Eloping at Piermont Retreat - Renee and Mitch

Renee and Mitch kissing among sunlit coastal grasses beneath dramatic clouds above the bay. At Piermont Retreat on Tasmania’s east coast, for an Elopement Collective elopement. Photograph by Bulb Creative.

Renee and Mitch travelled from Brisbane to Piermont Retreat for a November elopement with ten of their closest people. On the lawn above Great Oyster Bay, with family and friends gathered around them, they had the small wedding they had wanted from the beginning.

Late spring on Tasmania’s east coast gave their day a beautiful setting: coastal grasses catching the light, clouds stretching across the water and a beach to wander along together after the ceremony. Britt Withers brought their plans together through The Elopement Collective, with Josh, Bulb Creative and The Romantics looking after the ceremony, photographs and flowers.

From a tour bus in Europe to the Tasmanian coast

Their story began on a Topdeck tour. Renee had set off on her own, and on the third day, travelling from France towards Switzerland, she sat beside Mitch. They talked for the whole journey. Over 39 days on the road, there was plenty of time to keep getting to know each other.

Renee was originally from Victoria and Mitch from New South Wales. After a year of long distance, she moved to Sydney. By the time they came to Tasmania to marry, Brisbane was home. Travel had brought them together, and another trip would become their wedding.

When they first contacted us, what mattered was having their immediate family and close friends there: the people who had supported their life together. That wish shaped the day at Piermont.

Ten guests, personal vows and a view across the bay

The photographs begin in the cottage, with Renee’s dress hanging beside the window and the water visible outside. Her long sleeves and veil moved softly around her; Mitch wore a pale suit with a floral buttonhole. The Romantics created the flowers, including a white bouquet finished with ribbon and small photograph charms.

Josh Withers led the ceremony on the lawn. Renee and Mitch held hands and read to one another, with their ten guests standing close. The bay was the backdrop, but their attention was on each other.

Afterwards, Bulb Creative photographed them around the retreat: between the tall cypress trees, on the stone amphitheatre steps and among the grasses above the shore. Down on the beach, there was room to laugh, hold hands and lean into a kiss. The light and clouds gave the photographs their drama; Renee and Mitch brought the warmth.