Amy & David

25 June 2016
The Team Room Queen Victoria Building, Sydney, NSW
Photography by Dan O'Day

"David and I met in a nightclub! It was his sister's birthday and I came with a mutual friend. I spotted David from across the room, a real-life cliche! As for the proposal, one lazy Sunday afternoon I was coaxed into going for a stroll with my now sister-in-law to our local park. She gave me an envelope. Inside was a lovely letter from David (which also teased me about my bad navigation skills!) which started a lone trail to find other little letters. I eventually found David by the pond with a picnic and an engagement ring."

Plans & preparations

While at times the wedding organisation felt like a never-ending to do list for Amy and David, the planning process was still easygoing. "David and I were on the same page about all the aspects for the wedding and we never overanalysed anything. As a designer, I've been lucky enough to work on wedding stationery projects over the years, which means I've engaged in a lot of conversation with couples about the whole planning process, so I think that prepared me quite a bit!"

Love & joy

"I think like most couples, we were so excited when the day finally arrived. that every aspect of the day was completely joyous. Walking down the aisle with my dad was a personal highlight."

Amy's advice for brides-to-be, "In terms of planning, my advice would be to trust your instincts, try not to overanalyse your decisions and have as much fun as possible!"

features

The gowns

Amy looked stunning in her Mariana Hardwick gown with bold lace and deep V neckline. "I was quite open to what my gown would be like. I had a lot of fun trying on a wide range of styles before landing, 'the one'. It was the incredible embroidered motifs of the guipere lace and striking silhouette of my gown that won both myself and my bridesmaids over. I thought the design called for simple accessories, so I chose a pastel blue ear crawler for the ceremony and classic crystal cluster earrings for the reception." 

The boys, the girls

"I wanted to make sure each of my bridesmaids was dressed in a cut they were comfortable with, however it was a bit tricky finding three perfect designs off the rack. In the end we found a gathered halter Zimmermann gown in dusty pink that was not only stunning on its own, but fit each of the bridesmaids beautifully."

David wore a classic, black Hugo Boss tuxedo with velvet bow tie and patent leather shoes. His groomsmen wore black suits and ties.

The blooms

Having long been an admirer of Emily from Sydney boutique florist Boutierre Girls' work, it was a 'no brainer' that Amy would enlist the team for her wedding flowers. "She can mix royal tones with soft hues in the most stunning way, which was exactly the look I was after. It was also important to me that the flowers looked effortlessly assembled and the team executed this perfectly. For the reception, we had modest table centrepieces consisting of a mixture of dark and light blooms set in clear glass vases. Emily also created a stunning installation above the bridal table."

QVB

"We felt The Tea Room at QVB was the perfect venue for our winter wedding with its stunning old charm, and distinct style. It also meant we didn't have to think too hard about decorating. Food and service were also really important to us and we knew we would be in the best hands in that respect with Grand Pacific Group."

Amy and David entered the reception to the sounds of  a traditional Middle-Eastern drummer. "It immediately brought everyone onto the dance floor!"

Timeless style

"David and I approached styling our wedding with the theme of classic elegance but we also wanted to inject a bit of fun! Being a winter wedding, I was inspired by a rich palette of reds and purples, which, along with ivories and softer pinks, became our loose colour scheme. This determined the look of our stationery and other elements from  the bridesmaids' dresses to my shoes and the flower arrangements. As for the venue, because The Tea Room is so charming and decadent on its own, we only wanted to add accents rather than transform the space into something different. Beautiful flower arrangements did most of the talking and we created a little more mood with an abundance of candles. This was also a great way to make the 200-guest room feel more intimate."

Love & thanks

"Our wedding favours were vanilla-caramel soy candles that my sister-in-law, Stephany lovingly hand-poured. Each was set in a small glass jar with a white lid and finished with a label that I had designed." Amy and David's invitations were a fun mixture of classic and modern. "We used letterpress and gold foiling. Being a paper nerd meant these were two obligatory expenses for me! I also created a painterly pattern of reds, purples and pinks that was used for our envelope liners and some of the on-the-day pieces."

May the sweet force be with you

Amy and David's wedding cake was a pretty 3-tier ombre ruffle cake. "Each layer had a different flavour and as a surprise for David, who is a big Star Wars fan, I added Han Solo and Princess Leia cake topper figurines."

Sing us a song

Amy and David had their first dance to an acoustic version of Coldplay's 'Green Eyes' played and sung by David's groomsman, James.  It's a song that has always reminded me of David."

gown: Mariana Hardwick, marianahardwick.com.au

shoes & bridesmaids: Zimmermann, zimmermannwear.com

photographer: Dan O'Day, danodayphotography.com.au

ceremony location: Saint Patrick's Church, Mortlake

reception venue & caterer: The Tea Room Queen Victoria Building, thetearoom.com.au

reception decorations: Love and Protect, loveandprotect.com.au
Liv & Co., livandco.com.au

flowers and floral decorations: Boutierre Girls, boutierregirls.com

cake: Faye Cahill, fayecahill.com.au

groom: Hugo Boss, hugoboss.com

groomsmen: Shoreditch, shoreditch.com.au

bridesmaids’ shoes: Alias Mae, aliasmae.com

bridal accessories: Kenneth Jay Lane, net-a-porter.com
Baublebar, baublebar.com

hair: House of Hair, houseofhair.com.au

makeup: Hilary Ho, hilaryho.com

additional suppliers: Showtime show-pro.com.au