I’m loving this gorgeous wedding filed with autumn florals, locally sourced food from organic farms, a sweet as can be ivy covered church, and images by Sandra Henri Photography so beautiful they make your heart ache. It’s laid back, casual, and a perfect reflection of this adorable couple. Exactly everything you’ve come to expect from down under weddings. See even more right here.
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From the Bride… We live in London but decided to marry at St Paul’s Church in Kincumber, Australia, not far from where I grew up. We could have gone down the relatively easy route and hired a wedding planner to organise the day, but we wanted our wedding to be personal and unique. We knew we had taken a lot on, but I couldn’t imagine my wedding without my family there. Many late nights were spent on the internet, trawling through venues, photographers, caterers, florists, etc. I don’t know what we did before the internet! I was looking for vendors who had a passion for all things local. Before I had even found my dress, I found our photographer Sandra Henri. I knew straight away that she was the photographer for us. Her use of natural sunlight is just breathtaking. I then came across Full on Flavour which is run two amazing girls who had just set up their own business as caterers, only using local produce, grown on their own farm whenever possible. It was an added bonus that they also did venue styling. We were so lucky that we worked with such fantastic people — they were as passionate and excited about each detail of the wedding as we were, and nothing was ever too much to ask. A big thank you to all our vendors.
The wedding dress was one of the only things that was U.K. sourced — a Maggie Sottero design called “Gatsby” from Mia Sposa on Hatton Gardens, London. My lucky horseshoe and garter were handmade by my niece Amy. David wore a suit that was made by a tailor in Hong Kong and a shirt from Ted Baker in London. The wedding reception was at Kincumba Mountain Reserve in the Kincumba Mountain Kiosk. It was the perfect location for our Aussie wedding. We were free to make the space our own, and the kids were free to run around and make as much noise as they wanted. I made the bunting myself from Indian sari fabric — the gold thread running through the fabric picked up the golden Australian sunlight beautifully. We had given the girls at Full on Flavour a theme of “Australian Picnic,” and the menu fit the bill perfectly. A few days before the wedding, we took David’s family to the Hunter Valley to pick up the wine directly from the cellar door of Maquariedale Organic Wines. Their sparkling wine is seriously better than some of the finest French champagne.
Keeping with the Australian theme I chose Australian wildflowers for the bouquets, buttonholes and table flowers. I thought I would find it difficult to find someone who would specialise in such a niche but luckily there is a nursery and florist called ‘The Wildflower Place’ in Erina. Because it was the beginning of autumn, the choice of flowers that were in season was limited but The Wildflower Place made a stunning combination flannel flowers, kangaroo paw, eucalyptus blossoms and gum nuts. The speeches lasted less than five minutes and there were no formalities such as cake cutting or bouquet throwing. The day was just about having fun and sharing our special day with close friends and family.
Wedding Photography: Sandra Henri Photography / Ceremony: St Paul’s Church in Kincumber, New South Wales / Reception: Kincumba Mountain Kiosk at the Kincumba Mountain Reserve in Gosford, New South Wales / Floral Design: The Wildflower Place (02 4365 5510) / Event Design: DIY / Event Styling + Catering: Full on Flavour / Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero “Gatsby” via Mia Sposa / Makeup: Flawless Makeup Artistry by Charissa