For Henry, a DJ, mixing music is a piece of cake. Ask him to tie a bow tie however and, well, that’s a different story. £He went through four YouTube videos, one iPhone app and one instruction manual until he finally found out that our friend Coco could tie a bow tie! For about 45 minutes there wasn’t going to be a wedding! says Chloe one of our brides from issue nine who admits she faced a few challenges of her own.
£It was quite hard for me to find a dress. I wasn’t too fond of all the lace, fluff and beads I seemed to find everywhere. Fortunately her friend and designer Jo Perkins (of Homage Femme fame) came to the rescue by agreeing to create Chloe’s elegant gown from scratch.
This pair’s lucky streak didn’t end there. While searching for the perfect wedding band, they discovered custom jewellery designer Simon of Grew & Co. £Henry wanted to use part of his late father’s ring in his band and I needed a fine band with a curve to fit with my antique ring, explains Chloe who was over the moon with Simon’s work. £It was an amazing experience! We had a great connection with him and he is just a very talented guy as well.
Speaking of talent, their photographer Luke Going was another exceptional addition to their day, capturing every detail from their black and white letterpress invitations to their homemade wedding cake. £We were really lucky with our vendors, especially Luke our photographer who we connected with straight away. Unfortunately they couldn’t say the same thing about Mother Nature who hijacked their plan to have an outdoor ceremony.
Describing their theme as 1920s Australiana’ their wedding, held at Marlowe House in (usually) sunny Coffs Harbour, was a flashback to Chloe’s younger years. £It’s all the stuff I used to grow up with as a kid, we lived in the bush and our house was always furnished with antiques. Surrounded by 12 acres of unspoilt, native bushland, they felt passionately about being as eco-friendly as possible. £All the flowers were native and we tried to buy Australian made wherever possible. My mum and I created an amazing antipasto station, using local suppliers. We even made our own water glasses out of beer bottles.
To add a splash of sentimentality to their day they also opted to write their own vows. £It was really nice to hear the words we’d written for each other, for the first time, at the same time as our friends and family, says Chloe who hasn’t let Henry forget the rigmarole that went on that morning. When asked what advice she’d give other couples, she tells us cheekily, £Learn to tie a bow tie before the day!
If you are a fan of Luke’s work don’t worry, you don’t have to be a North Coast or Queensland based bride to reap the benefits of his mad skills. The dude loves to travel and shoots weddings from the U.S to Melbourne and everywhere in between. You can see more of his work here on the Hello May directory and here in issue nine of Hello May, available online with free postage!
CREDITS Photos Luke Going // Bridal gown Homage Femme // Lingerie David Jones // Shoes Sophia Webster // Hair Headcase Hair //Rings Grays Antiques and Grew & Co // Bridesmaid gifts Karen Walker // Grooms suit, jacket, shirt and pants P. Johnson Tailors // Tie / Bow tie Calvin Klein // Shoes Windsor Smith // Socks Bonds // Flowers Sydney Flower Market and Tesselaars // Day-of coordinator North Coast Luxury Weddings // Ceremony and reception Marlowe House, NSW // Catering Fiasco Ristorante // Wine Handpicked Wines // Decorative elements Eco Party Box and Topshelf Concepts // Prop / furniture hire Hampton Event Hire, Lovestruck Weddings, George and Smee and Handi Hire // Stationery The Distillery and Cocopress // Lighting / sound hire Handi Hire and Any Entertainment // Signage Adrian Repeti // Entertainment VonAudio // Celebrant Clare Bath