R I C H A R D & J E S S I C A
F R O M T H E B R I D E …
The Meeting…
We met at a 21st of a mutual friend; it was surprising that we had not met sooner since we ran in very similar social circles. This was just before I left for a 6 month trip abroad for my studies.
Love…
Richard first told me he loved me about four months into our relationship. I suppose we both became really confident that this was the real deal once we both moved overseas for a year. It was really difficult, but we both made long distance work. Richard sacrificed a year of his study so that I could move to London and he could be closer to me in France. No one had ever made a sacrifice like that for me before.
The Proposal…
{Richard} We got engaged on our year abroad. Jessica had come to live in France with me during the school holidays and we took a trip through Italy and Greece. I had initially planned to ask Jess to marry me in Kythira where her family are from, but ferry strikes made that plan impossible. I proposed to Jess on the beach in Santorini, Jess was really surprised.
{Jessica} I had been such a pain that day! It was a really stressful day – we had left Athens early in the morning with no real plan except ‘jump on any ferry we can’. I don’t handle stress like Richard does. He is a rock. We almost didn’t make it to the beach in time for the sunset because I took my time getting ready. I recall asking Richard why he was so well dressed for a picnic on the beach – he said they were the only fresh clothes he had. I was clueless, it was such a surprise.
Wedding Style…
We knew straight away that we would be getting married in a Church. Our faith is really important to us and to our families. But we also knew that we wanted to celebrate somewhere private and natural. We were really aiming for something simple yet elegant, comfortable and fun.
Photography…
I chose MM Photos because their work is so genuine and candid. I wanted our pictures to reflect the natural happiness and joy that we all felt. Michael and his team are outstanding artists and nicer people you could not find anywhere. They were a joy to have joined us on such an important day in a very intimate way.
I love that they are true reflections of the day – they are a time machine, and they transport us back to our wedding day every time we look at them.
Ceremony Venue…
Our ceremony was held at St Paul’s Catholic Church in Camden, Sydney’s South West. The Church is quite simple, yet beautiful. Although it is relatively new, it still fits in with the historical town.
Reception Venue…
Our reception was held in Camden, at Belgenny Farm. It was the first and last reception place we looked at. Richard and I are passionate about history, and the farm has an important history in the early development of agriculture in Sydney. The venue was perfect. We had full access to the grounds for photographs, the Granary was lined with full length windows which looked out onto farm land. We had the privacy that we wanted, beautiful natural surroundings, and elegant simplicity. It ticked all the boxes.
The staff at Belgenny Farm were fantastic throughout the whole planning process. On the day they were wonderful, the food was raved about by our guests, they made the whole reception run smoothly. Richard and I were presented with a beautiful hand painted plate as a keepsake of our wedding day from Belgenny Farm, it was such a lovely touch.
The Dress…
My gown was from Kylie J Bridal in Parramatta, I found it on the first day we went looking. My maid of honour and I had been using pinterest to share ideas for the wedding while I was still overseas. I kept finding these pictures of beautiful vintage inspired dresses and I adored the tea-length idea.
Bridesmaids…
My bridesmaids wore Review dresses in a cobalt blue. The style of dress complemented my wedding gown.
Groomsmen…
The groomsmen wore grey suits with vests without the blazers for a more relaxed look.
The Flowers…
Our flowers were Australian natives with king proteas as the focal point.
Decorations…
The decorations were quite simple, we used most of what the venue had to offer. On the tables we had lace and hessian runners and a small bunch of flowers which replicated the bouquet. Our table numbers were placed into vintage frames.
On the Menu…
We had a sit down meal and it was delicious. Entrée was either a creamy ravioli dish or a thai beef salad. For mains there was a pork belly or a beef steak and for dessert we served vanilla pannacotta with berry or an apple tart.
Memories…
The whole day was just magic, but the best part of the party was all the dancing at the reception!
Wedding Songs…
The most memorable songs were ‘Green Eyes’ by Coldplay which Richard and I had our first dance to, and 500 Miles by the Pretenders because it went off!
Honeymoon…
Thailand
Photography MM Photos Ceremony Venue St Paul’s Catholic Church, Camden Reception Venue Belgenny Farm Bride’s Dress Kylie J Bridal Bridesmaids’ Dresses Review Flowers + Decorations Clementine Posy Cake Something Blue
MW x