Bride and groom’s brilliant mobile phone rule on their wedding day

Phones can be a controversial topic during a wedding. This couple had one rule for their guests during their celebrations.

Jane Armitstead

@JaneArmitstead

4 min read

July 15, 2025 - 11:05AM

QWeekend

The wedding of Mikaela Dickson and Timothy Hendricks. Pictures: Carolyn and Alex from Hawthorne Creative

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They met at work with a chance conversation. They had no idea that six years later they would be exchanging their vows in a heartfelt ceremony surrounded by their loved ones.

Jimboomba couple Mikaela Dickson and Timothy Hendriks tied the knot at Braeside Estate nestled in the Gold Coast hinterland on April 4 this year in front of 60 family and friends in a burgundy and black themed celebration.

How did you meet?We met in 2019 by a water bubbler while working in the same building in Logan before reconnecting in 2021.

How did he propose?

Timmy proposed in April 2023 at Tamborine Mountain Hang Gliders Lookout, which was where we had one of our first dates in 2021.

First Dance song?

Yours by Russell Dickerson wedding version.

The wedding of Mikaela Dickson and Timothy Hendricks. Pictures: Carolyn and Alex from Hawthorne Creative

How did you choose your wedding venue?

We spent a couple of weekends looking at venues and almost settled for another one when I saw Braeside Estate (at Merrimac) on a gym friend’s Instagram and instantly fell in love with the non-denominational chapel and the beautiful chandelier pavilion.

What was the budget for your wedding?$45,000.

What would you spend more or less on?

I’d recommend for future brides to spend more on the photography/videography as they capture the moments that last a lifetime. I’d probably spend less on guest favours.

How did you choose your wedding outfit?I spent two days with my mum and nan trying on dresses across six different stores from north Brisbane to the Gold Coast. I went to Luv Bridal at the Gold Coast where my mum picked out my dress for me to try on; I was hesitant at first but ended up instantly knowing it was the one when I put it on and started crying with my mum and nan. I continued on to the other dress appointments over the two days. I made a last-minute decision to go back to Luv Bridal Slacks Creek to try on my dress again. We ended up getting the consultant Michelle who had helped my mum select her wedding dress to my stepfather in 2018 (which I knew instantly was a sign this was my dress).

What was the most stressful part of wedding planning?I’m a type A person so it was very organised and as stress free as possible, the only stress was waiting for all the guests to RSVP and figure out the seating chart.

The wedding of Mikaela Dickson and Timothy Hendricks. Pictures: Carolyn and Alex from Hawthorne Creative

Any unique details about your wedding?

At the beginning of the ceremony we had a paparazzi moment so guests could take some photos of us before putting their phones away so there weren’t any phones in our photographs. Our bridal party sat in the front row with our parents so they could watch the ceremony as well. We also paused afterwards to light a memorial candle and remember all our loved ones that couldn’t be there. We wanted our ceremony to flow so we also signed our marriage certificate after all the group photos, which made it much more intimate too.

Did anything unexpected or funny happen throughout the day? On the way to the ceremony, I was being driven by my mum in her car (her number plate is a tribute to dad) and my sister-in-law and stepfather had placed the ribbon from the boot to the windows. This ribbon started to come off with some of the bridesmaids worrying that it would cause us to crash. I rolled the window down and somehow managed to catch the ribbon first go and rolled the window back up (trapping the ribbon in the passenger window). I’m very clumsy usually so everyone started laughing that I was able to do something so graceful and easily on the day.

The wedding of Mikaela Dickson and Timothy Hendricks. Pictures: Carolyn and Alex from Hawthorne Creative

What was the standout moment of the day?Being by each other’s side from the ceremony until the end of the night. This meant we got to experience everything together.

What was the most meaningful part of your vows? We both acknowledged how much we had been through together.

Any standout moments from the speeches?My stepfather asked to do a speech and during it provided us with a beautiful frame and poem that reminded us our loved ones (my father and Timmy’s stepfather) were still here celebrating with us even though they couldn’t be physically there.

What would you do differently?

Absolutely nothing.

The wedding of Mikaela Dickson and Timothy Hendricks. Pictures: Carolyn and Alex from Hawthorne Creative

Top wedding hack? Have a Canva subscription and a Cricut. We saved so much money by designing, printing and making all the signage ourselves – which I also loved that it kept me distracted by how far away our wedding felt (we planned for two years and time felt very slow leading up to it). We had children at the wedding, and hired Coastal Babysitters. They kept the kids entertained with games and drawing and Easter egg hunts so the parents could relax without worrying about them.

The Bride

Mikaela Dickson, 27

Parents Karen Dickson and the late Darryl Dickson

Bridesmaids Jordan Dawson, Sarah Birch and Sally Glass-Bernhagen

Dress Madi Lane Bridal from Luv Bridal

Hair Hair by Lacey

Makeup Kimmi K Artistry

Flowers Bumble Bloom

Engagement Ring The Jewellery Box by Jack Pilatowicz (custom)

Wedding Ring Hatton Garden Jewellers (made from late father’s wedding band)

Stylist DIY set up by Julz from Event 5

Celebrant Toni from Gold Coast Marriage Celebrant