After meeting while carpooling to a friend’s wedding, Lauren, an architect, and Richard, a renewable energy consultant, hosted their own special day seven years later at the Botanic Gardens Sydney.
Gillian Keough was the lady behind the lens capturing all the gorgeous detail from this quintessentially Sydney wedding. We can’t wait for you to see.
THE VENUE “We chose the Botanic Gardens Sydney as it’s a stunning part of the city, with a backdrop of the harbour and the Opera House, which inspired my love of architecture and where Richard and I have enjoyed many concerts together. We also really liked the idea of having our reception outdoors, which led us to The Mint and it’s historic sandstone courtyard. It ticked all the boxes for us: outdoors, architectural, and an iconic part of Sydney.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “Do everything way earlier than you think you’ll need to. And confirm every detail with your suppliers (multiple times if necessary!) so there are unpleasant surprises on the day.”
THE INSPO “We asked our guests to dress ‘bold and bright’. Since we got engaged in Spain, we thought it would be nice to bring some of the colour and energy of Spain to our wedding day.”
DIY “Richard and his best man Freddie made vermouth. Richard used to work as a bartender so is well-versed in making drinks, and Freddie works as a distiller. I designed and illustrated our invitations and stationery, and we both hand wrote our colourful place cards.”
THE WEDDING DRESS “My dress was a minimal, strapless silk dress from Prea James Bridal in Paddington. I think I tried on more than 30 dresses over a couple of months, but this was the one that felt the most me and the most timeless.”
REFERENCES “We found some of our vendors through Hello May, like our wonderful photographer Gillian Keough. She was one of the first vendors we booked and was so helpful from the start.”
A TOUCH OF TRADITION “Richard’s mum has Polish heritage, so we incorporated a Polish vodka and bread ritual into our reception. We had Fabbrica Bread Shop make a huge focaccia and invited our parents up to break bread with us.”
Check out more of Gillian Keough’s gorg photography in this epic Palm Springs styled shoot. Gown shopping? You’ll find Lauren’s gown designer Prea James Bridal in this round-up of Designers & Boutiques You Need To Know About right here.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Gillian Keough Florist Bess Stationery & Signage DIY by bride Ceremony venue Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Reception venue The Mint Catering Pearl Catering Cake Fabbrica Bread Shop Rozelle Entertainment Ricardo Steyer, Soul Steady Celebrant Kristy Hosking Rings Stephanie Said MC Anna Robertson Dance lessons Arthur Murray Dance Studio THE BRIDE Bridal gown designer Prea James Bridal Silk scarf My Private Tailor Shoes Aeyde, D’Accori Accessories Simone Rocha Hair & Makeup The Pretty Parlour THE GROOM Suit, Shirt & Tie P Johnson Shoes Toga Pulla via Ssense Watch Rolex (heirloom) Grooming Mr Wolf Barber Shop
