A WEDDING IN A HURRY: PART Nine - THE WEDDING DAY
It may sound like a cliche, but our wedding day on the 20th of March was truly one of the best days of our lives. It was just how we imagined it - one big party with the people we love. And of course, we got to become Mr & Mrs McMath.
Thanks to a mad rush to get myself and my family ready in the morning, I was half an hour late arriving at the venue, so it was with emotions already at an all time high that I walked into Ostro Brasserie arm-in-arm with my Dad and with my niece and nephew in tow as the page boy and flower girl. I was immediately overwhelmed by all the smiling faces in the room - 160 people all standing there in anticipation for the bride to (finally) arrive and marry her patiently waiting groom. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry so I think I did a bit of both. When I first spotted Gus who was also not knowing whether to laugh or cry, all the exhaustion from the weeks prior and the stressful rush to the altar melted away and everything felt 'just right'. Even the fact that it was raining didn't matter. From the minute we were hand in hand, the ceremony was relaxed and full of laughter thanks to a number of amusing mishaps such as a phone ringing in the crowd only for it to turn out to be mine (a friend in Singapore wishing me well!), Gus's name was written as Andrew instead of Angus in the vows which caused me to giggle instead of speak, Willow spent the whole time ripping the petals off my niece's bouquet much to the crowd's amusement, our first kiss as husband and wife was completely clumsy and the confetti bombs that were let off as we walked down the aisle completely missed us. But the scene was set - the day was to be relaxed, fun and one hell of a good time and that is exactly what we got. Someone described our wedding afterwards as having 'an electric charge in the air', and that's a compliment we couldn't be more happy with.
Our guests then mingled over champagne and canapes while Gus and I had our photos taken by the talented Libby Robinson. Because the whole day had run so late, we only had half an hour before we were supposed to be seated for a late lunch, so we decided to make the photos snappy and candid - our priority was instead being back with our guests and joining the party. Gus and I entered the room to his all-time favourite song - Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen and we did a lap of the room while everyone stood singing and waving their napkins in the air. It was a perfect beginning to the reception. An Italian style banquet awaited us with shared platters of tuna, beef carpacciao and smoked beetroot for the entree, and snapper, duck a l'orange and grass-fed scotch for the main. Good food and wine to match was high on our list of importantce, and we couldn't have been happier with what was served. At one point a waiter walked past us with a tray of espresso martinis and we both silently high-fived each other - clearly our fear that our guests may not get 'into the spirit' of things seeing it was a Sunday was gratefully misguided. Between the speeches and eating, the vibe was fun, rowdy and happy - with plenty of table swapping and mingling - again just how we hoped the atmosphere would be.
Our first dance was to Fleetwood Mac's Dreams and after that the dance floor was ruled by one banger after another thanks to the best DJs in town, Sweetmix Kids. A highlight was Gus and I being lifted on friend's shoulders for John Farnham's The Voice while everyone enthusiastically sung along below us. Mini burgers, a cheese platter and our wedding cake was served as supper and the wine continued to flow late into the evening. As guests left they were told to help themselves to bunches of flowers from the amazing flower display.
As for Gus and I, we were one of the last people on the dance floor - and left that night ridiculously happy. There may have been a few trials and tribulations leading up to the wedding given our short time frame to plan it, but on the day none of that mattered, it truly was such a happy occasion. Our only regret? That it went far too quickly and we would love to do it over and over again.
Special thanks needs to go to Claire from One Lovely Day for her help leading up to the wedding and for bringing our 'city chic' vision to life. She also spent the night before the wedding setting up the venue into the wee hours with the equally amazing Lucy from Lu Diamond Flowers who provided all the flower arrangements, floral arch and hanging garland. Without either of them, the venue wouldn't have looked half as fabulous. And a big thank you also to all the incredible wedding folk that were involved (listed below) - you all played a vital part in providing an incredible day.
WEDDING VENDORS:
Stylist: One Lovely Day
Claire is the perfect wedding stylist to have in the lead up to a wedding as she's always uber relaxed and is highly creative - her ideas flow quickly and bringing them to life is never a problem - where there's a will, there's a way. She did such a great job at keeping to our brief of 'minimal but beautiful'.
Florist: Lu Diamond Flowers
Lucy is a florist genius. I gave her the colour palette and let her go wild. She never disappoints with her beautiful arrangements and use of colour. As we couldn't fit flowers on the tables due to the banquet style menu, we instead focused on making a first impression with a floral display when you first entered the venue, an incredible arch for Gus and I to stand under and a garland over the bridal table.
