From the moment I laid my eyes on these glorious images captured by Megan Summerton Photography, I knew this was a couple after my very own heart. And then I read their sweet as can be description of the day and, well. I am more than convinced that we should be friends. From their beyond beautiful ceremony and reception held at the Terrara House Estate to the fabulous lawn games (giant chess included!) to their first dance to "Crazy in Love," I haven't stopped swooning yet. And that stunning Claire Pettibone gown? Absolute perfection. See it all here.
New South Wales Wedding at Terrara House Estate by Megan Summerton Photography
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From the Bride... We got married on September 17, 2011, at a country estate about two hours south of Sydney called Terrara House Estate. We took inspiration from the beautiful property and created a "country elegance" experience for our 118 guests. We held our ceremony under a 150-year-old fig tree, and a bagpiper led my mum and me down the aisle as a tribute to Gus' Scottish heritage. We had the youngest and wisest of our families contribute — My 7-year-old nephew read a hilarious poem he’d written for us, and Gus’ grandfather recited a blessing. Straight after the ceremony, we cut our cake and shared a champagne toast with our guests. A country high tea followed where guests could play croquet, giant chess and boules on the lawn with a jazz band playing al fresco.
A beautiful French provincial table was the centerpiece in the marquee. It was filled with different types of white flowers in vintage white jugs and vases. Broderie Anglaise lanterns hung above the table and made a stunning entrance. The mains were served on platters that were woven with fresh phalaenopsis orchids and these were the table centerpieces. There were birdcages and urns filled with white flowers wherever you looked. Our wedding cake was a hummingbird cake with cream cheese icing and topped with fresh white flowers. We kept a chunk of it for our first anniversary and we cannot wait to eat it again. We decorated mini bottles of moscato as our favours. We wrapped them in Japanese origami paper and string and the attached gift tags also acted as our place settings. Gus designed my engagement ring with Giovanni D’ercole from Love and Hatred and proposed with a bespoke yellow sapphire and rose gold ring. Sapphire is my birthstone and it meant so much that he created it for me. Gio also designed our wedding bands. Mine is rose gold with diamonds encircling the band and Gus’ is rose and white gold with engraving. We had a non-traditional bridal party. Gus had his best mate as his best man, and I had my three best friends as my "mates of honour".
Just getting out of Sydney meant everyone was in a great holiday mood and we got to spend more time with our guests. Since almost the entire hotel was filled with family and guests, I had to be quite sneaky the morning of the wedding to avoid running into Gus or anyone else! We spent the night before apart, although we called each other quite a few times! I got ready at the bridal salon at the venue and began to lose my voice, which is quite a hazard for me as I'm a voice actor! So, I downed more honey than champagne before the ceremony to try and soothe my throat. But I made up for it after the ceremony — as we served my favourite champagne. We danced our bridal waltz to Beyonce's "Crazy In Love" and surprised everyone with a choreographed hip hop routine which was very much at odds with the elegant decor! Our band’s amazing vocalist slowed the first verse down then we busted out some moves and the atmosphere transformed and we had the whole wedding dancing with us halfway through the song. We wanted to do something fun that would mask our bad dancing skills. It was absolutely the best day of our lives and all of the details made it exactly the party we wanted to kick off our life together. It was a huge deal for us to make our vows in front of all our family and friends, so it felt like a very special moment in our lives. Almost all the guests mentioned how much love they felt was in the room. Getting married does change the solemnity of your relationship in a beautiful way.
Wedding Photography: Megan Summerton Photography / Wedding Venue: Terrara House Estate in Terara, New South Wales / Event Planning, Floral + Event Design: Terrara House Estate / Wedding Cinematography: Soda Films / Wedding Invitations: Anne Benjamin of MokDuk / Wedding Cake: Terrara House Estate / Wedding Dress: Claire Pettibone "Madame Butterfly" / Bride's Veil: Borrowed from Her Sister / Bride's Emerald Ring: A Family Heirloom / Bride's Shoes: Miu Miu / "Mates of Honor" Dresses: Jigsaw / Cardigans: Alannah Hill / Groom's Bespoke Jacket, Shirt + Bow Tie: Le Noeud Papillon / Groom's Kilt: Celtic Design / Best Man's Suit: Calvin Klein / Rings: Giovanni D’ercole of Love and Hatred