Real Wedding - Amelia & Daniel, Ewingsdale NSW

March 25, 2024 In Blue, Luxe, New South Wales, White By Natalie Drum

Real Wedding – Amelia & Daniel, Ewingsdale NSW

We love a refreshingly glam, ultra-chic celebration, and Amelia and Daniel’s breathtaking Bryon Bay soiree is all that and so much more. From the incredible hinterland views to the exquisite visual effect, all underpinned by uninhibited emotion, this day is a treat for the senses and the soul.

Cloud-like floral arrangements in monochromatic vanillas and soft cornflower hues by Filflar Florals enhance the lush green backdrop to perfection, transitioning the modern romance through to the reception space in cohesive aesthetic form. Darling details add personal touches throughout the decor, including poignant symbols of Amelia and Daniel’s ancestry and family history.

But nothing is more jaw-dropping than the new Mr and Mrs. Daniel looks sleekly sharp in his tux by YSG Tailors, simply beaming at his new wife. Amelia stuns in her exquisite custom creation by our friend Elissa Marie Design. She weaves old-world glamour and contemporary style in a dynamic cats-eye bodice and the perfect tiered tulle skirt, giving equal parts modern princess and femme fatale.

As the sun descended on the epic dance floor, Amelia switched out her gown for a chic mini dress by Elissa Marie Design, ready to head off into the night with her new husband. Jenna Fahey White was there to capture every enthralling moment with true artistry—scroll on for a visual feast!

The meeting.

It all started out with an add on Facebook, back in 2011. At the time, I was a sucker for a “like for inbox” trending status; Daniel couldn’t resist the opportunity and liked the status awaiting the “hey” to come through his DMs. A few boring, unmemorable conversations go by and the connection fizzles.

Fast forward a few years, the girl finishes Year 12 and goes to the Sporty (the local nightclub at the time) to celebrate, and bumps into Daniel. This is where we officially met, in person, and when Daniel started the chase again!

The ‘one’.

Well – a plastic ring on the first date was a pretty big sign!

Back story: for our first date, we went to a local shopping centre, went out for lunch, saw Focus at Gold Class, and then went to the Arcade Games for a while. The funny thing about this date was we opted for a mystery prize with our ticket wins, where the guy handed us a case that, once opened, had a few lollies in it, a mini deck of cards, and a plastic ring!

The proposal.

Daniel had been planning to propose in the Whitsundays, but Covid blocked our three-time postponed holiday, which got in the way of that! He couldn’t wait, so we got engaged in December 2021 at Pt Leo Estate in the Mornington Peninsula.

We rotate who organises a ‘date night in a box’, and this time it was Daniel’s. I was going out with my cousins the night before, so before I left, I asked him what to pack to wear to the surprise date – he picked a white dress. The next morning, we met up with him at Chadstone where Olivia (my sister, maid of honour) – the one person he didn’t tell he about his plan to propose – was in my ear the whole time, ‘Do you reckon you’re getting engaged today? I think you are.’

When we saw Daniel walking towards us, looking dapper in his best shirt, Olivia turned to me and said, “You’re so getting engaged today; look how handsome he looks.”

The whole drive there, he was chatting away, trying to hide his nerves. Then we arrived at Pt Leo Estate, and the person who always forgets to bring a jacket packed the biggest winter jacket he has (in December), and that was the confirmation for me that he was hiding a ring. So, we get to the park and start walking around; Daniel starts speed walking in different directions, “Maybe we should go here”, “let’s get in front of this crowd”, “let’s go over there”. I don’t know how many times I had to remind him I was in stilettos on gravel and couldn’t keep up!

Then we get to one of the sculptures that’s overlooking the water, where he is trying to get me to pose looking out at the water so he could “take a model shot” of me looking away (which he never does). When that plan failed, he frantically pulled me to the nearest bench seat, started his cute little speech and got down on one knee.

Planning process.

Incredibly exciting, fun and packed with DIY – I definitely have the Bridal Blues now, though!

Style inspiration.

We had always dreamt of getting married in Italy but wanted my Nonna’s to be there and travelling all that way for them was an ask too big – we just couldn’t do it! We wanted the day to incorporate a lot of things from our Italian heritage – which is where the romance of Cupid was brought into our stationary, with details all the way through to the traditional ‘streamer’ dance at the end of the night.

We’re very sentimental people, so we had a lot of ways to add meaning through the finer details, to make the day ‘us’. We incorporated all of our parents and grandparents’ favourite flowers. My Nonna always called me her blue girl (blonde hair, blue eyes), so we added a touch of blue, and my mum had the idea to have my Nonno’s initials (who have sadly passed) hand-beaded on the inside of my dress. I wore my Nonna’s bangle from Italy, got to wear Daniel’s great Nonna’s pin as my something old on the inside of my dress, Daniel has his Nonno’s wedding band and wore his watch on the day.

We engaged Christie from Haus of Hera very early on in the process as we loved her style and Instagram as a source of inspiration. We loved all the texture, finer details and neutral tones she had put together for previous weddings, and being in the industry (for an interstate wedding) played a major part in ensuring we had the best A-team for the day. Testimonials played a huge part in deciding on our vendors too!

Thankfully, my Instagram algorithm picked up on our style and vibe pretty quickly, so started recommending a combination of real wedding examples for larger styling pieces like chairs, flowers, etc. and styled shoots, which I found more useful for finer details like stationary, gifts, etc.

The ceremony.