Photographer: Libby Robinson Photography
Libby was 37 weeks pregnant when she took our photos, yet never once complained about being on her feet for over 8 hours. She is the most lovely person to have around on your wedding day as she is patient and never without a smile. She delivered beautiful, relaxed and candid photos in the exact style we were after - cheesy and staged wedding photos aren't our thing. Our only regret is that we didn't allow enough time to get more photos with friends and family - the day was just too short and went too quickly!
Celebrant: Ria Vandervis
Ria was an easy choice as soon as we met her. She was confident and charming and the crowd loved her. Many of the guests commented on how great the celebrant was. We would highly recommend her.
Venue: Ostro Bar & Brasserie
We were the first couple to get married in Ostro and we couldn't have been happier with it. Despite it being a rainy day, the view was still spectacular and the food and wine absolutely delicious. The staff were also brilliant and the ambience perfect.
Cake: Bluebells Cakery
I went around and around in circles when it came to deciding what kind of cake to go for but eventually settled on something very different - a black marble-effect cake. Karla from Bluebells brought this to life perfectly and the cake we served as dessert - a lemon and raspberry cake was devoured by the guests and declared by many as the best they had eaten.
Stationery: Victoria Wigzell Design
Victoria was so fabulous and easy to deal with - we sent her the concept and she whipped up all our stationery in no time at all, without us having to make many edits. She understood the brief and was creative in how she pulled it all together so that the theme ran throughout all the stationery, from the invites to the menus.
Bride's Dress: Rue de Seine
As I had no time to get a dress made from scratch, Rue de Seine was my first port of call. After trying on every dress in their beautiful showroom it was clear that I need not look any further - choosing one from their many styles was hard enough. I finally settled on the Florence gown which was bridal without being too over-the-top which I felt was perfect for our relaxed, late-lunch style wedding. The ladies at Rue de Seine were so wonderful to deal with and I couldn't have been happier with my dress.
Groom's Attire: Crane Brothers
Gus was fitted by Murry Crane of Crane Brothers for a tailored-made suit and loved the results. Read more about his experience here.
Hair: Natalie Dent
I was instantly drawn to Natalie's portfolio of all the amazing hair that she has done for past brides. I wanted my hair to be natural and look like 'me' rather than perfectly done or overly wedding-like. Natalie was great at understanding what I wanted and after trialing a few options we settled on a simple pony tail. Unfortunately the rain and humidity meant my hair went a bit frizzy rather early on in the day, but it just added to the relaxed vibe.
Makeup: Loren Cunningham from Mecca Cosmetica
Like my hair, I also wanted my make-up to be natural looking and not too done. I wanted my skin to glow rather than be covered by heavy set make-up. Loren kept to the brief with dewy foundation, minimal eye shadow, voluminous lashes, pink blush and a subtle lip.
Rings: Graeme Thompson (for the bride) and Meadowlark (for the groom)
My marquis diamond engagement ring was bought from Graeme Thompson and it came with a matching wedding ring so that was one less decision we needed to make! As Gus isn't one to normally wear jewellery he was unsure of what to go for in a wedding ring, but after a consultation with the lovely Claire & Greg at Meadowlark, he settled on a simple, platinum silver band which he now says he feels odd not wearing.
DJs: Sweetmix Kids
Sweetmix Kids were recommended to us by friends and we couldn't have been happier. They read the crowd so perfectly tune after tune, and put on such a great performance with their costumes, electronic percussion drums and saxophone. The dance floor was pumping from the minute they started playing until the end of the night. It was just how we wanted it to be.
Lighting: La Lumiere
While we were seated for lunch, La Lumiere snuck into the venue and transformed the area where we had got married into the dance floor. They quietly strung up festoon lights from the ceiling so that they draped down in a circus-like fashion. They lit up the area dimly yet perfect for dancing and end-of-the-night merriment.
Videographer: David Shaw
Due to budget constraints we ummed and ahhed about having a videographer but then in the last hour decided we did want one and so got in touch with our friend Shawsie, who is the director and producer of the TV series The Hunters Club. So not a 'wedding videographer' per se, but an absolute guru of a cameraman and we are so thrilled with the job that he did and are so happy that we captured the day on film. It's been so nice to watch and listen to our vows and speeches as on the day they went in one ear and out the other. And also to see all our guests have so much fun. It was one of the best last minute decisions we made!
All photos (except the last one) are by Libby Robinson Photography.
Read more Wedding in a Hurry blogs here.