S H A R N E E & J U S T I N
F R O M T H E B R I D E
The Meeting…
I used to go and watch Justin play drums in his band and always wanted to play with a drummer as good as he is. We have since played music together for around 10 years. After being band mates for a few years the friendship developed into a romantic kind of love.
The Proposal…
Justin surprised me and proposed on the first sun-set of a trip to Hawaii, down on one knee, with ring. He had planned on proposing later in the trip but the setting on the first night was perfect (Rum Fire Bar under the Sheraton with fire torches, Cucumber & Lavender mojitos etc), so the groom had to secretly run back to the room to get the ring. Once he proposed there were tears of joy and hugs and the whole bar applauded whilst the bar staff gave complimentary deserts with “Congratulations” written on the plate etc.. It was so amazing.
Wedding Theme…
“Glamourama rock”
The ‘glamour’ part of the “Glamorama rock” theme was established by incorporating modern vintage decorations in pewter and white to match the wedding party outfits.
The Ceremony…
Tamarama Gully / Waterfall. Grand walkway with pro floor path (walking distance from parent’s home to ceremony) with a romantic marquee setting.
The Reception…
Tamarama Surf Club
The Dress…
My dress came together in two stages. After trying on a various gowns I got to know what characteristics suited me best: my style and shape. I then knew that I wanted a cupped bodice, sweetheart neckline, mid-waisted gown with trumpet hemline, but I found it difficult to find it within my budget, new or preloved, even though it seemed a classic design. When searching online for these criteria, I found an ivory satin Ender Leggard corset.
I then went to Rhonda Hemmingway and asked if she could make and attach the skirt section of the dress to this corset to make a dress, who delightfully from that very moment, made my dream dress an affordable reality and more. I highly recommend having your wedding dress made with Rhonda, who searched high and low for my material colour match and made my Wedding gown a perfect fit. The tulle overlay was detachable (on at ceremony & off at reception), and Rhonda’s positioning at the front gave me the modern edge that I was after with the design. I loved dancing in it and wearing it so much, Rhonda has now hemmed to the knee – a new cocktail dress!
My mother purchased my amazing neckpiece from Johanna Johnson in person at her boutique store in Paddington. Johanna is so lovely and talented. It’s the most precious thing for a daughter to have from her mum and can be worn again on special occasions. I also loved swapping from having a Johanna Johnson tulle wrist cuff at the ceremony, to having it tied on my head as a headband at the reception when I detached the tulle skirt!
Bridesmaids…
I bought kimonos from Paddy’s Markets for myself and my bridesmaids to get ready in. They all had a different colour whilst I had a white one. This was a gift to them and also practical for avoiding the disruption of the hair & make-up once done, they all loved it. Pewter coloured satin was purchased for the bridesmaid gowns and a simple knee-length, round neck, sleeveless dress with belt-tie pattern. We then bought brooches (for belt-tie) and matching earrings to give it a vintage feel. Mother of the bride wore an amazing black beaded gown by Collette Dinnigan.
Groomsmen…
Black pants, cream shirts, brown shoes & orchid buttonire.
Flowers…
I really wanted white orchids and luckily when I checked, I found that they bloom all year round. They are quite an expensive flower though so I used white ostrich feathers as well and in doing so didn’t need as many stems. The bouquets each used one stem and the groomsmen used single flowers. The orchid stems used at the reception were potted into the urn vases and so they could continue living and not just be used for the one day. Anna from Tulippana in Bondi arranged all the flowers and delivery, she and her family are such a delight and joy to work with.
Styling & Decorating…
Instead of hiring all of the decorations, I bought some of them for keepsake, such as vintage-style pewter lace mirrors from Fantastic Furniture (also enhancing the feel of the space) and pewter urn vases from Koch & Co. (which I filled with white orchids and ostrich feathers). These were later used as thank you gifts and furnishings for our home, plus the home of our friends who helped us to decorate, and a lovely reminder of the day. White ostrich feather strings (home-made), fairy lights and muslin draping were also incorporated into the ceiling decorations, topped off with a centred mirror (disco) ball to match the wall mirrors. They really made the reception hall look amazing.The ‘rock’ part of the theme was utilised in the smaller detail such as musical paper luminary bags, confetti, music ribbon tied around the guest flips flops and a help yourself box of instruments for guests to play along with the band, as seen in the photos.
The Cake…
Smashcake – Coogee. My husband is a drummer so I thought of the idea to have a cake in the shape of drums (tiered much like a traditional wedding cake but musical). It then came to me that the cake would make a unique impact if it was a “smash cake”. These cakes are hollow shells made of chocolate, you smash the cake and they are full of lollies inside. Usually that are smashed with a hammer, but my husband played an awesome drum solo to smash our cake. It was really fun and guests loved it!
Flowers…
Tuplianna
On The Menu…
Cocktail reception; Bruschetta, skewers (chick, prawn, beef), Prawn cocktails, Dips & breads, Aranchini balls.
Wedding Favours…
No but we gave them all Cds with music from our wedding with the thank you cards.
Memorable Moments…
I played a song to my husband on the night as a surprise. The song I played is called “To Know Him Is To Love Him” written by Phil Spector. This song choice was perfect for the occasion as the lyrics say “to know him is to love him and I do, and I do, and I do“.
Also the couples dance was awesome, we did this to a Dirty Dancing Medley..Click here to view!
Wedding Soundtrack…
* 50 & 60’s soul music playlist whilst guests arrived E.g. “Be My Baby” the Ronettes
* “Shelter of your Love” by Jimmy Cliff / ‘Cocktail’ Soundtrack walking down aisle
* “Isn’t She Lovely?” by Stevie Wonder – Father & Bride dance
* “Angie” flamenco instrumental version of Rolling Stones song – Mother (Angela) and groom dance
* Dirty Dancing Medley (created by bride) – Couple’s First Dance.. “These Arms Of Mine” by Otis Redding, into “Cry to Me” by Solomon Burke into “Love Man” by Otis Redding
* Various playlist of Soul (E.g Al Green, Marvin Gaye), into Mingle playlists in between speeches (E.g Tower of Power, Bob Marley), Party Playlist later (e.g Michael Jackson) leading up to..
* Our friend’s incredible live band Krakatoa (featuring Mitchell Anderson – Top 8 of The Voice 2013).
Honeymoon…
Hawaii
Everyone who made this wedding rock:
Photography LB Photography Ceremony Location Tamarama Gully / Waterfall Reception Location Tamarama Surf Club Bride’s Dress Rhonda Hemmingway Couture Statement Necklace Johanna Johnson Flowers Tulipanna Cake Smashcake Decorations + Hire Events Festivals Weddings and Outdoor Wedding Aisles.
MW x