Traditional Sydney Inner West Wedding

Amanda and Paul glowed at their traditional wedding for 75 guests in Cabarita, in Sydney’s inner west. Their venue selection was carefully chosen to allow their guests to enjoy the harbour, sand and bush setting; also a perfect backdrop for their wedding photos. The ivory, gold and chocolate colour palette echoes the simple elegance of their big day.

Couple: Amanda & Paul
Date: 18th August, 2007
Location: Angelos on the Bay, Prince Edward Park, Cabarita, NSW.
Photographer: Raoul Tackelburg – truly amazing, he takes such beautiful and natural shots

Gown: Maggie Sottero ivory gown from DressSense, Miranda, NSW.
Shoes: Panache Bridal Shoes, Sydney CBD, NSW.
Wedding Party: Matron of Honor Sarah, Bridesmaid Jennifer and flower girls Emma and Deena (nieces) wore custom-made outfits by a dressmaker. Best man Andrew and groomsman Nathan wore hired suits.
Accessories: Pearl necklace from DressSense, Miranda, NSW.
Hair: Sass Hair, Concord, NSW (at 4am in the morning!)
Makeup: Make-up artist friend
Flowers: Cascading tear drop bouquets from Brides In Bloom.
Ceremony: St James Anglican Church, Croydon, NSW. A simple service – my brother played “Coming Home” by Mark Knopfler on the acoustic guitar as the wedding party walked down the aisle and we walked out to “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves. It was very traditional (yes, I said obey!) and I had a veil that my father took off when he gave me away.
Reception: We chose Angelo’s on the Bay, Cabarita, NSW as it had it all – an intimate restaurant setting with a view, beautiful landscape (harbour, sand and a bush/rural setting). We didn’t have to go somewhere separate for our wedding photos. It was a wonderful location – the quality of atmosphere, food and wine was paramount to me and Angelo’s exceeded my expectations.
Music: Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Chuck Berry and other great hits.
Decoration: I kept things simple and the colours white, gold, ivory and chocolate brown. I made the table centrepieces myself – my niece and I picked shells from the nearby beach, and placed them in a hurricane vase with sand. Chair covers were white with a gold organza sash.
Stationery: I designed the wedding invitations, Church service, menus and place cards myself to keep costs down and to get what I wanted.
Cake: A glorious five-tier cake that nearly stole the show from Cakes By Jennifer, Sydney, NSW.
Transport: Two Mark 5 Jaguars for the Church and reception. We left in a Black Cadillac.
Budget Tips:
1. I kept costs down by firstly having a set budget, then prioritized what was important to me. e.g. 1. Reception venue 2. Flowers 3. Dress 4. Hair
2. Do your research and be creative – you’d be surprised what people notice and what they don’t.
3. Keep numbers down! The more people you have, the less quality your reception will be if you want to keep costs down. People get over not being invited.
4. Delegate what you can – do you have someone who can provide you with a service instead of a wedding present? Like a cake or table centrepieces?
5. Do not under any circumstances get carried away with what other people had or are having (like a $250,000 budget /debt!) and stick to what YOU want – and stand your ground.
Eco-friendly Tip: Something I would have liked to have but didn’t exist until after our wedding is Flourish Bomboniere – people receive it as their gift and then plant it when they get home. A living reminder of your special day – just beautiful.
Handmade Tip: I made the table centrepieces using vases from a gift store, sand from Bunnings and shells from a beach. I also made the bonboniere using Chinese noodle boxes and ribbon that I filled with a selection of Darrel Lea chocolates – yum!
I wish: …I had spent more time with my parents on my wedding day.
Something Special: My father-daughter dance meant the world to me – a classic daddy’s girl. Starting off with a slow dance, we ended up jiving to “You Never Can Tell by Chuck Berry”. We also displayed a frame at the reception that mentioned all the people that couldn’t be with us on the day (that had passed away). The bridal table was a little different too. It was a T shape – at the head I sat with my parents to my right and Paul sat with his parents to his left. The bridal party and their partners sat down the middle, so we were all close.
Honeymoon: Hayman Island, LA, New York, England, Ireland & Scotland.