Surprise song brings wedding party to tears

For these newlyweds, a special song performed by a member of their bridal party left not a dry eye in the house.

4 min read

September 24, 2021 - 9:00AM

QWeekend

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A shared love of travel united this pair – and while the pandemic may have grounded them for now, they made sure their favourite destinations featured in their wedding.

Elliot Gregg proposed to wife Danika in York while they were living in England, at a beautiful park in the rain.

“It was like something out of a movie. I didn’t even look at the ring, I just said ‘yes!’” Danika said.

While their UK friends were unable to join them for their wedding celebrations on April 24 this year, they made sure they included them from afar.

“We livestreamed our ceremony, speeches and dancefloor to our friends in the UK who were unable to make it, including my maid of honour, who delivered her speech over Zoom,” Danika said.

Wedding of Danika Turner and Elliot Gregg. Picture: Cloud Catcher Studio

“The other unique detail was that we named our tables after our favourite travel destinations and the table numbers were pictures of us in those destinations.’’

The Newstead couple – who have been together for 10 years – married at The Old Dairy in Maleny in front of 64 guests.

They danced their first dance to Lover, You Should’ve Come Over by Jeff Buckley before honeymooning in Noosa and Yandina.

How did you meet?

We first met when I handed Elliot my resume while he was working at Grill’d Chermside. I had just returned from a gap year in London and was in need of casual work, as I was just about to start my university degree.

We were then properly introduced by a mutual friend on a Saturday night out at Friday’s Riverside.

Wedding of Danika Turner and Elliot Gregg. Picture: Cloud Catcher Studio

How did he propose?

In the early days of us dating, I mentioned to Elliot that York was one of my favourite places that I visited in England.

In 2018, Elliot and I moved to England for two years, and we decided to go to York for a weekend to celebrate our eighth anniversary. It was winter, and he took me to a park that he’d looked up online. Except that it looked nothing like the beautiful spring photos he saw!

It was also late in the afternoon and I was worried that we would get locked in. There was no one else around.

But we strolled through and he pointed out a water fountain with a statue that he claimed to be the original cupid (clearly, he was a little nervous!). It started to rain so I suggested we should go and started making my way to the entry gate. He grabbed my hand and said that he had wanted to ask this for such a long time.

That’s when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was like something out of a movie. I didn’t even look at the ring, I just said ‘yes!’

When we got back to our Airbnb, he showed me a movie that he had created with messages from all of our loved ones back home. It was so special.

We then went for a beautiful dinner and called our parents when we got home. We waited until the next morning to share the news with everyone else and then celebrated with champagne.

Wedding of Danika Turner and Elliot Gregg. Picture: Cloud Catcher Studio

Any unique or surprising details about your wedding?

My beautiful bridesmaid Ash surprised us with an angelic version of Hallelujah – there weren’t many dry eyes in the room afterwards!

Our dear friend in London, Esther, also sent us a video of a song that she wrote for us, which we watched before heading into our reception during a quiet moment, just us. We have some very talented friends!

We also livestreamed our ceremony, speeches and dance floor to our friends in the UK who were unable to make it, including my maid of honour, who delivered her speech over Zoom. It was fantastic to still have our friends involved from afar.

The other unique detail was that we named our tables after our favourite travel destinations and the table numbers were pictures of us in those destinations. The guests needed to find where in the world they were sitting and seemed to like this little touch.

Wedding of Danika Turner and Elliot Gregg. Picture: Cloud Catcher Studio

What was the standout moment of the day?

We loved the time that we spent with our bridal party getting photos but entering our reception to I Was Made for Lovin’ You by KISS, with all of our guests smiling, singing and waving their napkins in the air – that memory still gives me goosebumps.

Elliot adds that seeing his grandma being the first and last on the dance floor was his standout moment.

What would you do differently?

Try to join our guests at the cocktail hour so that we didn’t miss out on the Moreton Bay bug rolls. I also wouldn’t have hesitated in booking a videographer. We added this at the last minute.

What would you spend more or less on?

We may have overestimated how much alcohol we would need, but at least we didn’t run out.

Wedding of Danika Turner and Elliot Gregg. Picture: Cloud Catcher Studio

One thing you wish people told you about planning a wedding?

The time flies so fast, particularly in the final few weeks before the big day. It can be a stressful time, but try and enjoy the process.

Also, try to find times to pause and take it all in on the day.

Best advice for other couples planning a wedding?

Remember that you’re marrying your best friend and don’t be influenced by trends or the opinions of others – plan a celebration that is a true reflection of you as a couple and you won’t have any regrets.

You focus so much on making sure that everyone is having a good time, but don’t forget that it’s your day.

Try and sneak away for 10-15 minutes, just the two of you, to watch the party unfold and reflect on the day so far.