Black and White Hunter Valley Wedding

Sarah and Adam’s uber-classy wedding in the Hunter Valley is a picture of sophistication. The couple wanted a relaxed, light and airy feel to the day with a touch of rustic. The gorgeous vineyard scenery, moody sky, and simple elegance of a white, ivory and cream palette with touches of black created a magical setting for their special day. And who could forget *those* desserts.

Couple: Sarah and Adam
Date: 17th January, 2009
Location: Hanging Tree Wines vineyard, Hunter Valley, NSW
Photography: Bradley Patrick of SugarLove Pictures – he was amazing. (All images below except stationery).

couple_cropped

Gown: Couture gown made by Nina Field at Petal Bridal (she’s the best!). The bride’s dress was made from ivory silk chiffon, with a black satin band at the waist.
Shoes: Ivory satin peep toes with crystal bows from Panache Bridal Shoes, Sydney, NSW.
Suit: The groom wore a black suit with ivory tie from Peppers in Double Bay, NSW.
Wedding Party: Our best friends were our bridal party. Two best men – Paul Gilmore and Ryan Drayton – and two bridesmaids – Michelle Gilmore and Georgina Gordon. The boys wore black suits with black and white striped ties from Peppers in Double Bay, NSW. The girls each wore a black satin dress of their own choosing.
Accessories: The bride and bridesmaids wore crystal earrings from Peter Lang.
Hair: Styled by Kristina Moussa (Sydney, NSW – 0415 931 584). The bride’s hair was curled loosely and piled into a low, on-the-side bun.
Makeup: By Kristina Moussa (Sydney, NSW – 0415 931 584). Very natural and not much!
Flowers: We arranged our own flowers, sourced from a wholesale supplier – Valley Fresh Flowers in the Hunter Valley. We chose whatever was in season that was white, and ended up with delphiniums, roses and lisianthus. We arranged all the bouquets, arrangements and boutonniere ourselves on the morning of the wedding – it was very relaxing!
Ceremony: On the lawn of the Hanging Tree Homestead at the Hanging Tree Vineyard at Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley, NSW. We shared with our guests the view of the mountains and vineyards behind us. We wanted a relaxing, laidback, rural setting for the wedding, and really wanted a venue that we could stay at for the whole weekend. We didn’t want our guests to feel like they were at a wedding – we just wanted to have a big party with all our favourite people. When we found the homestead at Hanging Tree, we thought it was perfect, with its big, wide verandah and beautiful views over the mountains and vineyards. We could also have the ceremony and reception right there in the same place.
Reception: Cocktail reception on the verandah of the Hanging Tree Homestead, with catering by Jill Burton of Star Anise. For dessert we bought mini cakes from Adriano Zumbo, an amazing patissier in our local suburb of Balmain, NSW.
Music: Our own selection played from our iPod.
Decoration: We wanted to keep it really simple as the setting was so pretty it didn’t need much in the way of decoration. We strung the rafters of the verandah with white paper lanterns, and the tables were decorated with tealight candles and white flowers.
Stationery: Made by the bride, who owns a stationery business called Ruby & Scarlett. The invitations were letterpressed in black ink on ivory cotton paper, with the envelopes lined with turquoise and gold birdcage paper. The pieces were tied together with a black satin ribbon.
Cake: We didn’t go for a traditional cake, and instead had a beautiful lemon meringue cake by Adriano Zumbo.
Transport: None required – the bride and bridesmaids stayed at the homestead the night before, and the groom and best men stayed at The Sebel Kirkton Park just up the road.
Budget Tip: We kept costs down by doing a lot of things ourselves – the invitations, the flowers (we estimated that the flowers were 1/3 cost of a florist), and the decorations. We splurged on a good photographer, but kept costs down by not paying for an album (instead we received all the high res files on disc so we can make our own prints). We chose not to have a videographer. We played our own music instead of getting a band/DJ. We saved a lot by buying the flowers wholesale and arranging them ourselves. The food and wine was important, so we made sure we didn’t skimp in those areas. We cut out the things that weren’t important to us – we didn’t have a bridal waltz, throw the bouquet and we didn’t cut the cake (we were having too much fun and forgot to).
Eco-friendly Tip: The bridesmaids and bride’s family all stayed at the Hanging Tree Homestead the night before the wedding and cut out the need for transport to and from the venue. We also chose to hold the ceremony and reception in the same place, so guests didn’t have to drive around to different venues.
Handmade Tip: The bride made the invitations and we arranged our own flowers. The mother of the bride made black and white cushions for the chairs and lounges that were scattered around the verandah.
I wish: you could stop time and slow down the day, as it goes so fast! But we enjoyed every minute.
Something Special: The speeches were fantastic and meant so much to us. The father of the bride gave an epic speech that lasted 47 minutes (he was very funny though!).