This is a success story from a work Christmas party, friends, and boy are we here for it! Skip forward six years and these two were tying the knot in the Hunter (in some serious rain, no less) and thanks to COVID, in a slightly more pared-back way than they had planned, but neither obstacles made it any less wonderful in our humble opinion. Jimmy Raper Photography documented the day, so scroll down for all the nitty-gritty details…
LITTLE LOL “The most unpredictable part of the day was the weather. We had planned this beautiful outdoor Tuscan garden wedding and the forecast a few weeks out looked pretty promising. As we got closer to the day, the weather suddenly turned and we ended up having torrential rain and thunderstorms. I could see a short break in the weather forecast for an hour and was adamant that we had to wait until then for the outdoor ceremony to commence. It was a last-minute scramble but boy was it worth it. The rains stopped just long enough for both our traditional Sri Lankan and civil ceremonies to take place. As soon as we walked down the aisle the rain started pelting down. All our photos were in the rain, us both soaked in our beautiful suit and dress. Luckily Tom had a spare shirt but I, on the other hand, didn’t and my bridesmaids were frantically hair drying my dress before the reception. Not quite the Tuscan wedding we envisioned but the photos turned out amazing and we had so much fun in the rain. In the end, we saw it as a sign of good luck.”
THE INSPO “Our inspiration was modern Tuscan affair. Think James Bond meets The Talented Mr Ripley. It was inspired by the very last trip we had taken overseas before COVID. On that trip, we drove through Italy from Lake Como down through Tuscany and down to the Amalfi Coast. We fell in love with the beauty around us and wanted to recreate the same vibe closer to home.”
FAVE DETAILS “All the elements just came together beautifully thanks to our stylists Honey Lane. And the star of the wedding styling was definitely our incredible flowers. Our beautiful florist, Kate from Two Wild Hands, completely knocked it out of the park and exceeded all our expectations. The three-tier blush ombre cake with flecks of gold [by Copper Fork Cakes]. The favours and the Kanye West medley played by Luxe Strings as we walked down the aisle. Our entire wedding felt like a reflection of who we are as people. [Also], the ceremony [by Marry Me Zoe] felt so tailored towards our relationship and there was nothing generic about it. We ended up asking her to be our MC as well and it was honestly one of the best decisions we made.”
THE DRESS “My dress was custom Lillian Khallouf. Once I knew I wanted to go custom, the process was really simple. I knew I wanted Lillian to design and make my dress as I had long admired her clean and elegant aesthetic. Lillian also understood my body and knew how to highlight the areas we wanted to show off whilst detracting from my less loved areas.”
COOL CUSTOM “My heritage is Sri Lankan so we had a traditional Sri Lankan ‘Poruwa’ ceremony. It was really important to my family to incorporate our culture. Part of that ceremony included me walking down the aisle accompanied by traditional drummers and dancers. It was beautiful and gave guests an insight into my culture.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “Always add a buffer to your budget. There are always surprise expenses you need to cater for. For us it was the expense of a marquee and also additional furniture required to adhere to COVID guidelines. Oh and always have a wet weather plan. I was certain I wouldn’t need one and in the end it saved us! [If we didn’t organise] the marquee, we would’ve been in real trouble.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Definitely Jimmy Raper Photography, Josh from Joyride, Marry Me Zoe, Kate from Two Wild Hands, Tess from Fennel & Co Catering and Alannah from Honey Lane. They all spent so much time with us to nail all the different elements. We couldn’t have asked for better vendors.”
If you want to see more from the talented Jimmy Raper Photography, we are here to help! You’ll find another five real weddings linked to the bottom of his wonderful profile over on our Directory here. But first…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Jimmy Raper Photography Cinematographer Joyride Event Planner Honey Lane (Lara Beesley) Stylist Honey Lane (Alannah Gatt) Florist Two Wild Hands Stationery & Signage Veasna Chea (Invites) Ceremony & Reception Redleaf Wollombi Catering Fennel & Co Catering Cake Copper Fork Cakes Cake Topper Something For Cake Wedding Favours Traditional Sri Lankan Christmas Cake (Friend) & Kustom Haus (Wax Seals for Cake Boxes) Hire Items Beavis (Furniture), Event Hire Services (Poruwa Stage) Simply Seated (Linen & Glassware) Marquee Pavilion Marquees Lighting Hire Crab Apple Hire Entertainment Luxe Strings & DJ Feline Celebrant Marry Me Zoe Rings Cartier & Cerrone Transport Grape Experience Tours Neon Sign Ooh la Neon THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Lillian Khallouf Robes Homebodii Shoes Sophia Webster Accessories Christie Nicolaides (Earrings) Hair Linda Ha Makeup Alex Polverino Bridesmaid Dresses Shona Joy Bridesmaid Gifts Homebodii & Slip THE GROOM Suit & Shirt P. Johnson Bow Tie Le Noeud Papillon Cufflinks M.J. Bale Shoes Tagliatore Watch Swatch Grooming Macho Papi Barber Groomsmen Suits P. Johnson Groomsmen Gifts Le Noeud Papillon
