Merry Christmas! On Monday we started to roll out our end of year round ups than with Best of 2019: Wedding Cakes followed yesterday by Bridesmaids Dresses and now, here we are to do it all again with our top 10 Styling Ideas from 2019 (according to your clicks, likes and comments throughout the year across our blog, Instagram and Pinterest pages).
Last years list was all greenery, greenery and more greenery and this year we’re pleased to report that blooms are reigning supreme again! We’re talking copious amounts of statement arrangements, as well as locally grown and foraged blooms, foam free floristry and a cheeky neon sign or two (or three or four).
You’ll find epic styling work by some of our fave stylists in the biz, who never fail to create the most magical atmospheres for their couples. An extra specail shout out goes to Nomad Styling (based in Daylsford), Pia & Jade (servicing Sydney and the South Coast), The Wedding and Event Creators (Sydney), Til Death Events (North Coast and Queensland), and Ashdown & Bee (Sydney based). These women are all so damn great at what they do, and consistantly inspire us with their hard work and talents.
You’ll also find some stunning wedding venues on this list, the perfect canvases to bring your wedding dreams to life, like Tanglewood Estate and Emu Bottom Homestead in rural Victoria as well as urban faves like Two Ton Max in Melbourne. Then there is our fave secret spot a stones throw from Sydney (we’re looking at you Audley Dancehall & Cafe) and of course new fave Waldara Farm out past the Blue Mountains.
So pull up your Pinterest boards, because right here, in no particular order, are our top ten styling ideas of 2019…
LAUREN & DAMON, MORNINGTON PENINSULA, VIC
We’re pretty sure copious amounts of wild roses have never looked as good as they do in the beautiful light filled window that is the old chapel at Tanglewood Estate on Victorias Mornington Peninsula – and don’t even get us started on that gorgeous barn for a reception venue that looks over Port Philip Bay! You can check out the whole wedding here, and the literal dream team of vendors who made this day a reality including (but not limited to) photographer Ali Bailey, cinematographer Nathan Kaso, event planner Wanderlust Creative and florist Botanica Fresh Flowers.
JEN & GAZ, SURF COAST, VIC
There are just too many damn amazing styling ideas in this wedding, we thought it best to show you the look on the brides face when she walked through the door, seeing the reception the amazing Shonel from Nomad Styling had created for herself and Gaz for the first time. This wedding is loaded with inspo guys, from the zooper dooper filled bathtub, to the purple tyre stacked ceremony setup to the everything-all-of-it-pink photo booth and the literal floral explosions eveywhere you look. Helps Jen and Gaz had Hello May fave Beck Rocchi Photography along for the ride too! Click here to take in the rest of this gorgeous day and here for more photos by the talented Beck (who’s now based in Byron Bay but shoots weddings all over y’all).
ALICHIA & WALLACE, SOUTH COAST, NSW
We’re being a bit cheeky with this one because we havent actully shared this wedding on the blog yet (you can check out the full wedding feature exclusively in issue 27 of Hello May, on sale now and stocked in newsagents nationally). But we’re such smitten kittens with this The Pill Factory atic wedding ceremony created by master stylist Dani from Pia & Jade we just had to sneek a few shots online before the year was up! Photographed by ourhome girl Jess from Brown Paper Parcel, Alichia and Wallace’s day is dripping with wild roses, rough silks, quirky neons and so many dried leaves and petals we feel like we’ve stumbled into some kind of magical wonderland. Pia & Jade is just one of those businesses that hits the nail on the head every time – it helps they are also your one stop shop for hiring, styling, florals and stationery! You can see more of their gorgeous styling work here – prepare to get excited.
HONIA & JAY, NORTH COAST, NSW
Another repeat offender on our best of 2019 lists (check out Honia and her epic bridesmaids, including her mum, here) this time they’ve made the cut because you guys were seriously loving the dried and foraged goodness that made up the floral installations for these North Coast nuptials. Everything from the event planning and styling to the lighting was brought to life by Brisbane crew Til Death Events and florist Nesst both of which service weddings from Brisbane to Byron and everywhere inbetween. Honia and Jay’s gorgeous day was captured by Janneke Storm, who’s work you can check out here and here as well as on the cover of issue 26 (available for sale here).
SHANNON & JAMES, BYRON BAY, NSW
These Byron Bay Hinterland nuptials blew us away with their ubundance of suspended foraged greenery (put together by local florist Beautiflora). So many of our fave vendors were involved in this day including MJ Bale, Nina Claire Photogrphy and of course the magical Fig Tree Restaurant, which sadly burnt down a few months ago but we’re certain will be back bigger and better than ever by the time 2020 is up! In the mean time check out more of Shannon and James’s gorgeous day here. Love Nina’s stunning photos as much as we do? Check out more of her work here and head here for the boys dapper suits! We also held the launch of our 2019 Real Wedding Special at this gorgeous venue, check it out here.
VANESSA & PHILLIP, MELBOURNE, VIC
The very same dream team we worked with on our Wedding Plnner and Notebook launch lunch this year, Nomad Styling and Georgie Boy Flowers abso-bloody-lutly knocked it out of the park decorating the urban sanctury that is Two Ton Max. Everything from the flowers splilling over tables and down onto the floor to the candlelight and custom neon has us picking our jaws up off the floor. Rounding out this A-Team was our friends from She Takes Pictures He Makes Films, you can check out more of their handy work right here and tick both photographer and cinematographer off your to-do list in one swift move.
LIZ & SCOTT, AUDLEY, NSW
There is so much to love about this bush wedding, less than an hour from Sydney’s CBD and right in the heart of the Royal National Park. We love the river side ceremony set up (and those seriously gorgeous blooms by Southern Beaches faves Aisle of Eden) and long table reception is the stuff outdoor wedding dreams are made of. It’s also why Audley Dancehall & Cafe (who also did the catering) is one of the best venues this side of Sydney. One of our fave Sydney lens ladies, the always lovely Kristie Carrick Photography, was the woman behind the lens – make sure you check out more of her gorgeous photos from this special day right here.
DANIEL & PAUL, SYDNEY, NSW
We wern’t kidding when statement wild blooms and forraged dried goods was the clear hit of the 2019 wedding season, and now one did them better than Event PLanners and Stylists Ashdown & Bee and florist Aleksandra.Our fave tall human, the lovely Scott Surplice Photography was the man behind the lens – be sure to check out more of this specail day right here and click here and here for more realweddings captured by Scotty.
ASHLEY & RHYS, OBERON, NSW
We’re legit obsessed with the barn out at Waldara Farm. Actually thinking of divorcing our husbands just for an excuse to get married again and doing it in this magical part of the world. In keeping with the 2019 trend of ‘You can never have enough wild roses’ florists the Boutierre Girls took that brief and ran with it. This wedding was photographed by Blue Mountains photographers Willow and Co. If you’re looking to tie the knot in the area click here for a list of our fave Blue Mountains based vendors.
EMMA & JUSTIN, SUNBURY, VIC
Being a touch on the OCD side here in the Hello May office, this has to be hands down one of our fave arbours of the year! Why? Because there is no messy frame, no floral foam, just a gorgeous hanging garland fixed to tree at one of our fave rural Victorian venues (aka: Emu Bottom Homestead). Yep, florist The Refined Bloom Co. sure outdid herself with this stunning creation. But the icing on the wedding cake? These gorgeous photos (and film) were captured by destination wonderkids She Takes Pictures He Makes Films. These two legends travel all over shooting humans in love, you can check out more of this wedding here, and more photos and films from STPHMF here.