Real Weddings Blog - Romana Sae Heng Photography and Elopements

Romance in the Redlands

October 2, 2019January 19, 2020
by Romana

Another incredible pop up wedding at the Redland Bay Golf Club on the Redlands Coast

Paige and Sean are the sweetest high school sweethearts! Listening to their personal vows, about how they met in year 10 math as I captured their ceremony was so special!!! I love that I still (after nearly 19 years of shooting weddings) get goosebumps… and that crazy happy smile (the kind that puppies and kittens give you lol!).

Pop Up Weddings Bayside was the obvious choice for Paige and Sean, all of the hard stuff was done for them by the team, and it all came together so beautifully. Paige was an absolutely stunning bride and Sean was the very dapper groom.

The Pop Up Weddings Bayside dream team: Pre-wedding coordinator: Stef from White Brick Road / Photographer: Romana Saeheng / Hair and Makeup: An Eye for Style / Stylist: Miss Weddings / Celebrant: Ketrina Coffey / Cake: Cakes by Simone / Venue: Redland Bay Golf Club Plus… Florist: Redlands Florist / Signage: Elliefont Boutique Stationery / DJ: All Music Solutions / Limo: All Occasions Limo

Brisbane Wedding

Down by the river

June 21, 2019September 16, 2020
by Romana

The Brisbane river and spectacular city views at sunset – that’s where Harp and Justin wanted to seal the deal.

Harp and Justin planned to say their I do’s at dusk… as the sun was setting over the city they call home. So, rather than take their photographs after the ceremony, we helped to create an intimate ‘first look’ and captured it on film. Before all the guests arrived, we blindfolded Justin and then revealed his bride to him by their wedding arbor. His face said it all! LOVE!! We then photographed the two of them along the river. Harp hid before guests arrived and then once the stage was set – she appeared and the ceremony continued as normal. A wedding at dusk is pure magic! Riverlife was the perfect venue, Ketrina Coffey designed a personal ceremony and Cakes by Simone baked and decorated the stunning cake.

best fun wedding photographer Brisbane affordable

Brisbane Wedding

(no title)

November 19, 2024
by Romana

Winners are Grinners

Oh, What a Night for Team Elope Brisbane at the Wedding Industry Awards 2024!

Written by Ketrina Coffey Celebrant

Romana-Saeheng-Photographer-WIA-BRIS-WINNER

Cheryl-Landsberry-Celebrant-WIA-BRIS-TOP10

Ketrina-Coffey-Marriage-Celebrant-WIA-BRIS-HC

Awards season is always a blast, but this year, we decided to crank it up a notch. With a record number of Elope Brisbane team members as finalists, our amazing Romana, the legend behind it all, had a brilliant idea: Why not host our very own Awards Night? And where better to throw a party than the fabulous new A Sure Thing Wedding Chapel! Naturally, we went all out, opting for a laid-back Pyjama Party theme. The dress code? Comfy chic. The menu? BYO plate and bottle. The vibes? Immaculate.

As seasoned Awards Night pros—after all, this wasn’t our first rodeo—we knew exactly what to expect. We settled in with snacks, drinks, and a bubbling mix of excitement and nervous energy. The virtual presentation rolled on, but in our little pyjama-clad bubble of joy, it felt like the Oscars. Cue drumroll…

And the Winners Are…

Hold onto your slippers, because the results were epic:

Elope Brisbane – Winner of the Elopements & Intimate Weddings Award
Romana Saeheng – Winner of the Wedding Photographer Award
Kandid Kombi – 2nd Highly Commended of the Wedding Transport Award
Ketrina Coffey – 2nd Highly Commended of the Civil Marriage Celebrant Award
Cakes by Simone – Top 5 of the Wedding Cake Designer Award
Cheryl Landsberry Celebrant – Top 10 of the Civil Marriage Celebrant Award
Eye for Style – Finalist Bridal Hair and Make-up Award

And let’s not forget our fave venues and vendors who were also in the spotlight:

Redland Bay Golf Club – Winner
Cleveland Lighthouse – Finalist
Stradbroke Island Beach Hotel – Winner
Royal on the Park – Winner
Stamford Plaza – Top 3
Cakes by Paulie – Top 3

Shoutouts to our fellow finalists: Hollywood Brides, Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, and New Farm Park—venues and hair and makeup artists that we love working with, and let’s be honest, where would we be without them?

