Ellie met Andrew whilst tattooing a major piece over six months. That’s five long sessions of long chats (“and subtle perving”) and one heck of a love story! Before they knew it, they were engaged by Lake Como and living in a little house in Manly. With creativity as a crucial part of her every day, bride Ellie was keen to get together a bunch of like-minded vendors. She nabbed The Story of Us to capture on the day footage and create invites and Photo Corner to inject a bit of fun. Master jewellers Grew & Co were on rings whilst Sydney based lens-ledge Gui Jorge captured it all on camera. For magical garden wedding inspo, do scroll down…
THE VENUE “We wanted somewhere easily accessible with the ceremony and reception at the same location. Andrew had always imagined having a big party in a garden. When we saw the Botanic Gardens Restaurant it felt like a magical treehouse!”
THE VIBE “The vibe was modern, stylish and a bit extra with neutral tones – browns, peach, pink, white and gold. We had lots of lovely textures with the furniture and styling – cane, wood, perspex, foliage, dried ferns, neon etc. This was all thanks to stylist extraordinaire Dani from The Make Haus.”
FAVOURITE MOMENT “We were very lucky to have Mat McHugh from The Beautiful Girls play for us at the reception. It was absolutely incredible and Andrew and I were pinching ourselves. We were all singing and dancing along and Mat’s performance was amazing! However, seeing my babe town husband in his tuxedo and wedding ring was probably my favourite part. Marrying the man of my dreams surrounded by beautiful people, food, music and flowers- so good!”
THE JUMPSUIT “Very soon after we got engaged I discovered Sant Elia and a gorgeous pic of a bride in wide-leg pants and a lace bodice! I thought it was the coolest thing ever and had always imagined wearing something a bit different. I met with Stephanie and told her about my bridal jumpsuit fantasy. I described wanting lace pants with a long sleeve, high neck top. She sat there and sketched out her vision and it was as if she had read my mind. The process was so much fun! Every element was custom made and very considered.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “Collaborate with loved ones, surround yourself with talented people and make it something unique and special. Try to choose elements that have meaning to you as a couple and celebrate your ‘ness’! One way to do this could be to see if your venue will let you do BYO. We got all our alcohol from Dan Murphy’s and got to choose our favourite booze from a huge range at a fraction of the price that restaurants usually charge. Even with corkage fees, we saved money. It was special having alcohol that had a story. We chose Chianti Sangiovese from the area we visited in Tuscany just after getting engaged, Brooklyn Lager that we loved drinking when we were in New York and Kirin Lager that Andrew and his mates enjoyed during their trip to Japan.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Our photographer Gui Jorge was just incredible, as were Dani [The Make Haus] and Steph [Sant Elia]. We knew that having these creative people involved would be invaluable. Their hard work and talent has created such beautiful memories for us.”
This lush day was originally published in Issue 25 of Hello May mag. To take a flick through our paper pages be sure to jump over to our online store where you can nab yourself a copy. You will find more from our fave vendors Gui Jorge, The Story of Us, Photo Corner and Grew and Co. But first, scroll down for the goods…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Gui Jorge Cinematographer & Stationery The Story of Us On The Day Co-ordinator Girl Friday Weddings Stylist & Florist The Make Haus Ceremony Venue Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Reception Venue & Catering Botanic Gardens Restaurant Cake Ivy and Stone Desserts Claire’s Cupcakes 100% Vegan Cake Topper & Signage Sketch and Etch Wedding Favours Bio Packaging Company Hire Items Decorative Events Photo Booth Photo Corner Lighting Sammy & Lola Entertainment Kane Muir (ceremony), Hannah Darling (post-ceremony), Leigh Egger (DJ), Mat Mchugh (reception) Celebrant Jessie Cacchillo Rings Protea Diamonds via Temptation Jewellery (engagement), Grew & Co (wedding) Transport Broadway Limousines BRIDE Dress & Veil Sant Elia Loungewear Le Rose Slip La Perla Shoes Valentino Hair Stefanie Pratico Makeup Cat Smith Makeup Bridesmaid’s Makeup Stefanie Pratico Maid Of Honour Dress Grace Loves Lace GROOM Suit & Bow Tie Tom Ford via Harrolds Shoes Harrolds Barber Benicky & Sons Best Man Suit Hugo Boss