Garden Party wedding in the Southern Highlands

This fun lovin’ couple first caught each other’s eye across the pub. After “a week of cheeky texting” Laurence invited Emily to Laneway Festival. “Well of course,” explains Emily. “I’ve never been one to turn down a good time.”

Small issue, Laurence did not have tickets to the sold-out festival, “so the scramble was on,” the bride shared. “He came through with the goods and off we went on a little 3 day trip, a week after properly meeting without really knowing each other at all. Luckily, we got on and had a great time.” PHEW.

Fast forward 10 years and the two said ‘I do’ at Somerley House in NSW’s picturesque Southern Highlands. Garden party meets black tie vibes, the newlyweds say “We wanted it to be an excuse for everyone we love to get dressed up and have a wild time.”

In addition to heartfelt snaps by Acacia + Grace Photography, scroll on for more deets on the couple’s table decor (feat. faux florals from Sonder + Stone Boutique), the bride’s elegant-yet-unconventional two-piece, and the groom’s great experience getting dressed with Joe Black.

A virtual round of applause, please for these pretty pics. Get in touch with Acacia & grace here if you’re after a candid-meets-editorial photography pro in NSW or ACT. Learn more about Sonder + Stone’s faux floral options here. For more feminine, modern bridal style click this way, or enquire with the Joe Black team here.

WEDDING ENUE WITH A POOL? YES PLEASE.

“We really wanted somewhere with a pool so that was our main factor in searching. Somerley House was the first venue we saw and just couldn’t look past it. It had everything we envisioned and it just felt right. As we drove away from our first viewing, we both looked at each other and almost simultaneously said, ‘that’s the one’.”

FAUX FLORALS, DIY DETAILS & FAMILY HEIRLOOMS

“I loved our reception table decor that Laurence and his groomsmen actually set up on the day. I spent hours hand gluing individual pearls and tying ribbons onto faux flowers (Sonder + Stone Boutique) and candle sticks and tying ribbon details and it was so special seeing the vision come to life. We also used candle sticks that were my late great grandmothers and my parents’ champagne glasses from their wedding.”

ELEGANT MEETS EDGY BRIDAL

“I found the corset top (Caribis Atelier) through a TikTok video and knew I had to have it, I purchased this online and it was handmade to my measurements in Ukraine. I figured, “how hard can it be to get a matching skirt?”, the answer was, very hard lol. Eventually, after stressing out my mum, with 50 days until the wedding, she booked an appointment for us at Mrs Fray in Canberra. Amy (Mrs Fray) was an absolute angel! I explained my dilemma and she showed me only pieces that could be fast tracked or purchased off the floor. I ended up choosing a beautiful skirt and an amazing veil at the appointment.”

SHARP SUITS & SMOOTH SAILING WITH JOE BLACK

“The suit search kicked off with the long-awaited boys’ trip to the mall. With people converging on Canberra from the Snowy Mountains and Sydney, morale was high… for about five minutes. That’s when it became very clear that none of us knew what we were doing and we desperately needed adult supervision. We tried on a range of suits and styles, most of which were immediately ruled out, until we landed on the Joe Black designs which were clean, sharp and somehow made us all look more put together than usual. The real challenge came when we discovered that almost all of the boys shared suspiciously similar sizing. Credit to the staff, who patiently ran around sourcing pieces from stores all over Australia, turning what could have been a complete meltdown into a smooth experience.”

THE FIRST DANCE

“The whole day was incredible, with so many moments that make me smile, but I think my favourite part of the day was our first dance. It was so much fun. Who knew we would love being the centre of attention? (we all knew lol).” (Laurence) “It is so hard to just pick one [memorable moment]. I would also say our first dance, as it was chaotic and fun, and the epitome of ‘dance like no one’s watching’.”