Real Wedding - Shardey & James, Sorrento VIC

February 21, 2024 In Luxe, Micro-wedding, Outdoor, Real Weddings By Ivory Tribe

Real Wedding – Shardey & James, Sorrento VIC

Shardey and James took the ceremony first, party later theory and created a dreamy oasis of sweet celebration and breathtakingly fresh, stunningly chic style. With their second wedding to follow in Italy, an intimate, Amalfi-themed soiree in Australia set the tone while allowing them to relish the beautiful beaches closer to home.

Against the expansive coastal backdrop, Shardey and James made their forever promises bathed in sunlight, surrounded by family and with their little dog by their side. Their gorgeous daughter was the ultimate flower girl, wearing an outfit in a soft powder blue, thematically tying in with the dreamy palette. Touches of warm tangerine, rusted apricot and shots of lemon yellow transition the Amalfi effect through Shardey’s bouquet by Tremella, while her custom gown by Danny Louis Official elevates the vibe to effortless, contemporary elegance.

With a tablescape accented with electric blue and soft sage shot glass, and touches of buttery yellow across intricately painted tiles, a sweetly stunning cake by Miss Ladybird Cakes and artfully relaxed linens, this intimate celebration is one for the lovers of style.

Nothing accents the day more perfectly than the electric smiles on the new Mr and Mrs’s faces – all captured with exquisite artistry by Na Lia Weddings.

The meeting.

Our first date was at Indy Biddy Bar in St Kilda. My first impression of James was, “Wow, he needs a new photographer” because his photos online were not doing him justice! Haha.

The one.

Sounds kinda crazy but on our first date we were talking about travel and he said, “Look whatever happens with us here, I would still LOVE to go to go see the silverback gorillas in Africa with you.” It was in that moment that I knew something special was about to happen. James said, for him, it was an accumulation over time.

The proposal.

It was the men’s Australian Open grand final night; we were in Lorne for our baby moon, and I was trying to make dinner reservations, but everything was closed. We had already been to the beach, so I suggested we just go back to the house to watch the match, but James insisted we go to another beach for sunset. I really didn’t know it was happening and then the suspicion arose when he said he wanted to do a time lapse of the sunset with his new tripod stand that he bought. Keep in mind I am the photographer, and he has nothing to do with photography, EVER! He then got down on one knee, we both don’t really remember what was said but there wasn’t a person in sight, and we had the beach to ourselves, exactly how we had both envisioned. It was perfect for us. When we got home, we realised James didn’t have the tripod angled properly so the whole proposal is just of our legs!

Planning process.

Being in the industry, I knew who I wanted to work with, so I had reached out to everyone with plenty of notice which made booking vendors quite easy and the fact that it was in May meant everyone had availability.

Wedding inspiration.

We were having a second wedding in Italy only a few months later so we knew it had to be Amalfi themed. We only had six guests, so we were able to splurge on a lot of custom pieces. The delicious elderflower and lemon cake was finished off with a hand painted masterpiece from Miss Ladybird Cakes. Each guest was gifted with Sicilian limoncello and hand-painted cookie favours, a sweet reminder to take home with them.

I didn’t end up looking anywhere for inspiration except maybe Pinterest for the cookie design ideas. I think we were in a unique position; I chose people whom I had admired or became friends with along the way. Our celebrant Mel from The Ceremony Store was with me when I first started shooting out of university, so I knew she had to officiate. Bek from Tremella does unreal work so I just asked her to work her magic, and the same for Ladybird. I was blown away at what they both created.

The ceremony.

Our beloved dog Fred was there and he passed away only a day after our Italy wedding and we had to say goodbye to him over FaceTime so these images are extremely precious to us.

The outfits.

My dress was a custom piece by Danny Louis Official. The dress was super flowy, and he made me feel like an Italian goddess. I had never had a custom dress before so going through that process was extremely special. Danny sketches the dress for you and then you can make adjustments if you need. Putting it on at the first fitting was really a dream come true.

Favourite moment.

The ceremony. The sun was shining on our faces, the air was so calm, and our dog and child were behaving, so we could hear the waves crashing as we read our vows.

Meaning of marriage.

It means that you are by that person’s side through all the ups and the downs. We had our friend read a poem and one of the lines is “Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.” This sums it up for us.

Wedding soundtrack.

I walked down to Resolution by Matt Corby

Funny stories (or near disasters).

After our evening photos, we stopped into Hotel Sorrento bar to grab a drink and three strangers bought us drinks so we were very warmed up when it came time to sit down for dinner!

Words of wisdom.

Make sure to give yourself time. We had a lot of other things going on and we rushed through so many nights we should have been taking breaks and enjoying being engaged. Don’t rush it if you don’t have to.

Final words.

Invest in what is important to you.

We love an intimate celebration, especially Nav & Luke’s elopement – they were married in a private ceremony and then partied at a later point with family and friends, see it all unfold.

SHARDEY AND JAMES’ SUPPLIERS

Reception venue: Hotel Sorrento

Photography: Na Lia Weddings (shot by Kirra)

Celebrant: The Ceremony Store

Florist: Tremella Botanicals

Make-up: Make-up by Skye Mazalin

Hair: Image Hair by Amy Monty

Getting ready look: Olivia von Halle

The dress: Danny Louis Official

Veil: Amelie George Bridal

Cake: Miss Ladybird Cakes

Earrings: Christie Nicolaides