Gorgeous. Just simply, perfectly gorgeous. I'm not sure if I could love this lovely couple and their practically perfect wedding more. The bride's lace cap-sleeved dress is what my dreams are made of, and her round toe shoes are dream-makers too. Kelly Tunney Photographer has seriously made my day with this beyond lovely affair, and there is even more to swoon over in the full gallery of images!
Click here to see the entire gallery of images!
From the Bride...Sam and I met in high school, initially brought together through our mutual interest in soccer. This turned out to be one of only two mutual interests: our other hobby together is cooking - I do main courses and Sam bakes a mean cake. On the surface, we're very different (I am fairly intense and driven, who loves politics, history and music where as Sam is relaxed and gentle, and a keen sportsman (particularly mountain biking and soccer but anything that involves outdoor adventure) but we really complement each other. Over the last eight years, Sam has always been my best friend and we discuss everything together. We've travelled heaps, supported each other through tough times, celebrated the successes and moved across Australia together. We can't wait to explore the rest of our lives together.
We wanted a day that was first and foremost a celebration of our love for each other, and our love for our family and friends. It was incredibly important to us that our wedding reflected us both equally. With that in mind, we wanted to keep things simple and honest to allow us to concentrate on the things that are most important to us: good food (and drinks!), good music and good company. Our theme was 'vintage romance' - we wanted a timeless look that contrasted touches of glamour with the gorgeous country backdrop.
St John's Anglican Church is a lovely little church that predates Canberra itself. It is such a warm and intimate parish and we loved working with Paul in the lead up to our wedding - especially because he is originally from our hometown. Grazing, where we held our reception just 30 minutes from Canberra, is our favourite restaurant - we love their commitment to using local and seasonal produce, the divine food and the relaxed atmosphere in the country. The restaurant is in an incredibly picturesque restored 1865 pub and we loved the idea of holding our reception in the stone stable at the back of the restaurant, surrounded by veggie gardens and sprawling roses.
Every person we worked with we chose because we felt that they understood us and what we wanted, and put us at ease. This theory resulted in us having a completely stress free wedding! But three deserve special mention: First, Kelly Tunney our photographer. From the moment we sat down with her we realised that we weren't booking a photographer, we were booking an artist. She completely understood our desire to not document our wedding with photos, but capture the emotion and atmosphere of the day. Every time I tried to find something to stress about, Kel already had it sorted - even things that were beyond her job description! So professional, so much fun and gave us photos that make us cry and laugh as we look back on the day. Secondly, the team at Grazing. A beautiful setting, spectacular food, staff that couldn't do more to help us and they were so generous with going above and beyond what we expected to ensure we had nothing to worry about. Such a pleasure to work with them (and my friends are still raving about the food). Thirdly, Wendy Makin (my dressmaker) all along Wendy and her brilliant team took all the stress out of wedding dress shopping with their commitment to professionalism, sophistication and elegance. But it was their making my dress in three days in the lead up to Christmas in the middle of the Queensland floods just to suit my schedule that really humbled me.
Wedding Photography: Kelly Tunney Photographer / Reception Venue: Grazing / Wedding Gown: Wendy Makin / Hair: Stephen Lloyd / Music: DJ Ashley Feraude + Diva String Quartet / Jewelry: Plumb Crazy / Floral Design: Capital Flowers at Oaks Estate (bouquets) / Wedding Cake + Desserts: Sugar and Slice Cakes / Bride's Shoes: Shoes of Prey (the Bride designed the bow)