Looking for inspiration for your small Sydney wedding? Laura and Brice’s celebration is a masterclass in keeping it elegant, meaningful, and beautifully intimate. From a seriously romantic Paris proposal (complete with a custom Uno card and champagne!) to a heartfelt ceremony and long lunch at Chiswick Woollahra, one of the most charming intimate wedding venues Sydney has to offer, every detail was carefully considered without being overdone.
Their wedding was all about connection – just 38 of their closest loved ones gathered for a day that felt relaxed, refined, and totally them. Captured by the talented Toby Lord Photography, this one’s full of thoughtful details…
THE INSPO
“Timeless elegance, rustic features and overall picturesque. We had a dress code of Blue or Floral. Floral as we both love florals and blue so no one would wear the same colour as the groom. Beautifully all our guests complied. For the décor and florals, we used the colours, red, green and white with touches of natural timber. We wanted to keep the wedding simple, therefore we didn’t have a bridal party. Just a small gathering and good food and drinks. We wanted to enjoy the day and not feel like we were hosting and only having time to say ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ to each guest.”
THE VENUE
“We agreed from the start, we wanted small and simple. With Brice working in hospitality, he has a very high expectation for food, drinks, and service. We checked out a few spaces that were too large for the kind of intimate wedding we envisaged. I was suggested Chiswick from one of my dance families and when I told Brice he immediately said YES! This was actually the first restaurant Brice worked at when arriving in Australia twelve years ago. He laughed and said, ‘the kitchen is so clean you could eat on the floor there’. Chiswick was the perfect space for an intimate wedding. We had no idea they hosted weddings. The space also had Chiswick Gardens right there which was perfect for our ceremony. We loved the idea of our guests being able to stay at one location. We arranged to see the space and booked the space for exactly one year later.”
DIY
“We wanted to create unique name place cards. We love champagne and over the years have collected many champagne corks. We came up with the ideas of using a champagne cork and attaching the name tag. The names were handwritten by my brother, Ian. Brice and I carefully selected all our favourite corks for our guests. Our wishing well was an old wine box and I hand painted our initials on it. My dad carved out the letter slide.”
WE’RE GLAD WE…
“… Made a pact to stick together for our wedding. We said ‘Where you go, I go!’ We made a conscious decision to enjoy the day together as we didn’t want to get to the end of the night and feel like we hadn’t seen each other. This is also advice I would pass onto any future couples. It’s your day… enjoy it together!”
This stunner of a day first appeared in the Real Wedding Special. For a bucketload of wedding inspiration, grab your copy via the Hello May online store.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Toby Lord Photography Cinematographer Zac Shaw Florist Florine & Hugh Dauendorffer Stationery Illustrations Lara’s Wonderland Via Etsy Ceremony Venue Chiswick Gardens Reception Venue, Catering & Cake Chiswick Hire Items Class Occasion, Eternal Event Hire Entertainment Sydney Cello Quartet Celebrant Melissa Rey Lescure Transport Evolution Car Hire Ring Boxes Alexa Lane Parasol Letterally Gift Book Ruby Honey Bee Cutting Knife Vera Wang Getting Ready Location Hilton Sydney THE BRIDE Gown Rosa Clara Couture Boutique Marry Me Bridal Mosman Veil Dreamtime Design Shoes Jimmy Choo Accessories Natasha Schweitzer Makeup Natalie Urban Sunglasses Dior Bag Aje Nails Sumi Nails Tan The Bronze Boutique THE GROOM Suit Theodore Shoes Blaq via Myer Watch Apple Grooming Tommy Gun’s
