There are plenty of great philosophies floating about but few people who manage to capture and swallow them whole. For Bryony and Bela however, two very cool cats whom you may recognise from issue six, the idea of having a relaxed, local wedding was something they embraced wholeheartedly. £We actually, booked a wedding venue for late 2012. However, we cancelled it because it just wasn’t us. From then, we decided not to rush into anything and slowly looked for the right place to get married and the right people to work with.
Bryony who handpicked Jasmyn of Green Scarf Girl to do her makeup goes on to say, £We knew that we wanted to do something relaxed, where everyone would have a blast and not be stuck chatting to the same people.
Inevitably they chose two unique venues in the heart of Victoria, The Old Quarry Wall and Pop & Scott of which Bryony says £both the ceremony, a natural amphitheatre with a beautiful old sculptural quarry and the reception, a warehouse filled with handmade furniture, a pot belly stove and wild and whimsical flowers were the perfect places to create a joyous and warm vibe.
Their magical day, which was beautifully captured by Jessica Tremp of Brown Paper Parcel, whose work you can see more of here, turned out to be far better than either of them ever imagined. Especially for Bryony, who unlike most brides, was able to take herself to the toilet. £I was initially going to wear a dress, however I changed my mind. Instead she took inspiration from Bye Bye Birdie, a 1960s musical comedy.
£I always loved the bright pink pant suit that Ann Margret wears in Bye Bye Birdie? so I thought if I love it so much why not just get one made for the wedding. But after doing some research and seeing some amazing wedding dresses, I decided that I still wanted something that was lacy and whimsical, so I opted for an outfit in between. I was lucky to have stumbled across Deborah Selleck who interpreted the design in my head and guided the outfit to the final product.
Meanwhile Bela’s only worry was remembering his words. £In exchanging the vows, Bela accidentally said I take you Bryony to be my awful wedded wife’ (instead of lawful wedded wife). Luckily, our wonderful celebrant Jane Clifton was quick to make a joke about it, everyone had a chuckle and she helped him do it again.
Not the kind of people to ever take things too seriously, they spent the rest of the evening dancing on tabletops to an upbeat Hungarian gypsy band – a salute to Bela’s family heritage. As more and more friends and family came and joined them on the tables, it was lucky someone remembered to move the wedding cake!
If you’re loving Bryony’s untraditional outfit as much as we are, check out our Tomboy Bride editorial in issue seven or Tiff + Terepai’s epic Byron Bay wedding featured in our first annual Real Wedding Special. Both are available at selected newsagents nationally or online via Mag Nation.
CREDITS Photos Brown Paper Parcel // Bridal ensemble Bridal & Evening Couture by Deborah Selleck // Shoes Yoox // Rings The French Jewelbox // Grooms suit Country Road (jacket) and Levis (pants) // Grooms shoes R.M. Williams // Tie The Tie Bar // Ceremony The Old Quarry Wall, VIC // Reception, styling and prop hire Pop & Scott, VIC // Catering Paella Pan Melbourne // Cake Zoe Clevercakes // Stationery Ally Does Design // Hair To Dye For // Makeup Green Scarf Girl // Music Bohemian Nights // Celebrant Jane Clifton.