We worked with Catherine for ten months to bring her and Ben's vision together...but we don't even want to think about how long Catherine, her mother and her girlfriends worked to make 600 paper roses for us to work into the ceremony and reception styling.
It was all in the details for us, and for Catherine: from the screen printed handkerchief invitations she tracked down in the States before discovering us, to the exquisite range of dresses she wore through the day and into the evening, to the carved timber menus and guest name cards we had made up to extend the touch of woodland through the table settings, to the timber table with natural log legs we purchased so they could enjoy the perfect sweetheart table for their first meal together as husband and wife.
For the ceremony, we lay down a natural sisal matting walkway, created a focal point with an antique French wine barrel, topped with an arrangement we made from beautiful white paper roses created by Catherine and her mother and girlfriends, and set up a signing table with a beautiful timber table with natural log legs. The ceremony took place within a circle of paper roses staked into the lawn.
Guests arrived to find a wine barrel bar from our hire range playing host to a drinks station serving southern sweet iced tea, mint lemonade and pink lemonade we'd made by hand. Vintage milk bottles set out on zinc trays with leather handles allowed guests to serve themselves.
Catherine had but one wish for the bridal party flowers - clouds of baby's breath - so we created delicate bouquets for her and her maids bound with the contrast of thick hessian bands, and for the boys there were buttonholes of baby's breath also, only backed with leaves of hessian we created and bound tightly with string.
At the reception at Centennial Parklands Dining, tables were laid with beautiful midnight blue overlays, some patterned with a delicate leaf motif, others featuring a pleat detail. The centre of each table playing host to a range of glass jar vases and candleholders atop of a round of timber log, each and every one bound with a band of ribbon or hessian in neutral tones; some vases filled with baby's breath, others with arrangements of miniature white roses we wired into bouquets. Before each guest glowed a small jar candleholder bearing their name engraved on a timber card - exquisitely done by Engraving Plus Invitations & Gifts.
For a twist on the usual seating charts, we came up with the idea of using French shutter screens hung with small canvases we covered in hessian, then adhering cards designed and printed to match the stationery sourced by Catherine, to guide guests to their seats. Small glass vases filled with baby's breath were scattered across the screens to tie back to the flowers on the tables.
Eschewing tradition, there was no wedding cake for this couple, just cake and desserts and lots of it. We were charged with creating something special for them, so turned to their favourite macaron store, Baroque Bistro to create macaron towers and the crocquembouche, to Faye Cahill Cake Design to make the most beautiful ombre petal cupcakes and to Polka Dot Cookies to ice a range of gorgeous sweet treats, including cookies bearing Catherine & Ben's initials and cakepops. All was laid out across two antique benches from our hire range, on a platters and stands allowing guests to tuck in and help themselves. And they did. With gusto.
We hope you enjoy the stunning captures by Inlighten Photography. We look forward to sharing many more on the blog soon.
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Event design, styling & management; ceremony décor, furniture & drinks station hire, service staff; bridal party flowers; reception styling, guest gifts, furniture, décor and dessert station hire; seating plan design & hire by Form Over Function
Photography by Inlighten Photography
Pre wedding video by Paper Cranes
Celebrant Robyn Pattison
Reception Centennial Parklands Dining
Dessert table included treated from Faye Cahill Cake Design, Polka Dot Cookies and Baroque Bistro
Hair and Make Up Amy Chan Hair and Make Up Artistry
DJ & MC Brett Martin - Sydney Wedding DJs
Kombis Sydney Split Screens
