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Bride had a wonderful time today at Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel in Sydney. What a beautiful room! http://t.co/r6xtHwVqiT
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Our Dec issue is a great holiday read! We feature 250 plus ideas to inspire you and look at every aspect of your big day! Jewellery, fashion, flowers, grooms and all the finishing touches can be found. We showcase the latest gowns plus gorgeous vintage styling ideas are included. For your reception, we find venue options that have incredible views. There's plenty of gorgeous real-life weddings to read for inspiration. A spot of celebrity style is the icing on the cake! Get your copy now!
The Bride Bloggers
Wining & dining: Hunter Valley weddings
You can bank on fabulous food, enticing wine and wow-worthy views when you plan a Hunter Valley wedding. Fresh from a recent trip to this ravishing region, Bride editor Sarah Lewis reveals the best locations for a Hunter Valley ceremony and memorable reception.
Going to the chapel
It’s hard to imagine a more dreamy setting for your ceremony than a country chapel. Say ‘I do’ at St Patrick’s of Nulkaba (above), a petite, 1892-built sandstone church lined with stained-glass windows. Shaded by mature trees, the sculpture-dotted gardens provide plenty of opportunities for gorgeous wedding photography.
Great outdoors
Hunter Valley Gardens offers a host of alfresco ceremony options. Choose from a graceful lakeside rotunda (above), wisteria-shrouded pavilion and the striking Chinese garden. For out-of-the-ordinary photos, pose in the Storybook Garden with your bridal party.
The Sebel Kirkton (above) is another top pick for elegant garden soirees. This heritage hotel is surrounded by rose gardens, fountains and lush lawns overlooking the valley. For a civil service, enlist Hunter Valley marriage celebrant Maree Callaghan hosts intimate ceremonies that go off without a hitch.
All in one
Teaming an on-site chapel with stylish dining room, IronBark Hill (above) is a one-stop wedding destination. Tailored menu options and estate-grown wines make for a relaxed yet refined occasion. Peppers Creek is home to a sweet sandstone chapel, located just steps from the popular reception hall. Calm any pre-ceremonies jitters at the neighbouring David Hook cellar door.
Nearby – but not related – Peppers Guesthouse presents a sublime setting for Hunter Valley weddings, with a tiny wooden chapel (above), manicured gardens and acclaimed Roberts Restaurant. With 17 rooms, the country-chic guesthouse is the perfect spot to unwind with friends and family in the days surrounding the wedding.
Sporting chance
A guaranteed hit with grooms, Wandin Hunter Valley (above) is home to the Cricketers Pavilion, a replica of the classic white-walled outpost at Lourdes. Host your ceremony outside between two towering gum trees, or in the barrel-lined barn, then celebrate with a reception in the pavilion. Return the following day for a recovery lunch and a laid-back cricket match.
St Patrick’s of Nulkaba © Society Photography
Wandin Hunter Valley © Nicholas Pitt
Beach weddings
Kristy and Steve's wedding in Hamilton Island, courtesy of Six Degrees Photography
Is a traditional church wedding not for you? A beach wedding might be a great alternative.
In addition to providing a more relaxed location for your guests, a beach setting offers fantastic photo opportunities. Beach celebrations also allow for different wedding themes, vibrant ceremonies and simple attire. Imagine a bridal party in white Havaiana thongs or even bare feet. If you’re a low-maintenance sort of bride, a long sundress and natural bridal hairstyle could be as beautiful as a corseted wedding gown and an updo.
Australia has some of the best beaches in the world, so there is no shortage of beach wedding options close to home. If you don’t want to get married right on the beach, there are also many lovely waterside venues with stunning views to the sea.
Bear in mind that it may be necessary to apply to your local council for permission to use the beach you’d like. Most councils also charge a minimal fee for use of public spaces, which covers both the reservation and insurance costs.
If you’re planning on getting married in the winter months but still like the sound of a beach wedding, consider having a destination wedding overseas. From Fiji to Malaysia, the choice of exotic beach locations is endless. If you need inspiration, check out real-life wedding couple Piper and Jordan’s ceremony in Hawaii. In Piper’s words, “it felt like a dream” and judging by the photos we couldn’t agree more!
Piper and Jordan's wedding in Hawaii, courtesy of Tealily Photography
Piper and Jordan's wedding in Hawaii, courtesy of Tealily Photography
Piper and Jordan's wedding in Hawaii, courtesy of Tealily Photography
If you do choose to have a destination wedding, consider hiring a wedding planner to organise your suppliers, as doing this on your own may be difficult. It’s also a good idea to hire a wedding photographer that specialises in beach wedding snaps to get the most out of the setting.
For more inspiration take a look at our real-life beach weddings. Examples like these will make planning your own beach wedding a breeze!
Love, the Bride team xx
Summer wedding extras
Excited by this string of warmer days, we couldn’t help but notice that today marks the halfway mark of the spring season. As the sunsets grow later and temperature lows move into double figures, we’re wondering whether the prime season for outdoor weddings is at last upon us. With the sun peeping through and the temperatures rising, the Bride team thought they ought to share a few ideas with you to help make your summer wedding shine.
