Inside the lavish wedding of model Ellie Gonsalves
Gold Coast influencer and model Ellie Gonsalves married her longtime partner Ross Scutts over two days of lavish celebrations. From champagne towers to a strict all-white dress code for guests, we go inside the lavish celebrations.
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Ellie Gonsalves remembers the moment she met Ross Scutts.
He came to her school when she was 15, and he was 20, to do a seminar on business. But it wasn’t until two years later when she ran into him while she was out with friends that she fell head over heels in love.
The Gold Coast-based couple, who have been together for 14 years, celebrated their wedding in a lavish two-day celebration in March this year. The model and actor, who has more than one million followers on Instagram, says most of their lives are shared online so opted to keep their ceremony as private as possible at La Luna Beach Club in Main Beach. It was just Ross, Ellie, their celebrant Jake Smith and their dog, Daisy.
“I walked myself down the aisle to a string quartet playing ‘Wildest Dreams’,” Gonsalves says. “Daisy was our ring bearer and we had the most beautiful, personalised ceremony. We then followed up with an intimate dinner with a few close friends and family at Hope Island catered by celebrity chef Alastair McLeod.”
The wedding continued the next day with their reception at the same venue with the couple arriving via a super yacht where they joined their 90 guests for their all-white themed wedding with an all-white dress code.
How did you meet? Ellie: While we lived down the road from each other and went to the same school, we met when Ross did a seminar for my year 10 business class on entrepreneurship. I was 15 and he was 20. My teacher saw a story about him, and invited him back to do a seminar (for the class he failed in school). As soon as he walked in all I could think about was how handsome he was, and I didn’t really listen to a thing he said. Two years later I saw him again while we were out with friends. A few months went by, and I fell completely in love. Our first date was Valentine’s Day.
Tells us about the proposal. I went to Australia Zoo to feed Graham the Croc; this was to celebrate making it to the top three on Big Brother VIP to win $100,000 for my charity Wildlife Warriors (founded by Steve and Terri Irwin). But Ross had other ideas for me. Ideas that I later found out were in the making for a couple of years with the Irwin family. We were standing in the Crocoseum as Terri, Robert, and Chandler said, “let’s bring out Graham!”, the croc was on the big screen, it glitched and went black. I was standing there thinking, “Well this is awkward, why does this have to happen when I come to feed a croc?”.
Then Love Story by Taylor Swift started playing over the speakers (our song when we first got together).
I turned around and Ross was walking out with a box in his hands with the biggest smile on his face. It took me 20 seconds to process what was going on because I was full of adrenaline ready to feed a prehistoric creature that could more or less swallow me whole. But I saw him crying as he got closer, so I started crying finally realising what was happening. He then got on one knee and asked, “Will you marry me?” and of course, I said yes. Then I fed a crocodile … I’m sure not many people get to say that.
How did you choose your dress/outfit? The morning after I was engaged, I had a call from my good friend and designer Sam from Oglialoro Couture (who I was going to call anyway and ask to design my dress), we have worked together for years. We all decided on three couture dresses; a ceremony dress, reception dress, and a party dress. Each look is different but has a similar story. I had ideas of looks I really loved and shared them with Sam and my stylist Paul Versace but I really trusted Sam’s vision. All three dresses encompass modern style with the glamour and sophistication of a bygone era.
First dance song? I used to sing professionally and it’s one of Ross’s favourite things about me. So, when I was trying to think of what to get him as a wedding present, I thought I would surprise him and record our first dance song. One of my friends, Tiny, who is a music producer and DJ helped me. I chose to sing a rendition of Can’t Help Falling in Love because this was a song my dad always used to sing to me when I was a child, so it was our first dance with a nod to my dad since he has passed away.
Theme? We worked closely with Alysia Bridger Events, working with various shades and textures of white to create the most beautiful and timeless look for our wedding days. Our aisle was adorned with masses of breathtaking white florals, and we had a beautiful candlelit aisle leading me to Ross, who was surrounded by the most incredible floral backdrop that I have ever seen.
Any unique or surprising details about your wedding? We had a strict all-white dress code for our guests at our reception the next day.
What was the standout moment of the day? There were two! When we had our private ceremony, there was this incredible moment when three birds flew over us down the aisle (our videographer got it on camera). It’s symbolic because my dad’s favourite song was Three Little Birds by Bob Marley. This was a reminder on our special day that he was there with us. Then the second standout moment was of course, our first dance.
The Bride
Ellie Gonsalves, 32
Profession Model
and actor
Dresses Three couture dresses by Oglialoro Couture
Hair Brodie Tsiknaris /L’Oreal Pro
Make-up Alex Perrin
Flowers The Blossom Tree Company
Wedding bouquet Mrs Gibbons Flowers
Engagement ring Calleija Jewellers
Wedding planner/stylist Alysia Bridger Events
Celebrant Jake Smith
Caterer Reception: MARE La Luna; Private dinner: Alastair McLeod with Alfreshco Catering
Cake Ekats’ Couture Cakes
The Groom
Ross Scutts, 37
Profession Entrepreneur
Best man Rhys Scutts
Suit Dyonsu
First dance
Can’t Help Falling in Love, recorded by Ellie Gonsalves and music producer Tiny
DJ DJ Clem / Sax player Mr Sax Australia
Transport Vintage Porsche Speedster sourced by Porsche Centre Gold Coast
Videographer Caio Souza & Dominic Thwaite
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