary for us.

But as I began planning, I started to realise that the more traditional wedding route might not be the right fit for us. The thought of speaking in front of a big guest list, the stress of costs, and the pressure of a “perfect” day where everyone else was happy with every detail made me anxious. That’s when we turned to the idea of eloping, and it turned out to be the BEST decision we have ever made.

We found the perfect location in the historic town of Ross and booked an Airbnb that ticked every box. The stone walls, the pink bathroom, and yes, -the hot tub- it was everything I had imagined and more. Being a wedding planner myself, I’ve seen how powerful it is when couples truly make the day their own and this time, it was our turn. Our elopement was intimate, beautiful, and completely aligned with who we are. It reminded me why I do what I do at Mollie & Mae Weddings to help other couples experience the same joy, ease, and love that we felt on our day.

The Moment Everything Changed

Before we ever decided to elope, we had already planned two weddings. The first was a large, traditional celebration at a newly launched Tasmanian Whiskey Distillery offering weddings. I even jumped straight into dress shopping and found the one. But despite my excitement, we kept running into roadblocks, nothing seemed to fall into place, and all the options we were looking at never felt quite right for us, logistics became stressful and we realised we were forcing something that didn’t feel right for us.

.So we took a step back and had one of those life-changing conversations: do we keep trying to make this wedding happen, or do we press pause and start our family instead? We’d always said we didn’t want to start our family too late in life, so there we made the decision to have a baby, and t turned out to be the most incredible choice of all, and we welcomed the sweetest little girl into our lives.

Later, we decided to plan a micro-wedding. But again, we found ourselves trying to please everyone, navigating opinions about food, location, and even guest lists. The venue was beautiful but remote and logistically tricky. During a post-baby dress fitting, I realised my dream dress no longer fit, it wasn’t even close. It was there when I stood in that change room, in a dress what wouldn’t do up, tears streaming down my face that I decided I wasn’t ready to change it, and more importantly, I wasn’t ready to keep planning a wedding that didn’t feel like it was ours.

I had recently launched my wedding planning and styling business Mollie & Mae, it was a big realisation: if I wouldn’t let my clients settle for a wedding that didn’t reflect them, why was I doing it? That’s when everything shifted. We stopped trying to make something work that clearly didn’t, and we leaned into what we truly wanted, an intimate, relaxed elopement that was just about us.

Choosing the right location for us:

The first time we visited the Airbnb that would eventually become our elopement venue, I instantly fell in love. The character, the charm, the soft pink bathroom, old stone walls, and that hot tub, it felt like something out of a dream. But at the time, my fiancé (now husband) wasn’t quite sold. He had never been to a wedding before and didn’t really have a picture in his head of how the day could work in such a small space. I had only been to a few weddings myself, but I’d always been fascinated by them. Even then, before launching Mollie & Mae, I would pour over styling ideas, real weddings, and creative concepts, always imagining how I’d design something of my own one day. He promised we’d remember it and book a stay there one day.

Fast forward a year, and everything had changed. We’d both attended a couple of weddings and Corey had even helped me out on some of the weddings I had been working on. He finally saw the magic in creating a celebration that was less about tradition and more about intention. When I brought up that little stone cottage in Ross again, he saw it with new eyes. We booked a second visit, walked through the property, and this time, he didn’t just see a cute Airbnb, he saw our wedding day.

We locked in Shepherd’s Story right then and there. A one-room, off-grid stone cottage in Ross, Tasmania, it was everything we wanted. Peaceful, beautiful and filled with charm. The bedroom, kitchenette, and lounge all flowed together in a compact space surrounded by textured stone walls, a stable style door leading out onto a private verandah and the prettiest blush pink bathroom I’d ever seen. And there it was the outdoor hot tub again, the one I had dreamed about from the beginning. As if that wasn’t enough, next door was a tiny goat farm, which I became totally obsessed with the first time (I mean, miniature goats are you serious! Who wouldn't?!).

It was the perfect setting for our intimate elopement in Tasmania - full of character, and enough quiet beauty to make us feel like the only two people in the world.

How our Tasmanian Elopement really unfolded:

The morning of our elopement felt calm, exciting, and surreal, exactly how we’d hoped it would feel. We woke up together in our beautiful little Airbnb cottage in Ross (non-traditional, I know!) and couldn’t believe the day had finally arrived. My fiancé, for the very last time kissed my goodbye and set off to take our daughter to a close friend who would later get her ready, style her little curls, and dress her in her sweet outfit for the day. She would then bring her to our ceremony later that afternoon.

