Ex-ballet dancer Kathleen and cosmetic surgeon hubby Ian met on location for a local film that Ian was directing. Kathleen caught Ian by surprise with her super skills that landed her the role of ninja assassin. The set was the perfect place for their romance to blossom. It was then Ian’s turn to instigate stealth with a stunning surprise proposal overlooking the rapids at Nightfall Camp complete with beanbags, lanterns, roses and champagne. The glowing couple tied the knot at the French-inspired villa Deux Balettes with the bride making her way down the aisle in a soft Liz Martinez gown. Every little detail was well thought out by avid researcher Kathleen (studying for her PhD in animal biology) from delicate bridesmaid gifts of Meadowlark Jewellery to the finest in hair and makeup (The Future Mrs).
Scroll down for the perfectly preserved details shot by photographer Todd Hunter McGraw and cinematographer Joel Tronoff…
THE VENUE
“I (Kathleen) had come across Deux Belettes on Instagram through a friends’ post years before and it had always stuck in the back of my mind. So when we got engaged I scoured my Instagram to remember what that stunning little venue was and I found it! Deux Belettes was the first place we looked at and we fell in love immediately. We only looked at one other venue just to be sure but we were smitten with the French villa so unexpectedly hiding in the Byron Hinterland. Deux Belettes was the one for us, it was so unique and beautiful and provided a stunning canvas to create whatever we wanted for our wedding!”
THE VIBE
“We didn’t have a specific theme in mind, we both just wanted it to be a lot of fun for everyone! For the styling, the inspiration really came from the venue. We wanted the stunning architecture to speak for itself, enhanced with a soft peach and ivory palette and interesting lighting.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS
“My (Kathleen’s) sister Anna from Day Creative created an amazing laser cut moon seat for the Photo Booth. This was one of my favourite pieces of the day – It was designed to mimic the seat from the old ‘Cloudland’ ballroom in Brisbane (that no longer exists) where everyone got their couples photos before the dance. I performed a Ballet based on the romances of Cloudland during my career with the QLD Ballet and we also had a moon seat for that – I just thought it was so sweet and romantic to mimic an item from a place where so many romances began. Plus everyone had a blast with it and the photos are priceless!”
DIY
“I made my own headpieces which was really important to me. I’ve made many headpieces for brides over the years but had recently hit a bit of a creative wall and had stopped making them. My wedding was my opportunity to try something new and make something totally unique just for me. My veil was made of silk tulle and was attached to my dress as a cape so that the delicate floral beaded headpiece I made for my hair could stand on its own. I then made a statement piece of white clay flowers to go with my dancing gown as a modern take on a flower crown.”
THE DRESS
“Amazingly the dress was one of the first things organised and one of the things that came together so easily! I had fallen in love with Liz Martinez’s work a long time ago but none of her dresses were stocked in Australia as far as I could tell… However, and when it came time to look for a dress, I looked her up on Instagram anyway and it just so happened that she had literally, that day, announced a trunk show trip to Sydney! My mum, sister and I booked our flights right away! The ladies were lovely and so helpful, I felt totally at ease! We met the designer herself and tried on only a few dresses before finding “the one”! It was very different from what I thought I would choose but we all loved it and Liz herself said it looked on me like she imagined when she designed it. They measured me up, went back to Israel and the dress arrived perfectly a few months later!”
WE’RE GLAD WE…
“We are so glad we and the majority of our guests travelled to Byron a few days before the wedding. We had the rehearsal dinner and welcome drinks during those days which made it such a relaxing weekend – a mini holiday with friends, family and fun events to attend.”
If you fancy checking out some more of cinematographer Joel Tronoffs handiwork then click here for Annie & Sam’s super sweet wedding vid.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Todd Hunter Cinematographer Joel Tronoff Event Planner Haley Cravigan from The Wedding Series Stylist Haley Cravigan Florist Wilderness flowers Stationery Paper Paper Ceremony venue St Carthage’s Church, Lismore Reception venue Deux Belettes Catering Seaweed cuisine Cake Rosemary Doody (family) Hire Items Hampton Event Hire Marquee Events Party Hire Photo Booth Day Creative Signage: Day Creative, Paper Paper Ceremony Entertainment Byron Strings Reception Entertainment McKenzie Band Celebrant Fr Bing Monteagudo Ring Doedens Jewellery Transport A Special Occasion Glassware Table for Louis BRIDE Ceremony and Reception Dress Liz Martinez Dancing Dress Toni Maticevski Veil and Hair Pieces Amahle Bridal Robe Chelsea De Luca Ceremony Shoes Badgley Mischka Reception shoes Sophia Webster Ceremony Earrings Kellie’s Antiques Reception Earrings Paspaley Pearls Hair Shannon Williams from The Future Mrs Makeup Renee Sayed from The Future Mrs Bridesmaid Dresses Marylou Doody (Family) Bridesmaid Shoes Betts Bridesmaid Gift Meadowlark Jewellery GROOM Suit Wil Valor Shoes Wil Valor Watch Jaeger LeCoultre Groomsmen Suits Will Valor