Say hi to the sweet couple that is Noelle and James, guys. The bride wore a stunning Karen Willis Holmes gown and they tied the knot in a darn cool venue that doubled as both the ceremony and cocktail style reception. “Our inspiration was to make it feel stylish and classy but also relaxed and a fun party.” Well you nailed that! Their styling was a surprise package and honestly how much more fun can you get than that?! And there to bring it all back to us was photographer, Alex Jack. Scroll down for all the deets…
THE VENUE “We had been to a wedding at 48 Watt St. a couple of years beforehand and both really loved the location of the venue right in the heart of the Newcastle city but also the space with the beautiful main hall with the dark bricks, exposed beams and stain glass windows. It was the perfect mix of traditional but with an edgy modern style.”
FAVE DETAILS “The overall look of the day including the flowers and design (set up, furniture, neon sign and signage) was a complete surprise for us. We chose to have a lucky dip package through The Wedding Designer which meant we put together a small Pinterest board with colour schemes and different set up inspiration for the team. Our Neon sign was so special as ‘love you to the moon and back’ was always something James’ mum would say.”
THE DRESS “My dress was the violet gown from Karen Willis Holmes. I did my research looking through Instagram and wedding magazines and actually saw the Violet gown in Issue 24 of Hello May. I was looking for something that was simple but elegant, showed off the female figure and had a split in the front to show off a stylish statement shoe. I found the overall experience to be pretty relaxed. I chose to go to only a handful of boutiques in Sydney and took just my Mum with me to alleviate any pressure or too many opinions.”
CUTE CUSTOM “We chose to honour James’ mum who sadly passed away from Cancer throughout the whole day, but a special touch was that we made a donation to both the Cancer Council and Pancare Foundation and purchased pins for everyone to wear as a wedding favour. We also had a beautiful photo of her and a basket of percussion instruments (a family wedding tradition) that came from her time as a school teacher and really helped get everyone up and dancing.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “We are really glad we chose to have both the ceremony and reception in the one location. Our ceremony flowed onto a cocktail hour and then our reception and meant our guests didn’t need to travel anywhere or fill in anytime. So glad we also chose to have a cocktail style wedding – it made it very relaxed and easy for people to mingle.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Special mentions to Julie Muir, our celebrant, for walking us through every formality needed for the ceremony and creating something that was such a perfect balance of tears, laughter and love. The Wedding Designer who took care of designing the day, setting up flipping the ceremony to reception and packing up and Alex Jack, our photographer. We were so blown away by how our photos turned out. She did such an amazing job, we felt completely comfortable with her. Looking back at all the photos definitely brings back all of the emotions from the day which goes to show just how great she was at capturing every candid moment.”
If you’re still on the hunt for your big day bridal gown (regardless of how big your day is!), make sure you head here to see countless real brides donning Karen Willis Holmes dresses. But only when you’re done below…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Alex Jack Ceremony & Reception 48 Watt St. Stylist, Florist, Menus, Signage & Hire Items The Wedding Designer Invitations Willow and Bloom Design via Etsy Guest Book Vorfreude Stationery via Etsy Cake Designer Delights Wedding Favours Cancer Council & Pancare Foundation Lighting Hire Love Glows Entertainment EAO Entertainment (Mark Wells) Celebrant Julie Muir Rings Leonards Jewellers THE BRIDE Bridal Gown & Veil Karen Willis Holmes Robes I Love Linen (Bride) & Adairs (Bridesmaids) Shoes Bianca Buccheri via Dolci Firme Accessories Oroton (Earings) Hair & Makeup Makeup by Bonnie Lee Bridesmaid Dresses Shona Joy Bridesmaid Shoes Alias Mae Bridesmaid Gifts Seed Heritage (Necklaces) & Go-To (Face Masks) THE GROOM Suit & Shirt Uberstone Bow Tie David Jones Shoes Country Road Groomsmen Suits Uberstone