Sydney Wedding by Tealily Photography

Some weddings manage to blend cultural traditions so seamlessly with contemporary American style, and this one, dear friends, does so in epic proportions. How epic? Well, for starters, 500 guests, several massive twinkling crystal chandeliers, and two wedding dresses, the second of which was a gift from the groom's family, a Sri Lankan tradition.  The aptly named Crystal Palace at Luna Park set the stage for this sparkling soiree, and Tealily Photography worked the camera around the carefree carnival shoot, the endless sea of attendees and stunning antique hued Best Buds Florist blooms. We have all the best shots from this big big day in the full gallery, and the Sala Studio video so you can see every pretty piece!

From the Bride... Andrew and I met nine years ago at the Bacardi Festival in Darling Harbour. Continuing into university together, we became best friends and are now partners for life. We were excited to mix our cultural traditions with a classic white wedding set on Sydney harbour. We stuck to a neutral colour theme of creams and forest green with hints of gold. We let the outfits of our 500 guests (all the beautiful saris) and the park itself bring all the colour we needed. We included lots of our cultural traditions — the tying of the Thali being the main one. The Thali is a gold necklace that carries the same meaning a wedding band carries and is put on the bride's neck by the groom at the alter. This is when the groom's family gives the bride another sari, which the bride changes into at the reception. This sari is called the Koorai sari — it's the orange sari that you see me wearing in some of the reception photos.

Because I am a graphic designer, I made all the stationery myself. The place cards were polaroids of the guests themselves with either the bride or the groom, and the bonbonniere was in the form of a photo booth. The bridal sari was bought in Sri Lanka (an ivory silk sari with crystal border work). The jewellery and hair piece were handmade.



Wedding Photography: Tealily Photography / Ceremony: St. Thomas' Anglican Church in Sydney, New South Wales / Reception: Crystal Palace at Luna Park in Sydney, New South Wales / Floral Design: Best Buds Florist / Wedding Cinematography: Sala Studio / Music: Serenade Jazz Band / Wedding Sari: From Sri Lanka / Jewelry: Zilch Beads