Real Weddings

Article by

Laura Wilson

Posted on

06/06/2019

Posted in

Real Weddings

You know we love a Byron wedding, and there’s not a lot prettier than those Hinterland views. Add chilled-out decor and a couple of New York-based cool cats into the mix and we are on board! Oh and let’s not forget our friend and directory vendor, Jimmy Raper, who was there to photograph it all. There you have it, folks, a recipe for one heck of a wedding, right? RIGHT. Scroll down for all the details…

THE VENUE “Our first thought was to have a really small wedding. A month-long trip around India was a pivotal point in our relationship and we initially thought we would want to get married there. But Byron and the hinterland surrounding it is super special to me, having spent most of my childhood holidays at my grandparent’s farm. I’ve always felt an incredible energy there, and it felt like a natural place for us to choose.”

THE VIBE “When we decided we would get married in Australia instead of a small ceremony in India, we thought we could still bring the food of India to the wedding, as our trip there that was so pivotal in our relationship. We included limited wedding ‘traditions’ – we arrived and walked down the aisle together, we didn’t have a cake, we didn’t do a first dance, we didn’t have a bridal party and we didn’t have speeches. Instead, we added a second ceremony that was fun but personal where we had readings from our families, our best friends sang Bob Dylan covers, and Adam surprised me by singing a Father John Misty song to me!”

FAVOURITE DETAILS “We used my grandparents’ wicker chairs and table that they used to have when they lived in Papua New Guinea as our signing chairs. The dinner plates were also really special. We ordered these all the way from India. They are traditional Thali plates you use in India, and really made a difference when it came to the level of authenticity in the meal.”

THE DRESS “My Odylyne the Ceremony dress was the first dress I tried on! I saw it on Instagram and knew it would be perfect. I got my dress from Lovely one week before flying out to Australia. We still had to do alterations, which I went to Sew Elegant Bridal for in NYC. They were incredible. A sweet European lady named Esin (who immediately made me feel like I was her granddaughter) and her team altered my dress in six days (they usually take three months) and it fit like a glove when I got it back.”

LITTLE LOL “I was adamant about wanting to wear my dress all night, but the weather had other plans. The day was a lot hotter than the average and the humidity under the marquee in the evening on the dance floor was too much. So we ran into the farmhouse where my grandma still had some clothes in the cupboard and I found a sleeveless cotton dress that looked nice and cool. My friends cut the hem off the dress to make it a mini, and safety pinned in some makeshift darts so it would fit me a little better. I then danced for three hours straight! I never could have done that sweating bullets in my dress, which weighed over 15kg!”

A WORD OF ADVICE “You don’t have to buy into everything you read about bride’s skincare routines and fitness regimes and so on… I think it’s important to be you when you get married! I didn’t want to look like someone else, just me, elevated. I went with a hairstyle I wear all the time (just a lot better) and pretty natural makeup.”

STANDOUT VENDORS “Leah from Mullum Hire was a trooper. The caterer, Bombay to Byron, is not actually a caterer – they’re a local Byron restaurant who pulled together the most authentic Indian meal I’ve eaten in Australia. They went out of their way to create authentic recipes at our request and their breads and curries were amazing. It really made the wedding. Jimmy Raper, our photographer, was also the perfect find for us. He was relaxed, unobtrusive and captured the most perfect moments. He also had all the single ladies (and men) asking to know more! Our celebrant, Skai Ceremonies was wonderful. Also my mum is not a vendor, but she was all time!”

This wedding was originally published in Issue 20. If you’d like to check out more from this issue, limited copies are available via our online store. And if you are in love with the pics, check out more from Jimmy Raper via Chrystal & Brent’s Pacific Palms Wedding, too.