Let’s give it up for Sammy, a sales manager and Michael, a firefighter with NSW Fire and Rescue. Together for “seven or eight years” these two love birds got engaged (or as Sammy puts it “I ugly cried for 10 minutes, sobbing so hard I could hardly get a ‘yes’ out”) and 11 short months later they were walking down the aisle. The bride wore a stunning gown with detachable train from Karen Willis Holmes and one of our fave lens ladies, Zoe Morely Photography, was there to capture every fleeting moment. We’ll leave it to the bride and groom to fill you in on the rest of the details, shall we…
THE VENUE “I am originally from Newcastle and I moved to Sydney about 10 years ago. My whole family still live up there and I adore the Hunter Valley area, especially [Wandin Estate] in the winter with deep bold red wines being sipped by open fireplaces.”
THE DRESS “I found my dream dress on the first day looking and it was the first dress I tried on. I wore the Cassie Gown from Karen Willis Holmes with the detachable Alice Train. My bestie was crying when she saw me so that really made the decision easy! I did a quick FaceTime with my Mum to show her as I wasn’t expecting to find ‘the one’ so quickly. I paid the deposit that morning and never looked back!”
FAVE MOMENT “When Michael grabbed my elbow part way through our reception and stole me to get some alone time and look back on all our beautiful friends and family that came to celebrate with us. It was such a busy and chaotic day so it was a beautiful moment for us to appreciate how much love was there that night.”
WE’RE GLAD WE “I’m glad we had our wedding planner, Ash [from Daymade Creative Event Co]. A luxury not everyone can have but we wouldn’t have even made it down the aisle without her!”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Zoe Morley was brilliant. I fell in love with her photography well before I was even engaged and knew I’d have to have her capture our day when the time came. She was so inconspicuous amongst our guests, I don’t even remember seeing her at our reception yet she captured the most beautiful elements of the entire proceedings. I cried like a baby when I got the photos back. 10/10 would recommend.”
Karen Willis Holmes is celebrating an amazing 20 years in the industry this year. She’s our bridal gown designer hero. You can glimpse her latest Dreamers offering here and Luxe Luna collection here. If it’s real brides donning the goods you are after then we recommend you check out Stephanie’s Lacey gown here and Kim’s bloody brill sparkling number here. Keen to get in touch? You can find contact details and make an appointment right here. You can also check out more from lens-legend Zoe Morely here if you fancy nabbing her for your own big day. Hop to it!
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Zoe Morley Photography Event Planner, Stylist & Florist Daymade Creative Event Co Ceremony, Reception & Catering Wandin Estate Cake A La Roche Entertainment We Play Records Celebrant Louise Major (Grooms Mum) Rings Natalie Marie Transport A Bridal Affair THE BRIDE Gown & Train Karen Willis Holmes Robes Cotton On Shoes Senso Accessories Francesca Hair Courtney Hurst Makeup Make up IVD Bridesmaids Dresses DesirVale THE GROOM Suit The Art of Tailoring Shirt Eaton Cufflinks Hugo Boss Shoes David Jones