What I wouldn’t give to be a guest at this gorgeous dream of a wedding. If only just to witness the crazy amount of love that is swirling around this entire event. Seriously, I think it is almost palpable during the snap shots of the first kiss. Trish Lee of Tealily Photography did a superb job of capturing the gorgeous couple, all the gorgeous details and lots and lots of gorgeous Aussie + Argentine love. Did I mention this wedding is gorgeous?!? See the rest of the day here.
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From The Bride… They say that “home is where the heart is” and for Esteban and I, our hearts rest whenever we were at my parents’ home in Berry, New South Wales. It is the place where we celebrate Christmas, Easter and holidays – and so it is a place we associate with good times, family and getting close to nature. So, when Esteban proposed in 2009, it was the natural location to celebrate our special day.
Esteban has Italian parentage, but was born and raised in Argentina and all of his family remain there. My father is of English descent and my mother is Greek. So, we have a strong multicultural background between us and we wanted to respect our heritage on the day. Our South American and Mediterranean heritage therefore became the driving influence for the overall look and feel of the wedding.
In two words, our theme was rustic and intimate. We did not want to detract from the beauty of the land itself, but simply compliment it. We therefore decided not to introduce any other strong colours, but use lots of raw materials, taupes and whites.
Guests arrived to the sounds of latin guitarist and percussionist and were served a pear mojito on arrival. The ceremony was held in the bottom paddock under a linen ruffled canopy and was conducted by the talented Patty Kikos. I stumbled across Patty when I googled “Greek and Spanish speaking celebrant” and she was the only result. Finding Patty was our great fortune. She crafted a ceremony which borrowed both Greek and South American traditions and encouraged us to say our vows in both Spanish and English. It was a deeply personal ceremony and Patty has become our friend through the process.
Canapes were served on a grassed terrace where chefs prepared king fish cerviche, vitello tonnato and other savory treats in front of the guests from an outdoor “cocina” and presented them on a raw wooden servery under palm fringed umbrellas.
As the sun began to set, guests were invited into the marquee. Rouba from The Style Salon created a rustic sitting room at the front of the marquee where guests could mingle. It was complete with an antique white console laden with wild foliage and flowers, a brass and crystal chandelier and wrought iron furniture. This area was separated from the dining area by an 8m wooden wall, which was carved with the most intricate detail and treated with a soft limewash. Rouba wanted the soft light of the chandeliers to trickle through the carvings and when I saw it for the first time, it truly took my breath away.
Food is a focal point for our family as most of our moments together are shared over a meal. So we wanted our guests to feel like there were sharing a family meal with us too. The dining space configuration was made up of 3, 14m long raw wooden tables. In keeping with our rustic theme, the tables were dressed with antique crystal glassware and candle holders, phalaenopsis orchids, white ceramic owls, rattan plate chargers and taupe linen.
We found antique vials which were used by watchmakers to store their small watch parts and we filled these with herb seeds for guests to take home with them.
Following a Mediterranean influenced meal, guests were invited to the dessert buffet, were Argentinean inspired desserts like flan de huevo and dulce de leche were served on antique serving trays. We danced the night away to a latin/house band called Martini Club before guests were ferried away in shuttle buses back to their hotels.
Despite all the attention to details and tiny touches, what made the day was the way in which family, friends and work colleagues joined together and shared conversation, laughs and memories. There was a moment just after 7pm when the warm orange glow of the setting sun filtered through the trees along the side of the marquee, bounced off the crystal on the chandeliers and seemed to dance around the seated guests who were all smiling and chatting. I sat back, looked at my new husband and the thought crossed my mind “this is why they say that your wedding day is one of the best days of your life”.
Wedding Photographer: Trish Lee of Tealily Photography / Wedding Venue: Bride’s Family Property / Event Stylist: The Style Salon / Marquee Rental: White Umbrella / Wedding Invitations (Linens): Far East Linen Company, Hong Kong / Wedding Invitations (Print): Angels Dreaming / Caterer: Gastronomy / Wedding Cinematography: White Designs / Wedding Band: Martini Club / Celebrant: Patty Kikos / MC: Clint Paddison / Wedding Gown: Oscar de la Renta / Bride’s Headpiece: Neil Grigg Millinery / Bride’s Shoes: Deseo / Groom’s Suit: Hugo Boss / Groom’s Shoes: Emporio Armani / Bridesmaid’s Dress: Aurelio Costarella / Bridesmaid’s Headpiece: Jenny Packham