My fiancé spent the rest of the morning getting ready at his family’s home, surrounded by his parents and siblings. Meanwhile, I made the drive into Launceston for my hair dresser, floating through the streets in my white silk robe and slippers -absolutely beaming because it was my wedding day.

Back at the Airbnb, I styled our outdoor dinner setting, the table I had envisioned us sitting at as a married couple later that night. Then my makeup artist arrived, and the whole afternoon flowed so gently from there. She took her time, chatted with me like an old friend, and made me feel so beautiful. With my background in beauty therapy, I was amazed at how long she spent, she treated my face like a canvas, and it felt so special that she had spent so long out of her Sunday to make sure I looked and felt incredible.

Just as my makeup was wrapping up, my lovely florist arrived. She was nervous - there had been a supplier mix up, and the flowers were completely off from the colour palette I’d planned. Normally, that kind of thing would really rattle me, but on this day, I was so relaxed and happy to go with the flow. The florals she brought were breathtaking, and watching her build our ceremony florals right there on-site was like watching a piece of art come to life.

Soon, our photographer and content creator, and our celebrant arrived. The excitement started to build. We captured a few detail shots of me getting ready, and then when my fiancé arrived, he discreetly made his way out to the back garden where our ceremony would be held and had some detail shots of his own. We signed the last of the paperwork, our friend brought our daughter back, the song we had chosen played and the moment was here.

Our daughter and I stepped out of the cottage together, hand in hand, each with our own bouquet, and walked toward the floral installation where my fiancé stood waiting. I’d never seen him in a suit before and he looked even more handsome than I could have imagined. We hadn’t done a first look, so even though it was just the three of us, it felt like a classic wedding moment. We stood together, listened to our celebrant share our love story, and then our daughter came over, taking both our hands. The three of us stood in a circle, the sweetest moment of the entire day.

After the ceremony, we celebrated by pouring a champagne tower (an absolute non-negotiable for me, I’d always dreamed of it), had some beautiful family photos taken, and then our friend returned to pick up our daughter again so we could enjoy the evening together.

We spent the next hour wandering through the nearby streets of Ross, taking advantage of all the stunning photo opportunities. When we returned, the table I had styled was lit with candles, and our private chef had prepared the most unforgettable dinner. We were wined and dined in the comfort of our own accommodation, just the two of us and the beautifully styled table setting I had created. The food was next level, our glasses were always topped up, and the whole experience was more luxurious than any restaurant could have been.

After dinner, the chef packed up and left us in our little love bubble. My husband (notice the change in label?) turned on our wedding song, and we had our first dance right there in our little cottage, a moment I’d quietly wished for after choosing not to have a big celebration. It was everything I could have dreamed of, romantic, slow, and so incredibly us. I wouldn’t change a single thing about the day.

What Eloping Taught Me (And Why I Help Others Do the Same)

Eloping changed everything I thought I knew about weddings. As someone who once dreamed of the big extravagant day, I learned that the most meaningful moments aren’t about perfection, they’re about presence. It's not about impressing a room full of guests, it’s about how you and your partner feel as you soak up each second, side by side. Because when the day is over, all that remains are the memories, the photos (and film footage - which I highly recommend), and the deep knowing that you honoured your love in the most authentic way.

This experience completely reshaped the way I plan and style weddings for my own clients. At Mollie & Mae, I’m a strong believer that no two love stories are the same, so no two weddings should be either. I’m passionate about creating unique, thoughtful, deeply personal days that reflect each couple’s story, not just the latest trend or a one-size-fits-all venue package (or cookie cutter weddings, as I like to call them). Whether it’s an off-grid elopement or an intimate celebration with a handful of guests, it should always feel like you.

I now design every elopement and micro wedding experience with intention including a beautifully styled table to dine at post-ceremony, whether with a private chef or a fresh grazing platter.

Want to know my only regret from our day?

Packing it all down the next morning myself! That moment reminded me exactly why I do what I do - so you don’t have to lift a finger, and can stay in your just married bliss for as long as possible!

If you're dreaming of something that feels different, more relaxed, more meaningful, more you - explore my micro-weddings & elopements page to see how I can help you bring your meaningful Tassie wedding vision to life.