R E B E C C A & C H R I S T I A N
F R O M T H E B R I D E …
Meeting…
We met at work – at a work function to be precise! We started in the same graduate intake at the company. An instant friendship developed.
The Proposal…
Christian proposed in India, in front of the beautiful Taj Mahal, much to my surprise and shock!
Wedding Style…
From the very beginning, we wanted a small and intimate wedding that would feel like a big family affair! We wanted to treat our closest friends and family to an elegant night filled with love, laughter and a massive feast! Our wedding achieved everything that we had wanted, plus more.
Ceremony Venue…
The Catholic Parish of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Watsons Bay
Reception Venue…
The Residences Centennial Park. We were the first ever wedding to be held at The Residences Centennial Park. Christian from The Residences did an amazing job putting together our big day and making sure everything ran smoothly on the day.
The Dress…
My wedding gown was Reem Acra’s ‘Olivia’ gown, purchased from Anna DaFonte Bridal Salon in Woollahra. The gown was a beautiful sheath silk organza gown, with beaded cap sleeves. The dress was worn with a Reem Acra custom made belt to match the beaded sleeves.
For added drama when walking down the aisle I wore a tulle overlay skirt. It was worn during the ceremony and was later taken off for the reception. A custom made Viktoria Novak, ‘Charmaine’, headpiece was worn
Bridesmaids…
George ‘Pixel’ gown in vanilla with little, soft cap sleeves added on.
Groomsmen…
The groom and groomsmen wore blue Paul Costelloe three piece suits from David Jones with Rembrandt dinner shirt and tie.
The Flowers…
We left our florist, Jessica from Jodie McGregor, to select seasonal flowers to match our brief. The brief we gave Jessica was for the bridal bouquet to be, ‘a gorgeous, loose, asymmetric bouquet using fresh greens, creams, whites and fuchsia pinks’. Seasonal flowers used included Lisianthus, garden rose, carnation, Hypericum Berry, Bouvardia, seasonal green fern/vine & Peppercorn berry.
The bridesmaids’ bouquets were loose round bouquets using complementing blooms to the bridal bouquet with a touch more fuschia pinks.
Reception Styling…
The reception was held in a marquee at the back of the historic Superintendents Residence within Centennial Park. A clear marquee with fairy lights was used so guests could enjoy the natural surroundings of Centennial Park. With the glow of the candles and the flower arrangements, a romantic, vintage garden setting was created!
There were two long guest tables. Natural linen was used with a white table runner down the centre. Guest place settings were made up of gold charger plates, green & white filigree napkins and guest place tags were printed on wood, adding to the garden theme. The tables were decorated with natural wicker storm shades in 3 sizes. Gold shimmer votives and glass bottled flowers ran down the centre of the tables, filled with a mix of fuschia pink, and cream flowers and berries to complement the bouquets.
As well as the above, the bridal table had a low and full flower hedge running across the front, consisting of pinks, creams, berries and ferns. Two gold mirrored baroque candlesticks were used on either end of the bridal table. The bride and groom each sat on a natural wicker peacock chair. The bridal party also had gold rimmed glass sets for added elegance!
There was also a ‘lounge area’ for guests, which consisted of two red, vintage arm chairs, coffee tables and a buffet side table which was used for the wishing well, and polaroid guest book as well as props for the polaroid ‘photo booth’. The area was also decorated with gold shimmer candles and a mix of pink flowers.
In between the ‘lounge area’ and the bridal table was a gold screen, which was used as a back drop for the room and for the cake. The gold screen was decorated by a waterfall of flowers falling from the top of the screen. The flowers from the pew ends at the wedding ceremony were reused to create the waterfall effect.
We also had a grazing table for the serving of the feast and desserts. It was decorated with a large floral arrangement, wooden boxes, crates and gold candles.
On the Menu…
Pre-drinks & canapés were served on the front lawn and front veranda of the Superintendent’s Residence. The reception was a sit down meal, consisting of a ‘grazing’ style menu.
The menu was printed on wood by Little Paper Lane and was placed on tables. The menu was designed and prepared by the hatted restaurant, ‘Vincent French Dining Room and Bar’. Cupcakes were made by my sister and maid of honour, Samantha.
Wedding Bomboniere…
There was not one gift for guests, but rather we wanted our guests to walk away with lots of gifts or pieces of our wedding. These included, the wooden name cards, the flowers in glass bottles on the guest tables, gold boxes filled with Haigh’s chocolates (chocolate covered macadamias, chocolate covered almonds & freckles) polaroids from the photo booth, and cupcakes.
Memorable Moments….
The bridesmaids’ surprise parody to Carly Rae Jepson’s song ‘Call me maybe’ depicting the real life love story of the bride and groom was absolutely hilarious and not only had us in stitches, but also all of the guests!
Wedding Accommodation…
Along with my bridesmaids I stayed at the Rangers Residence in Centennial Park the night before the wedding and got ready there on the morning of the wedding. The residence was also used for photos.
Christian and I returned to the Rangers Residence and stayed there after the wedding.
Wedding Songs…
The band, GHQ was absolutely amazing and learnt songs on request that made the night even more special and intimate.
These songs included:
First dance – ‘All of me’ John Legend
Cake cutting – ‘At Last’ Etta James
Father/ Daughter, Mother/ Son dance – ‘Better Together’ Jack Johnson
Bouquet toss – ‘Beautiful Girls’ Sean Kingston
Honeymoon…
3 weeks in Fiji –Staying at Matangi Private Island Resort and the Remote Resort.
Photography Lisa Thompson Photography Ceremony Location The Catholic Parish of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Watsons Bay Reception Venue The Residences Centennial Park Bride’s Dress Reem Acra from Anna DaFonte Bridal Salon Bride’s Headpiece Viktoria Novak Bridesmaids George Groom + Groomsmen Paul Costelloe Flowers Jodie McGregor Decorations Decorative Events & Exhibitions Vintage arm chair, bar & mismatched furniture Vintage Patina Wooden guests name cards and menus + welcome sign Little Paper Lane Cake Cake Atelier Catering Vincent French Dining Room and Bar Entertainment GHQ
MW x