There is so much to say but not enough words to describe it – it was everything! Obviously, locking eyes when walking down the aisle with each other was pretty special, and hearing our vows for each other was so emotional. Shout out to our amazing celebrant, Grace – our guests couldn’t believe she wrote the ceremony herself; it was so personal and heartwarming (and she even practised the pronunciation of Nonno for us!).

There are no words to describe the feeling of being at Fig Tree Restaurant—unless you’ve been there! There is such a beautiful feeling and aura there in general. Then, as you firstly see your girls walk off one by one, and then walk around the corner and start walking down the aisle, staring ahead under the Fig Tree and out overlooking the olive garden, the view is just incredible.

It sounds so cringy, but the saying ‘love is in the air’ is the only way to describe it. We opted for a much smaller wedding than originally planned, so having our nearest and dearest in every sense there under the tree as I was walking down was so special – you could literally feel the genuine excitement, awe and love from all of our guests.

The outfits.

Now, this was a process! Daniel was easy. He had always had really great experiences with YSG Tailors, so he knew from the get-go that he wanted his and the groomsmen’s suits made there.

I went to multiple amazing bridal boutiques and tried on so many dresses, and typically, the dresses and styles I thought I would love on me I hated, and the ones I doubted I liked – but I never loved any. I wanted to change too much with a few I really liked.

For my main dress, I stuck to my guns on what suited me and knew I wanted a cat-eye-shaped corset, which I couldn’t find, a split, a detachable train, and lots of detail (but not lace or beaded). I tried on a few tiered dresses and loved them, but they never quite felt right, and I loved the pleated tulle. The main inspiration I was trying to find similar to was Leonie Hanne’s iconic Georges Hobeika gold dress! That’s when I engaged Elissa Marie, who was an absolute dream to work with. We floated around a few ideas and designs, and she came up with the sun-ray pleated tulle (pleats are finer at the top and gradually get larger towards the bottom), which was custom-made in Melbourne.

Elissa also made the custom party mini dress, which I loved, and she made detachable matching bows for my shoes!

Favourite moments.

Oh, there were so many favourites. I can’t choose one, but the morning with the girls and my mum, dad, and Nonna was pretty special. Seeing Daniel in his tux holding back tears at the end of the aisle (and then getting to him) was a highlight I’ll never forget, and our first dance was very fun! It was a rendition starting with the Dirty Dancing dance into some of our favourite songs, then everyone got to join in, and the party started (and didn’t stop because everyone went out after!).

Wedding soundtrack.

Our soundtrack was pretty special, in my completely biased opinion!
The absolutely incredible Danielle Guest sang acoustic versions of Yellow by Coldplay for the bridesmaid entry, transitioned to Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac for my entry, and also sang Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder for the father-daughter dance.

Our reception entry was Gimme Gimme Gimme by ABBA (Sgt Slick remix), and our first dance was a compilation of Time Of Our Lives (Dirty Dancing version), Be My Lover by La Bouche, Crazy In Love by Beyonce, and Freed From Desire by Gala (as this went off at our engagement party!).

Our final dance was Angel by Shaggy for the traditional Italian streamer dance.

Funny stories or near disasters.

Our alcohol delivery nearly didn’t come (as the venue is BYO), we had to change the bridesmaid dresses with a few weeks to go, and my dress started coming undone mid first dance!

Planning surprises.

That it felt like it was never-ending! I enjoyed every minute of it, but at times it was definitely overwhelming.

Words of wisdom.

Some practical advice that I am so glad I followed (aside from pausing to take the moment in and enjoy every step):

Have different ‘save’ folders for different categories – folder for hair and makeup, folder for florals, cakes, etc. Save any inspo or things you like; it will make it way easier to find later, and it also helped to see everything I had saved together to identify any key themes and styles I kept gravitating towards!

Pre-organise your menus, place cards in order, and anything you’re bringing to the venue in clear stationary cases. I had one for each table and had a mini seating chart stuck to the front so anyone who was setting up knew exactly what to do and what to look for.

A very small thing – get it while you think of it or are researching it (if you can). From the bridesmaids’ PJs, dried flower petals, anything small to buy I highly recommend just getting it and ticking it off the list because that’s one less thing you’ll have to do later.

Love Amelia’s uniquely stunning gown? For some of the best taste in the business, head over to the Fashion listings on our directory, and begin your dream day ‘fit journey in the safest, most stylish of hands.

AMELIA & DANIEL’S VENDORS

We engaged Christie from Haus of Hera very early on in the process to help us find highly recommended vendors. As we were having an interstate wedding, having that industry insight was incredibly valuable. We also definitely paid attention to testimonials.

I tried going to a few bridal expos but I personally found Instagram was the best source for styling because the algorithm will notice what you’re liking and show you different ideas from around the world. Pages like Ivory Tribe are great for little extra details and ideas you potentially haven’t seen or thought of. The best way I found ideas was actually by scrolling through the pages of venues I liked, and clicking on other weddings I liked the style of.

Ceremony venue & reception venue: Fig Tree Restaurants

Celebrant: Grace Lewin Celebrant

Photography: Jenna Fahey White

Videography: Allume Weddings

Styling: Haus of Hera

Florist: Fiflar Florals

Hair: Paula Maree Hair

Make-up: Sienna Ward

The dresses & veil: both custom made by Elissa Marie Design

Shoes: Harlo from The White Collection

Rings: Australian Diamond Company

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Lexi