This (gorgeous) Bride put it perfectly when she said, “I don’t think anyone can prepare you for how many feels you feel” when asked about her beautiful nuptials. Her day was absolutely stunning and simply oozing with style (that Vera Wang gown is beyond show-stopping), but it’s the huge smiles that really take center stage, and truly make the warm and fuzzies come out in full force. See the entire day here.
From the Bride…David proposed in front of the Love Sculpture in New York, where we’ve lived for the past three years. I was about 20 minutes late to meet him for what I thought was a relaxed midweek dinner, and I’ll never forget how nervous he looked when I eventually strolled down 55th Street. It was a brilliant New York moment.
Soon after we were engaged, it occurred to me I’d never worn anything in ivory, cream or white! Quite by accident, I found a beautiful grey dress and knew it was the right one for me. It was fun to do things a little differently.
We celebrated our wedding back in Australia. Bendooley Estate was the last venue I visited on a whirlwind trip, and even though they were still renovating, we booked it on the spot. It’s hard to find words to describe just how gorgeous this venue is, located in the historic town of Berrima in the Southern Highlands. The estate is also home to the Berkelouw Book Barn, a stunning and unique bookstore offering thousands of new, rare, and antique books (with a fantastic restaurant, to boot).
We had a lakeside ceremony under the oak trees on a beautiful sunny day, celebrating with friends from New York, London and all across Australia. Due to my love for polka dots, David organized for every single guy to show up wearing polka dot socks. I had no idea this was happening, and it was such a lovely surprise.
Dave’s sister Sally Morrison is a talented interior designer and stylist, and we were super lucky to have her style our wedding. Although Sally lives in London, we rose to the challenge of planning a wedding from the other side of the world. We chose a book theme, which Sal really brought to life—she made the seating and place cards herself, sourced all the signage, found our fabulous florist, and essentially, won at everything. We couldn’t have done it without her. My Mum is an absolute champion quilter, and she made all of the bunting by hand. She sourced fabrics in our wedding colors of dusty pink, grey, cream and green, and hand-made every last piece.
Michelle of Michelle Fiona Photography is an old friend from my time at Marie Claire in Australia, and Dave and I have always loved her romantic, vintage photography style (she’s also an incredibly awesome person). Michelle told me to bring some boots on the day, and she sent us trekking into a field for our post-ceremony shots. Although my wonderful bridesmaids spent the next 25 minutes removing hundreds of pine needles from the train of my dress, we all agreed the mission was worth it.
Our wedding day was SO much fun. We laughed and smiled the entire day (I don’t think anyone can prepare you for how many feels you feel—it’s overwhelming, in such a positive sense!). Thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly to make our day so special, and thank you to all our friends and family who came from far and wide to celebrate with us.
Photographer: Michelle Fiona Photography | Floral Design: Poho Flowers | Invitations: Wicked Bride Stationery | Bride's Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids' Dresses: J.Crew | DJ: La Fitz | Suits: MJ Bale | Bridal Accessories: Johanna Johnson | Bridal Gown: Vera Wang | Ceremony & Reception Venue: Bendooley Estate | Hair & Make-up: Oralie Maylin | Photobooth: Sydney Photobooth Hire | Signage: Written By Hand | Wedding Day Coordination: Girl Friday Weddings | Wedding Stylist: Sally Morrison