Real Wedding – Annabelle & Henry, Rose Bay NSW

July 19, 2023 In Beach, Blue, New South Wales, Real Weddings, White By Ivory Tribe

Real Wedding – Annabelle & Henry, Rose Bay NSW

Annabelle and Henry’s seaside-inspired celebration is a stunning Hamptons-style ocean scape of crisp white decor, sweet blue accents and seafoam-like waves of florals. And, of course, the secret ingredient that makes a wedding day intensely special: understated, heartfelt and one-of-a-kind romance.

We love the ceremony setting, with a beautiful Harbourside backdrop and soft natural timbers, elevated with bold blue-hued floral pots to line the aisle. Bridesmaids in sweet cornflower blue add a fresh touch, while the groomsmen give relaxed cool in their slate-toned suits. Annabelle absolutely glows in her bridal fit – a glam gown by Jane Hill cut with chic contemporary lines and a sleek silhouette. The modern corset styling across the bodice adds a wow factor through understated elegance.

There to capture every moment and create a maritime-inspired portrait session to wow is photographer Luminous Moments. Scroll on to see every darling detail unfold through their lens.

The meeting.

We met on 12^th September 2020 at a friend’s birthday party. Our friend had planned to set us up, and we both arrived at the front door of the party at the exact same time. We got chatting immediately, so before we walked in the door, we were already deep in conversation and were almost inseparable the whole evening.

The ‘one’.

Two weeks after we met, we went away to Henry’s family property in the Hunter Valley. We were going to stay the weekend and check out some wineries, but we ended up staying the whole week and spent the week cooking, visiting wineries, watching movies, and drinking wine by the fireplace. I knew then that was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

The proposal.

We had just moved to Adelaide a few weeks earlier, so we spent the weekend exploring Adelaide. We had lunch at Osteria Oggi, a fabulous Italian restaurant, followed by a few cocktails at a local pub. After a few drinks, Henry suggested we go home and keep the party going. It was around 5pm, and we were sitting outside, had the bonfire on and were with our dog, Marley. In our cosy little sanctuary, Henry dropped down on one knee and popped the question. We spent the rest of the night drinking champagne, calling all our family and friends, and soaking in my new ring and all the love. We had a trip to Fiji booked two days later, so we had a little engagement – moon!

Planning process.

Stressful! I am a perfectionist/ stress head. Originally, I was so overwhelmed with the idea of planning a wedding that I thought about eloping multiple times. However, once I started to think about us and our style, everything fell into place, and it became more enjoyable. I really enjoyed working with the suppliers, and understanding what they could bring to my wedding was super special.

Style inspiration.

Classic, elegant, and timeless. As a couple, we are very easy-going and enjoy the simple things in life, so we wanted our wedding to reflect that. Our venue had so much character to it that we didn’t want to take away from the beautiful water views; we just wanted to add to that.

Our colour scheme, blue and white, was an easy pick. Blue to match the ocean and complement the water views, and white for that timeless, elegant wedding look.

Real weddings that I found via wedding photographers were the most helpful for inspiration. Instagram was a great platform to view real content; it created such a real/ vivid image of what the wedding could feel like. Originally, I started my inspiration through styled shoots/ wedding dress designers etc. However, the more I deep-dived into planning my wedding, I really craved the realism of a real wedding. I also read a lot of online blogs about couples’ tips and tricks for their wedding day.

The ceremony.

The clouds parted before I hopped into a vintage Jag on the way to the wedding, so I just knew it was going to be incredible. I really do think our ceremony was perfect; I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room. I could feel the love radiating from all our guests. I don’t think Henry and I broke eye contact throughout the whole ceremony, besides one moment when we looked around the room to take in everyone who was there to celebrate with us.

The outfit.

I had my sister (maid of honour) and my mum come visit me in Adelaide for a weekend, and we spent it trying on different dresses, laughing, and celebrating with cocktails. This made finding the dress so much more fun. However, it wasn’t an instant moment where I was like, ‘This is the one’. We took pictures of the dresses I loved and then went through the photos of each dress and discussed what and why we liked each. I wanted something classic and timeless, and ‘The Tommie’ by Jane Hill was the winner! It met my criteria of being simple, yet it had a beautiful, detailed back and structure that flattered my body shape and made me feel super confident.

Favourite moments.

The moment right after the ceremony. Once we walked down the aisle together, the feeling of relief and pure happiness was incredible. I could not let go of his hand because it was such an overwhelming feeling but the most special feeling in the world.

Meaning of marriage.

Annabelle: It means endless respect and loyalty for one another.

Henry: Being with your best friend forever.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Can’t Help Falling in Love by Haley Reinhart

Recessional: Signed, Sealed Delivered by Stevie Wonder

Reception entry: Crazy in Love by Beyonce, JAY -Z

First dance: Drops of Jupiter Tell Me) by Train

Planning surprises.

The amount of time I spent at the seamstress took me by surprise; I didn’t realise how many fittings I would need to make sure the dress fit perfectly.

Words of wisdom.

Remembering why you are getting married in the first place and keep reminding yourself of that through times of stress. It’s so easy to get caught up stressing over the little things, but in the end, you are there to marry the person that you love and want to share the rest of your life with. Being able to celebrate the day with your family and friends, being surrounded by good food, wine and a nice venue, certainly elevates the occasion.

Annabelle and Henry nailed their venue situation – so if it’s ocean location you are after, we’ve got the ultimate Victorian venue for you. Perched above the beach with stunning views, The Dunes offers all you could want in a wedding venue. Read more about why this could be the perfect choice for you, here.

ANNABELLE & HENRY’S VENDORS

I have to say my mother was extremely helpful in this area; she knew lots of suppliers around Sydney, which made planning a wedding from Adelaide a tad easier! I also have a few friends in events, so I picked their brains about where to start; otherwise, Instagram was a great place to find suppliers too.

Ceremony & reception venue: The Boat House, Rose Bay (Kiosk/ deck)

Celebrant/Officiant: My uncle, Mark Reed (he does all our family weddings)

Photography: Luminous Moments

Florist: Susan Avery, Woollahra (small world, went to primary school with her daughter)

Hair: Mietta Salon (my hairdresser for the last 15 years, incredible leading up to the wedding and on the day because she knew me so well)

Make-up: The Future Mrs, Tenielle Sorgiovanni

The dress: Jane Hill – The Tommie

Veil: Imagine Bridal

Shoes: Dune London

Rings: Tiffany and Co

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Misha

Suits: Calibre