Sydney Wedding from Guy Lerner
This international bride + groom met in the UK, got engaged in New York City and had guests travel from Canada, Africa and Papua New Guinea to attend their Sydney nuptials! Besides being an eclectic mix of cultures, traditions + designs, this beautiful wedding was truly a labor of love and a celebration of family. See the rest of the images by Guy Lerner right here!
From the Bride... This truly was an international wedding that brought family and friends from Canada, England, Africa and Papua New Guinea all to Sydney, Australia. So it was most important that even though it poured with rain for the entire week leading up to the day, we showcased what the best city in the entire world had to offer. Jonathan, who is Canadian, and I met in the UK, where we lived for two years. Jon proposed on Christmas Day in the middle of New York City enroute to his family's Christmas celebrations in Canada. It was a complete shock but did not take long for planning to begin. The only problem was Jon and I were about to begin a new life in Papua New Guinea, so the entire wedding was planned via the internet. Emails back and forth and a few dress fittings when we visited family in Sydney pulled the day together.
The wedding was all about the small details, and flowers were the key. Jonathan is one of five boys, and I did not have sisters so making decisions about the bridal party was difficult. Following our hearts and sticking to the people we really wanted made the day very special, and they all complemented each other right down to our gorgeous flower girl, who wore a dress made with love by my aunty. We were married in the same church as Nicole Kidman and Keth Urban with spectacular views of Manly Beach. My dear friend Laura wrote us a song, which she sang acoustically during the ceremony. Our guests then made a short trip across the Harbour Bridge while viewing the Opera House and partied into the night at Darling Harbour, which was topped off with a surprise fireworks display.
Our favorite uncles hosted our reception, and we included photos of our treasured grandparents on their wedding day. We toasted during the cutting of our gorgeous Faye Cahill-designed cake with the same champagne glasses that my parents used 36 years earlier and my something blue included Manolo Blahnik shoes, which were put on special order and delivered to Sydney while I was in Hong Kong and a brooch that belonged to my great-grandmother. Jonathan and I were looking for quirky elements in our wedding that signified us. Guests identified their seats via a map of the London tube, and the bridal party sat at Buckingham Palace. They drank Pimms with lemonade and ate McDonalds cheeseburgers for a midnight snack. Nothing would have come together in the end without the help and effort of Anthony Del Col, who saved our lives when the long-distance planning got to be too much. It really was the international wedding of my dreams.
Wedding Photography: Guy Lerner / Ceremony: Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel in Sydney, New South Wales / Reception: L'Aqua in Sydney, New South Wales / Event Design + Planning: Anthony Del Col of Weddings by Staging Connections / Floral Design: Maria Lush / Wedding Cinematography: Matt Porter Videography / Wedding Cake: Faye Cahill Cake Design / Wedding Invitations: Paper Kiss / Wedding Dress: Custom by George Elsissa / Bride's Shoes: Manolo Blahnik
The wedding was all about the small details, and flowers were the key. Jonathan is one of five boys, and I did not have sisters so making decisions about the bridal party was difficult. Following our hearts and sticking to the people we really wanted made the day very special, and they all complemented each other right down to our gorgeous flower girl, who wore a dress made with love by my aunty. We were married in the same church as Nicole Kidman and Keth Urban with spectacular views of Manly Beach. My dear friend Laura wrote us a song, which she sang acoustically during the ceremony. Our guests then made a short trip across the Harbour Bridge while viewing the Opera House and partied into the night at Darling Harbour, which was topped off with a surprise fireworks display.
Our favorite uncles hosted our reception, and we included photos of our treasured grandparents on their wedding day. We toasted during the cutting of our gorgeous Faye Cahill-designed cake with the same champagne glasses that my parents used 36 years earlier and my something blue included Manolo Blahnik shoes, which were put on special order and delivered to Sydney while I was in Hong Kong and a brooch that belonged to my great-grandmother. Jonathan and I were looking for quirky elements in our wedding that signified us. Guests identified their seats via a map of the London tube, and the bridal party sat at Buckingham Palace. They drank Pimms with lemonade and ate McDonalds cheeseburgers for a midnight snack. Nothing would have come together in the end without the help and effort of Anthony Del Col, who saved our lives when the long-distance planning got to be too much. It really was the international wedding of my dreams.
Wedding Photography: Guy Lerner / Ceremony: Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel in Sydney, New South Wales / Reception: L'Aqua in Sydney, New South Wales / Event Design + Planning: Anthony Del Col of Weddings by Staging Connections / Floral Design: Maria Lush / Wedding Cinematography: Matt Porter Videography / Wedding Cake: Faye Cahill Cake Design / Wedding Invitations: Paper Kiss / Wedding Dress: Custom by George Elsissa / Bride's Shoes: Manolo Blahnik