Bella & John’s Sydney Wedding
Tell us what your favourite part of the wedding was...
I had the absolute pleasure of my mum being an ultra-talented party planner and stylist, so we got to plan the whole thing together. That was really special, and are memories I will always cherish. She organised a surprise ‘flash mob’ for the ceremony, who sang the songs we chose to walk back down the aisle to, which we were not expecting at all and such a nice surprise!
I really enjoyed getting ready with my bridal party at my parents’ house. We accidentally overshot the time needed but were actually so pleased that this happened; it meant we were able to sit around talking for an hour, which made everything feel calmer and allowed us to enjoy the moment.
From the wedding, I loved the surprise of seeing all of the styling elements come together when we entered the room. We left a lot of the floral styling up to the florist and were not disappointed. I loved the velvet red and pink draping in the reception, this added that extra bit of drama and personality to the room. It unintentionally tied in with many people’s outfits! I love that we opted for a black tie dress code as everyone was looking dapper and dressed up.
Also, I strongly recommend changing your outfit – two dresses and pairs of shoes are better than one!!
What was your style/theme, and how did you achieve that?
We were inspired by a French Bistro-ish theme. We chose Beta because of the mix of new and old – the heritage exposed bricks juxtaposed with the modern polished concrete floors. It was a great base and wanted to lean into it, all the way through the journey. I loved working with The Distillery to create our custom stationery, they really nailed this brief.
The bridal party travelled to the reception in vintage Jaguar cars which were super cool. Our ceremony was held on L1 The Gallery at Beta, and we let the room do the talking. We had white Tiffany chairs for the guests, and our gorgeous florist created the most amazing mass of greenery that served as the backdrop behind where we stood. It looked stunning against the brick wall.
Cocktail hour was held in The Lobby on L1, and the lights were red in this room to set the mood for the reception, when the guests walked back out of the ceremony area. We served our guests canapes and French Martinis during cocktail hour. The reception was held on L2 The Grand, and there was dramatic red and pink velvet draping across some of the rooms' columns. The masses of foliage continued in the reception, and we had white flowers (dahlias, ranunculus, orchids, sweet peas, roses) en masse on the tables, which we gave to our guests at the end of the evening. The cake continued the theme, which was topped with an abundance of fresh raspberries. It was everything I could have hoped for – wouldn’t change a single thing!
Some words from each of the couple on the day...
John: I never understood what people meant when they say their wedding was the best day of their life. But now I get it – it was the best day of my life!
WEDDING SUPPLIERS
Photographer - Georgia Burns Photography
Stylist - Melissa Cummins (MOBzilla)
Content – Aniella Batten @aniellabatten_content
Drapes – The Look Drapes @thelooksydney
Florist – Ffoliar (Sammy Bate) @ffoliar
Bridesmaids dresses – Hexie @hexie_studio
HMU – Serena Wyllie @serenawylliemakeup
Hairdresser – DM Hairstylist @dm.hairstylist
Pre-wedding skin prep + spray tans – Vanity Lane @vanitylanebyemily
Cake - Itty Bitty Cakes @ittybittycakes_
Wedding dress 1 – Solace London @solacelondon
Wedding dress 2 – MSGM @msgm
Groom’s suit – Brent Wilson @brentwilsonfashion
Groom’s bow tie – Tom Ford
MOB dress – Rebecca Vallance
Celebrant – Belinda Lawn (family friend)
Telephone guestbook – Off The Hook
Stationery – The Distillery
Cars – Classic Bridal Cars
DJ, music, lights – Vibes AV
