These two got together “in the good old days of MSN messenger,” at the ripe old age of 16. We love their story. “I had a terrible boyfriend at the time which prompted my cheeky friend to introduce Guy and I online. When my then-boyfriend had yet again not called me back, Guy rather boldly declared, ‘If I were your boyfriend I’d call you back,’ to which I replied ‘I’ll hold you to that’ and I immediately broke up with my other boyfriend and began dating Guy. We were married on our 10 year anniversary.” Love, eh. Fast forward to their big day and lens lady Katie Harmsworth was there to catch it all on camera. Scroll down for more…
LITTLE LOL “It wasn’t funny at the time, but from early March we began running into major roadblocks such as our original photographer being stuck in Sydney and our original celebrant being stuck in Queensland, both unable to leave due to border closures, prompting us to need to engage new vendors 14 days out from the wedding. Due to international postage delays, Guy’s ring and my wedding band and earrings didn’t actually arrive in time. Restrictions in March/ April reduced our guest count to five people and prevented us from travelling long distances for the ceremony, so it was almost a very different event. We feel incredibly blessed that the regulations opened up the way they did, just in the nick of time.”
THE INSPO “We adore anything Renaissance, Pre-Raphaelite and Dutch masters. The idea was to be very delicately gourmand. Overflowing grapes, an abundance of treats and fruits, with a lot of ivy and dried flowers. Thoughtful yet elegant. We brought in a lot of gold accents, whilst playing with a lot of textures like tweed and velvet in varying yet complementary tones. It was important that the wedding feel very classic – a little English perhaps? Nothing too trendy that I would look back on and cringe about later.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “We had substantial trouble finding a caterer who would help us during COVID so we decided to self cater – a risk which luckily pulled off magnificently due to my extremely talented ex-Windsor Hotel catering manager mother-in-law Virginia and my extraordinary Food Stylist/Florist/Baker sister-in-law Mia (Miss Flour Power). The baskets were contained and self-serving to each couple to prevent any potential cross-contamination. They were filled with an abundance of tapas styled foods, homemade terrine, dips, cheeses, a baked camembert, crusty bread, homemade conserves, dolmades and honey from Virginia’s own bees, to name a few.”
REFERENCES “When I first got engaged, my maid of honour brought me over a huge stack of Hello May editions and we sat there excitedly putting pieces of ribbons in all of our favourite pages which was an amazing thing to do to get the ball rolling and helped us to determine preferences.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “I think if planning a wedding during COVID has taught me anything, it’s that the small details which you spend hours stressing over ultimately don’t make any real difference. For example, I had it in my head I needed to be truly flawless in the lead-up, a full skincare overhaul, hair, nails, the works, and we came to find just about everywhere wasn’t open due to the pandemic. Remember why you’re getting married, it’s (hopefully) for the love, not the napkin colour.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “Decided to go through with the wedding (rather than postponing) as the day we ended up with was far greater than what we had originally envisioned. We were very careful and kept to the regulations given at the time and ensured the safety of all our guests while still creating a lifelong memory we can always look back on fondly. And no-one got COVID. It’s a win-win really!”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Katie Harmsworth was so helpful, kind and funny, and having as much experience as she does in weddings meant that she helped to guide our stressed, unknowing souls along, particularly with timing and scheduling! Guy’s sister (Miss Flour Power) not only officiated the wedding, she did the cake, the floral styling, food styling, decor, and shaped the wedding into the day it was. Her eye for beauty and design is unmatched. The House of Lane (hair) single-handedly did the vintage styling of all the bridesmaids, Guy, myself and my bridal makeup and all of which held in place perfectly! And my incredible bridesmaids’ makeup artist (Renee and Co).”
If you’re keen to see more from Katie, check out her Directory listing with us, plus a bunch of real weddings with happy couples on tap, here.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Katie Harmsworth Cinematographer Stephen Solomon (Friend) Stylist & Cake Miss Flour Power (Family) Florist Miss Flour Power (Decor), Wicker and Whitewash via Etsy (Bride Bouquet) & By Flowers Boulevard (Bridesmaid Bouquets) Stationery Paradise Invitations via Etsy (Invitations) Place Cards Paper EarthyMagicalPaperCo via Etsy Ceremony Scrub Hill 1869 Reception The Manor House Catering & Wedding Favours Virginia Solomon (Family) Other Desserts Cafe Z Research & Traditional Tasty Treats via Preston Market Hire Items Elderberry Events (Table) Welcome Sign Canva Celebrant A Stand-Up Celebrant with Miss Flour Power (Family) Tailor Celkooh Alteration THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Cosmobella Bridal Boutique, Veil & Earrings The Sposa Group Second Gown Hilde Heim via Etsy Rings Beautiful Petra via Etsy Robes Meshki White Slip Chloe & Lola via MYER Shoes Nina Shoes via The Iconic Hair & Makeup The House of Lane (Bride) Makeup Renee and Co (Bridesmaid and Mother of Bride) Bridesmaid Dresses Radiant Rooster via Etsy Bridesmaid Shoes ASOS, Novo & Nine West Bridesmaid Accessories Forever New Hair Accessories Colette Hayman Accomodation The Houses Daylesford (The Manor House) THE GROOM Suit Harry Brown London Shirt Jack London Tie John Henric Shoes Aquila Watch Skagen Ring Bent Handcrafted Rings Grooming The House of Lane Groomsmen Suits Harry Brown London Shirts Jack London Ties Runswick & Hutton Accomodation The Houses Daylesford (The Station House)