How divine is Meg and Sam’s special day? These lovebirds of five years were manifesting “something simple and elegant where people felt relaxed and could have fun.” Well, tick, tick and tick – mission accomplished!
Serving modern sophistication in spades, The Calile Hotel was an obvs pick for the black tie affair, and our good friend Brendan Back was there too, doing what he does best behind the lens. Join us in admiring all the details below.
THE VENUE “We wanted something relatively simple and easy to organise and The Calile Hotel was perfect. It was my first choice of venues, and we didn’t really look elsewhere.”
FAVE DETAILS “The flowers were a real highlight. We pushed Bloodwood with our budget but allowed them creative licence, and they absolutely delivered, particularly with the bridal party bouquets. Each bridesmaid had a unique set of flowers, and my bouquet had an element of each. The pictures on film that Brendan took and shared with us in the afterglow days of the wedding were also a real highlight.”
THE DRESS “I purchased my dress from Prea James, and it was pretty much off the rack with a couple of alterations from My Private Tailor. It was the second dress I had tried on so I was very fortunate! I wanted to feel like myself and (within reason) to feel comfortable. I wore it the whole night and absolutely loved it. No second dress required.”
THE SUIT “My suit was from Theodore, an up-and-coming tailor out of Sydney. It probably took me longer to find a suit than Meg did to find a dress! Theodore is great and particularly good for Groom’s parties with people based overseas because they have an amazing app that can size you up remotely by taking a photo of yourself. They provided an amazingly personalised experience and matched the style of my suit to Meg’s dress (she showed a photo of it to Hetta, my tailor, without me seeing).”
LITTLE LOL “For someone who generally hates PDA, Sam was so nervous during the ceremony that he kept on trying to kiss me. To the guests, he probably looked like a slow-motion woodpecker. Sorry, Brendo, we also can’t let you get away with splitting your pants when you popped a squat taking photos of the bridal party…”
A WORD OF ADVICE “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Pull the trigger when making decisions, and remember it’s your day, so don’t try to please everyone; it’s not possible. Also, if you want a humming dancefloor, put the bar as close as possible to it.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Generally, we had a really amazing experience with all our vendors, and we truly believed that it was because of them that we had such a special day. So, to Brendan (photographer), Grace (celebrant), Phoebe (video), Michelle (Nouille), Emilia (Bloodwood) and the wonderful team at The Calile Hotel, thank you.”
Did The Calile Hotel catch your eye? You clearly have mighty fine taste. Reach out to their lovely team here on the Hello May Directory. Perhaps photography is next on the to-do list? You’ll find Brendan Back’s details here – you’re welcome! Vibing the energy of a city celebration? Find some more of our faves here, or browse more real urban ‘I do’s here.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Brendan Back Cinematographer Phoebe Galloway Films Florist Bloodwood Botanica Stationery Nouille Design Venue & Catering The Calile Hotel Cake Maker Paddy Quinn (Family) Hire Items House of Harvey Co Entertainment Shag Rock Celebrant Grace Lewin Rings Torres Jewel Co THE BRIDE Bridal Designer Prea James Veil Alla Moda Fabric Collection Getting Ready Pyjamas Deiji Studios Shoes Jimmy Choo Accessories Natasha Schweitzer Hair Joel Anthony Hair Makeup Lilly Rathie Fragrance/Perfume Libertine Parfumerie Bridesmaid Dresses Shona Joy THE GROOM Suit Theodore
