I am thoroughly convinced that Australia is one of the most magical wedding lands in.the.world. I mean, really... how else can you explain the never-ending lineup of uber-gorgeousness that we see day after day here on SMP?!? And this glorious Mosman affair is certainly no exception to that sweet Australian rule. It's a vintage vibe meets a sweet rustic venue meets fabulous DIY details galore - and all wrapped up in a bundle of heartwarming moments captured by Milk & Honey Photography. Ready to bask in some serious lovely? Join me in the gallery for more.
Mosman Wedding at Athol Hall by Milk & Honey Photography
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From the Bride... Everything about Athol Hall was perfect. We had hoped for a relaxed celebration in a beautiful garden — something perhaps inspired by an English garden tea party, with harbour views especially for our guests from overseas. The kookaburras during the day and possums in the evening were an added bonus! The old hall, I believe, was built as an officers' dance hall in the 1880's and has a quaint rustic charm that we instantly fell in love with. On the day it was majestically transformed with organza draping, crystal hanging beams and a warm glow from candle light – it was truly enchanting. Knowing there was a beautiful covered verandah set my mind at ease when I woke up to torrential rain, as this area would also have been perfect for canapes and champagne. Luckily we were blessed when the clouds cleared and the sun came out. The wonderful staff really just took care of everything, were attentive throughout and have thought of absolutely everything that could happen and made preparations in advance. The food was fantastic – you could easily leave thinking that you’d just eaten at a hatted five star restaurant. Mouth-watering, beautifully presented and also generous servings. They even sourced our favourite wine for us. Nothing was too much trouble.
I DIYed our save-the-dates, invitations, “games” sign and “welcome” sign. I painted some pink stripes onto the croquet set to give it more of a vintage feel, and I hired a badge-making machine and made badges for table place names that people wore throughout the evening. I also made my own soy candles (with guidance and encouragement from Stacks of Wax in Newtown) in old cut vintage crystal brandy glasses and tarnished silver wine glasses. We collected over a hundred jars (that my amazing mum de-labeled for me) that I lined with a printed vintage wallpaper pattern and we spotted along paths and gardens. However, due to fire restrictions, we had to use LED tealights rather than the real thing, but we were allowed real candles up the stairs to the hall inside large old Fowlers preserving jars. And of course my favourite DIY was the flowers – it’s amazing to work with something already so beautiful in it's own right. We also filled little poison bottles (courtesy of Price’s Pharmacy West Pymble – thanks, Dad!) with Averna (an Italian digestive that we love) and made little “Drink me” labels which we tied on with ribbon; pregnant ladies and non-drinkers were given chocolate frogs (Darrel Lea make really cute green foil covered ones) with tags that read “Kiss me”, we hunted down wooden Chinese fans from Chinatown and tied on little labels — they were placed in a basket and offered to the ladies on arrival to the ceremony, although luckily the day didn’t end up as hot as it could have been.
It was James’s birthday and so I arranged a surprise birthday cupcake complete with candle for him and asked two of the bridesmaids to say just a few words wishing him a wonderful birthday. They ended up writing a poem for him, which was very sweet. My oldest friend (from primary school) was the MC and she did a superb job – and all of the speeches were fantastic. When it came time for James to do his speech I was confident that it would be great, but it was brilliant.
Wedding Photography: Milk & Honey Photography / Wedding Venue: Athol Hall in Mosman, New South Wales / Wedding Planning: The Bride + Susan of Athol Hall / Bouquet, Hanging + Table Flowers: DIY by the Bride via Sydney Flower Market / Boutonnieres + Mothers' Corsages: Rosebuds Florist Northbridge Plaza / Wedding Stationery + Styling: Melissa Price Design / Wedding Cake: Sweet Connoisseur / Cake Topper: Jessica of Dear Girlface / Music: Slide McBride / Transportation: Lee Singleton of Variety Wedding Cars (Rolls-Royce Silver Wrath) / Accommodations: Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel / Wedding Dress: Collette Dinnigan / Bride's Shoes: Wittner / Bride's Hair Piece: Kristi Bonnici of Kristi Bonnici Bridal Accessories / Bride's Earrings: Tiffany & Co. / Bride's Rings: Diamond Specialist / White, Pink & Orange Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jayson Brunsdon via The Dreamery / Pink, White & Dark Red Bridesmaid's Dress + Flower Girl's Dress: Renata Rego (Renata.Rego@Bigpond.com) / Groom's Suit: Oxford / Groom's Shoes: Wayne Cooper / Groom's Tie: DKNY / Celebrant: Linda Marsden (linda_celebrant@optusnet.com.