Two words, folks: golden hour. Except for Soraya and Dinesh, or Yaya and Dinks to their people, the glow went on all day and well into the night thanks to the bride’s heavenly lehenga. “I never pictured myself in a white dress, and growing up I had an obsession with all things gold so knew I wanted something golden and traditional,” Soraya tells us. “I’ve always loved Indian/Sri Lankan cultural clothing, especially lehengas, which are a statement skirt and top combination, and knew I wanted to wear one.”
One of our favourite weddings from our print archives, Soraya and Dinesh got married on Valentine’s Day (how much more romantic can you get) in front of 160 of their nearest and dearest. Their stunner of a wedding first appeared in our Real Wedding Special Vol. 8, and we’re stoked to share all the glorious photos from the incredible House of Lucie here today…
THE VENUE “One of our friends had suggested Bendooley Estate so we drove down one day and instantly fell in love with the Stables – the surroundings were just so beautiful. It was the first venue we looked at!”
A TOUCH OF TRADITION “In both our cultures, putting on a gold necklace or ‘thaali’ is one of the key marriage rituals. All married women wear this necklace to every wedding they go to after they’re married. We had a simple ceremony but wanted to make sure we incorporated this for our families.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “I think our favourite moment was our first dance, and then directly after it. Our family and friends all joined us on the dancefloor and I just remember everyone being so happy and it being so romantic with the band playing some cheesy V-day tunes.”
MARRIAGE MEANS “Being able to finally live together and wake up to each other every day. Our parents are quite conservative and traditional so we had to get married before living together. Dinesh jokes that this was my way to tie him down and stop him from having fun (as if re-decorating the bedroom every weekend isn’t fun?!).”
FAVE FOLK “Our photographer, Khara from House of Lucie, made us so comfortable (we are two very awkward people!) and even brought a playlist of our favourite songs to all the shoots! To top it off, her photography skills are out of this world.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “If your budget permits, definitely hire a videographer. We weren’t originally planning to have one but so so glad we did so we could relive all the moments whenever we want.”
Wanting to know more about Soraya and Dinesh’s photographer? Head to House of Lucie on our Directory for contact deets, info and more real weddings she has captured. And if you’re after a stationery star, hit up Sea and Paper Creative Studio here.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer House of Lucie Cinematographer Baqdrop Stylist & Florist BE Designed Bridesmaid bouquets Ashlee Lawrence (sister-in-law) Stationery Sea and Paper Creative Studio, Peterkin Paper, Sincerely by Nicole in the Ellie Ceremony, reception venue & catering Bendooley Estate Cake Fiona Ousmand (family) Signage Sincerely by Nicole in the Ellie Entertainment DJ Vinnie, Finesse Music Group Celebrant Bilal Dannoun Rings Jacque Fine Jewellery THE BRIDE Traditional Lehenga Shyamal & Bhumika, Mani Bhatia Boutique Pernia’s Pop Up Shop Robes Dissh, Piyama Shoes Yves Saint Laurent Accessories Riana Jewellery Hair CB Hair Design Makeup Bernadette Leva Bridesmaid dresses Shona Joy Bridesmaid shoes Billini THE GROOM Suit, shirt, tie & cufflinks Mitchell Ogilvie Tailoring Shoes Aquila Watch Longines Barber Local Studios Groomsmen suits Mitchell Ogilvie Tailoring