Carmen and Jamie wanted the colours and theme of their wedding to echo their love of Australia and the outdoors. The use of Australian native wildflowers in the bouquet and on the cake is truly inspired, and the natural tea tree setting frames the couple as beautifully as any chapel.

Couple: Carmen and Jamie
Date: 19th September, 2008
Location: Centennial Park, Sydney, NSW.
Photography: Shane O’Neill of Oneill Photographics for the ceremony and Katie Rivers Photography for the bride’s preparation – choose someone that fits your style and budget but most importantly whose company you will simply enjoy on the day – they are with you a long time!

Theme: Long lazy Australian afternoon tea.
Gown: Evermore Bridal in Leichhardt – subtle leaf motif for an outdoor wedding.
Shoes: Steve Madden – metallic dark red.
Suit: Hugo Boss mid grey, with white shirt for groom and lightblue for the 3 groomsmen, plus gifted cufflinks.
Wedding Party: Three bridesmaids wore: …..Metallic dark red from Ojay.
Accessories: Semiprecious necklaces made for the bridesmaids in Sri Lanka, bride work simple drop earrings and her great grandmother’s rosegold bracelet with blue stones.
Flowers: Australian Natives by the Lazy Tulip (Eucalyptus flowers, tetragona nuts, bottle brush and soft blue gum leaves).
Ceremony: Centennial Park, Sydney, NSW.
Reception: Centennial Park, with catering by L’amour Catering .
Music: Slide McBride.
Decoration: Old jam jars and antique table cloths bought on Ebay, a subtle screen made by my girlfirends with string, gum leaves, flowers and ribbon to create a sense of space.
Stationery: Wedding invitations designed by bride and graphic designer friends Magnetik using photos taken at the wedding location months prior.
Cake: Pineapple macadamia and coconut cake topped with native Australian wildflowers, made by a friend.
Something Special: Bride’s parents, siblings, godmother and grandparents all walked in ahead of Carmen – a tradition borrowed from Sri Lanka where the couple got engaged. Picnic rugs, toys and bubbles made it fun for the kids too. The major wedding gift was a commissioned artwork by Suey McEncally – a landscape inspired by the wedding location – reminds us of our day and all our loved ones every day.
Budget Tip: Have a friend make your cake and a friend drive you in a nice car – no one sees the cars anway so why spend $1,000-2,000 on it, plus you have another friendly face when you are most nervous.
Eco-friendly Tip: Source local flowers and food. A day wedding uses much less power. Offset the carbon emissions of the function – we used climate friendly.

Tags:  Centennial Park, NSW, Spring, wildflowers

Categories:  Australian, Classic, Park Weddings, Red, Sydney