We Couldn’t Have Done It Without You

Brisbane Wedding

A classically beautiful Courthouse Wedding

January 5, 2024January 5, 2024
by Romana

The Courthouse Restaurant in Cleveland, is one of the Redlands Coast most cherished venues and the go-to for so many milestone occasions and special celebrations.

Check out the sneak peek gallery from Tracy and Gavin’s stunning wedding!

redlands coast wedding award winning photographer mt cotton rainforest gardens sirromet elopement

Brisbane Wedding

A&J’s quickie Casino wedding at Brisbane’s Treasury Hotel

April 30, 2023April 30, 2023
by Romana

A&J’s stunning Treasury Hotel wedding, had all the pretty touches that the couple dreamed of. All captured by Romana in just 3 hours! For an elopement – easy! For a full wedding, almost unheard of! Here’s a sneak peek of just some of the moments captured… including a first look so that the couple could get photos before their ceremony.

affordable elopement package in brisbane _ elope brisbane micro wedding cheap

Brisbane Wedding

Some 2022 highlights

January 28, 2023April 30, 2023
by Romana

2022 was a really big year! 122 booked and everyone was just beautiful! So much love in one year – it was the best!!!

Here are just a few highlights…

Brisbane Wedding

A Gothic wedding

December 13, 2022
by Romana

Written by Cheryl Landsberry Celebrant / Photography by Romana Saeheng

When is it OK to wear black at a wedding? When it is Halloween.

gothic alternative wedding brisbane rock and roll

Nicola had just about given up on online dating, but John caught her eye with his profile picture. He was on stage with his bass guitar, in a mid-air jump. And her heart skipped a little beat.

Soon they started chatting, and once he realised that Nicola could hold a conversation using Slipknot song names, John asked Nicola to meet him for coffee. He arrived to pick up Nicola from her home, a plan Nicola started second guessing after panicking that he could be an axe murderer. But she opened the door to a cute guy in Vans and a band T shirt, and Speed Dealer sunnies.

But, despite not having high expectations from an online date, Nicola and John ending up talking and laughing for six solid hours. They hardly noticed the time slip by, and both felt their instant connection.

The pair were soon inseparable, feeling like they had known each other for their whole lives. Their life was a rollercoaster of late night gigs, coffee runs, inappropriate jokes, and making each other laugh so hard they had tears running down their legs.

John said that he felt like he had found his best friend. And Nicola knew there was no one else she would rather spend time with.

Nicola and John knew they wanted to be together forever, but they also knew that a traditional white wedding was just not them. Which is why they contacted the team at Elope Brisbane .

gothic alternative wedding brisbane rock and roll cemetery wedding

Stylist Mel from Miss Weddings created an arbour with black draping. Celebrant Cheryl Landsberry worked with the couple to design a quiet and intimate ceremony respectful of the cemetery surrounds and found a black dress with Morticia sleeves from Dangerfield. Photographer Romana Saeheng filtered the photos to give a sombre vibe. Roses were placed on surrounding gravesites as a mark of respect.

John’s dad proudly escorted Nicola to the ceremony site to The Only Exception by Paramore. Nicola was striking in a black fitted dress with a black lace veil and a gold, Gothic crown which was actually made from cable ties! John was dashing with his hair combed down, wearing all black. Their two witnesses also dressed in top to toe black.

John promised, “I’ll always love you with all my heart -till death do us part.”

Nicola’s promise, “I will love you always and forever -I’m fatally yours” matched her tattoo.

This ceremony was one of the most heartfelt, sincere, and intimate ceremonies we have been involved with, and we will remember forever our time spent with John, Nicola, and their family.

Redlands Coast

Rainforest Garden Romance

November 28, 2022November 28, 2022
by Romana

Raiha and Dylan said ‘I do’ in an intimate Rainforest Gardens wedding in Mt Cotton, Redlands Coast. With just their closest family as witnesses and beautiful cultural elements, it was a sweet wedding day with the most incredible photo opportunities!

Celebrant Melissa Foxover