Bamboo fans, flip-flops for swollen feet and novelty sunglasses are clever extras we’ve seen our real-life wedding couples incorporate into summer weddings. As another option, cool cocktail welcome drinks and refreshing desserts like miniature ice cream cones or fruit are low-key summer extras that won’t blow out your budget. Don’t be afraid to get creative with summer extras! Set up a summer service station much like you would a dessert bar and pack it with aromatic facial spritz sprays, ornamental paper fans and vintage-style bottles of insect repellent and sunscreen.
Interpreting the weather forecast for any given day is never as straightforward as an anxious bride would like. Choose stylish designs for your summer extras in fitting with your wedding theme or colour scheme so that if their functional purpose diminishes with the weather, they will still be appropriate for decorative purposes. Selecting extras in fun and stylish designs will also entice your guests to take these pieces home –that’s your guest bomboniere covered!
Love the Bride team xx
Santorini sunset
Image courtesy of Stavros Niflis
Dreaming of a destination wedding? Well take a look at this gorgeous wedding in the picturesque setting of Santorini.
Amanda and Jake booked the entire Lefkes Village Hotel for five days to accommodate their cosmopolitan guest list, with friends and relatives joining them from all over the world.
Amanda chose not to have any bridesmaids in respect of her new family’s orthodox beliefs. “In the orthodox faith, bridesmaids should also be Greek Orthodox and my closest friends weren’t, so I decided to fly solo,” she says.
The groomsmen, however, had a significant impact. “According to custom, while the groom dresses, the groomsmen ‘pinch’ him with a needle to make him realise the life-long decision he is making and that the time is almost near,” the bride says.
The wedding was held at the Saint Trinity Church on a hill overlooking the sparkling waters of the Aegean sea. In Greece, the groom and guests wait outside to greet the bride. The priest then walks the couple down the aisle with the guests following. “Everyone was clapping and cheering as I walked up the steps of the church to my future husband,” the bride says.
The church was decorated with pots of basil for good luck and fortune. The wedding ceremony was held in the ancient language of the Greek Bible, which created a beautiful ambience for their Greek Island wedding.
After the ceremony, guests were offered hand-decorated, tiny sweet pies, so the life of the new couple would be sweet and lovely, and a strong local drink called Souma.
Adorned with flowers, candles and ribbons, the wedding reception took place around the hotel pool. The decorations were brought in from Thessaloniki and the hotel was decorated by the bride’s family.
Guests enjoyed traditional Paros wedding food and delicious wine from local wineries while lapping up the luxurious surrounds of the small isle. The final touch was the bomboniere – boxes of white sugared almonds wrapped in light-brown ribbon with a blue bead – a local custom to protect the couple from the ‘evil eye’.
Images courtesy of Stavros Niflis
Love the Bride team X
Snow-bunny brides
Image courtesy of PremierWeddingScotland.com
While a wedding in the warmer summer months is always enticing due to the long, light days and warm temperatures (and unlikely chance of rain!), a winter snow wedding can also be beautiful and unique. What’s more exciting is the fantastic variety of accessories that a bride-to-be can incorporate into her wedding ensemble. It takes a brave bride to bear the winter elements, particularly if it’s in an outdoor ceremony, but there are a few things you can do to ensure that you’re feeling snug and comfortable on the big day.
Faux fur
The best way to protect against the harsh cold when you’re in the snow is by wrapping up your bare skin in a faux fur. With the popularity of the strapless wedding gown, if you do choose to wear one on your wedding day, but are hoping to wed outside in the snow, it’s a good idea to wrap up your shoulders with a little bit of fur for extra warmth and added luxury. The last thing you want is to be quivering down the aisle as you walk towards your future husband! Faux furs come in many different colours and styles and you’ll be sure to find one that suits the design of your dress.
Image courtesy of Tony Owczarek
Sparkling accessories
Every snow princess needs some sparkly gems to doll up her bridal ensemble. Think icy diamonds, stark white pearls and dazzling embellishments. It’s a fun idea to pick jewellery pieces that may resemble snowflakes and icicles, like drop diamond earrings or a big statement necklace. This will add to the winter wonderland theme, while remaining elegant and classic.
Image courtesy of Brenner Liana
Winter bouquet
Regardless of what times of the year you tie the knot, it’s always a good idea to choose flowers that are in season. So, for a winter snow wedding, make sure your bouquet reflects that season’s flowers, but still keep it within the theme and colour scheme of the day and attire. In keeping with the snow theme, think baby’s breath, lily of the valley, sweet William, magnolias and roses – all in whites and soft colour palettes. A bouquet of any of these flowers, or other winter bloomers, will tie in perfectly and look divine!
Image courtesy of Image Eight
Fancy footwear
Stylish open-toed heels and strappy flats simply won’t do for a snow wedding, so it’s time to think about what you’re going to wear on your feet! Just because you’re getting hitched in the snow, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on stylish footwear, but just make sure that you have close-toed shoes – to avoid frozen toes and frostbite on your wedding day! There are plenty of gorgeous shoes available, so start shopping around until you find the perfect pair.
Image courtesy of Tim Harris
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