If a “disco bowlo banquet” sounds like your idea of the perfect big day, this one’s for you! Ash and Kalim lived out their vibrant, colour-filled, sparkly wedding dreams in November 2020 after an 18-month engagement, and when we tell you these nuptials delivered the fun times in spades, we really mean it!
Those clever cats over at The Marmalade Sky did a bang-up job bringing the epic disco theme to life – complete with disco balls, foil garlands and loads of bright colours – while Oliver Smith Photo captured it all from behind the lens, immortalising what was likely one of the best parties the bowlo has ever seen!
THE VENUE “We had the idea to get married at the South Cronulla Bowling Club and so we popped in for a drink one afternoon and it just felt perfect. We love the whole vibe and the retro movie-theatre-esque carpet is really something. Kalim’s family played bowls for the club many years ago and their names are embossed on the championship board on the wall, which made it quite special.”
THE VIBE “We were inspired by the music we love and the vibe of the beautiful bowling club. We went to The Marmalade Sky with a vision of a disco dance hall wedding and they brought the goods. Our vendors accoutred the bowling club with disco balls, foil garlands, fairy lights and a Balinese feast, giving us the best disco-bowlo-banquet wedding that was truly unique to us.”
THE DRESS “I went to a few different bridal boutiques to get an idea of what suited me. I ended up getting one made by our lovely family friend Santina from Collezione Santina Couture. She worked so hard to make me this beautiful gown. A few weeks out from the wedding I had a slight meltdown and completely re-designed my dress! In the end it became a a top and skirt, which I just love so much. I can laugh about it now but I’m really thankful for Santina for dealing with my bridezilla moment and creating the perfect gown for me.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “I gave Kimberley from The Marmalade Sky free reign with my bouquet. I basically just told her a few colours I like and she absolutely nailed it. I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect bouquet. It was epic and felt so right for me. Also, my mum made our wedding cake, which was really special. She made a chocolate and vanilla cake with a fluffy coconut hairdo that was as adorable as it was delicious. Communicake It made our cake topper, which was lyrics from one of our favourite songs (Take Yo’ Praise by Camille Yarbrough).”
CUTE CUSTOM “It was important to us that we honoured our grandparents who aren’t with us anymore. We held close a few items belonging to them – I wore my grandmother’s ring and Kalim wore his grandmother’s heirloom silk batik fabric, which he took to Collezione Santina Couture custom-make his shirt.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Our videographer Josh, from Joyride, was a standout for us. He did such an amazing job and is just overall a super-cool dude. He produced our video faster than we expected and it blew us away. His use of the super-8 film adds such a sweet touch to the video and really suited our vibe.”
A WORD OF ADVICE… “If you feel overwhelmed in the process of planning, remind yourselves to enjoy the process and just have fun. If traditions don’t feel right for you, skip them and do your own thing.”
RESOURCES “Oliver Smith Photo photographed Kalim’s sisters wedding and we thought their photos were amazing so we had to book him for ours. Oliver has mad skills behind the lens and is also super charming – he made everyone feel really comfortable. We found Andrea Calodolce, our celebrant, through Hello May and she recommended The Marmalade Sky, who looked after all our flowers, decorations, table settings, hire items, etc. We found our harpist, Victor Valdes, playing at a Greek restaurant years ago. We were mesmerised by his rendition of Despacito (haha!) and we never forgot him. We found our caterer, Balinese Spice Magic at my [Ash] cousin’s backyard wedding. They have a restaurant in Wollongong and curated a banquet with all our favourite food in abundance and our wedding guests were delighted.”
Can’t get enough of the fun, kick-ass styling and fancy florals provided by The Marmalade Sky? Neither can we – and we highly recommend you click on over to their directory listing to get in touch for your own eye-catching day of days! But for now, let’s get scrolling…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Oliver Smith Photo Cinematographer Joyride Stylist & Florist The Marmalade Sky Ceremony & Reception South Cronulla Bowling Club Catering Balinese Spice Magic Cake Topper Communicake It Light, Sound & Hire Items The Marmalade Sky Entertainment Victor Valdes Celebrant Andrea Calodolce Rings Diann Darling Jewellers (bride), Laura Armstrong Jewellery (groom) THE BRIDE Dress Collezione Santina Couture Veil Karen Willis Holmes Shoes Zomp Accessories Molten Store (earrings), Reliquia Collective (letter pendants on gown) Hair The Neighbourhood Salon Makeup Jenny Bird Makeup Bridesmaid dresses ASOS, Bec + Bridge Forever New Bridesmaid gifts Mecca Cosmetica THE GROOM Suit Acne Studios Shirt Collezione Santina Couture (custom-made from heirloom silk batik fabric) Shoes R.M. Williams Groomsmen suits Acne Studios, Joe Black, M.J. Bale Groomsmen gifts SVORD Knives