Location: New South Wales, Australia
Setting: Garden in a boutique hotel and Bells Conservatory
Wedding season: Fall
The number of guests: 100
How long did the couple plan the event: 12 months
Wedding theme/style: Relaxed elegance, quiet luxury, modern, and timeless.
They crossed paths six years ago during a casual mid-week dinner at The Greens in North Sydney. Their mutual friend, Dan, orchestrated this serendipitous meeting, marking the beginning of a beautiful love story. After a first date at Henry Deane, a global pandemic, adopting a (semi) well-behaved lab puppy, and an enchanting engagement in Byron Bay in 2021, Emma and Sean embarked on their wedding day.
The couple’s vision for their special day was to keep it as stress-free as possible, focusing on creating a natural, uncontrived atmosphere with a relaxed and celebratory vibe shared with their closest family and friends. They aimed to provide an unforgettable experience for their guests, avoiding the burden of traditional wedding formalities. Their dream was realized, and their wedding day exceeded their expectations.
Emma and Sean’s wedding concept evolved around finding the perfect venue, creating a “relaxed elegance” ambiance, and infusing a Mediterranean touch into the celebration. Both passionate travelers opted for a location wedding to allow their guests to revel in a weekend of celebration rather than just a single day. They were drawn to the idea of hosting their wedding in one place, reducing the hassle for their guests.
Nestled among the beauty of the Australian National Park and beaches, Bells at Killcare instantly captured their hearts. Surrounded by natural beauty, the venue’s garden, complete with a fountain, manicured lawns, and hedges, served as a picturesque outdoor setting for their ceremony, requiring minimal additional styling. They also appreciated the venue’s commitment to sustainability, incorporating locally grown produce into their Mediterranean-inspired menu. What made it even more special was that all accommodation was booked out entirely by their guests, creating a true weekend getaway experience for everyone.
Unfortunately, Emma and Sean’s labrador, Chloe, could not stay at Bells and be part of the big day. However, she did play a role in the engagement. If not for Chloe, Sean wouldn’t have met the jeweler in their local dog park who created Emma’s custom engagement ring! Chloe was also part of the proposal in Byron Bay.
The bride’s ensemble was elegant, with wedding shoes by Jimmy Choo. Her veil and delicate silk floral hair accessories were the creations of the Australian bridal designer Tania Maras. The jewelry was tastefully understated, designed not to overshadow the dress. It included a necklace that Emma wore daily, a cherished birthday gift from friends that served as her “something old,” and exquisite diamond earrings along with finely crafted chain bracelets by the Australian jeweler Sarah & Sebastian, representing the “something new.”
Emma’s makeup exuded a natural, radiant glow, with a touch of smoky brown around her eyes to enhance her features. Her hair was elegantly styled in a soft updo by the local artist Chanel Olivier. To complete her enchanting aura, she wore the fragrance ‘Gabrielle’ by Chanel, the same scent that Sean had given her as a heartfelt birthday gift.
Before becoming a lawyer, Emma worked in fashion and wanted to support local Australian designers throughout her wedding looks. Her wedding dress was by Australian designer Michael Lo Sordo. Chosen for its minimalistic, modern, and elegant look, but with Michael’s designs’ unparallel silk fabrication, construction, and craftmanship. Emma liked the idea of finding a dress not conventionally designed to be bridal or from a traditional bridal boutique (it was also worn by Ana De Armas in James Bond, No Time to Die, but in navy). Emma changed into a subtly sequined ivory dress by another Australian designer, Aje, for dancing after the wedding dinner.
Emma and Sean allowed the flower girls to wear what they felt comfortable in, and they ultimately chose lovely white lace dresses from Review. To complete their look, they adorned their hair with silk floral accessories from Tania Maras, just like the bride.
Sean embraced the wedding’s relaxed theme with a non-traditional look from MJ Bale, sporting white chinos, a navy checked blazer, a pale blue shirt, a cream and blue stripe tie, and navy suede loafers. He exuded casual elegance on their special day.
As guests gathered for the ceremony, a friendly atmosphere filled the air, and the guests were served with pleasant anticipation as they prepared to witness the birth of a new family.
To create a relaxed celebratory atmosphere, the couple invested in a mix of live music as entertainment throughout the day. The cello played by Emily of Accents Strings during the ceremony.
Emma and Sean decided to break away from traditional wedding formalities and keep the planning straightforward. They skipped formal bridal parties, church-style ceremonies, speeches, cake cutting, and the first dance. Instead, they opted for a shorter, warm, and relaxed garden ceremony, infused with personal vows and a unique poem.
They kept some traditional elements, such as Emma’s dad walking her down the aisle and Sean’s brother serving as the Best Man. They included three flower girls, including Sean’s daughter, Tilly, making the day extra special for the little ones. A garden ceremony was conducted in a warm and relaxed style by the couple’s fantastic local celebrant, Ally Schultz.
From Emma: “Our wedding photographer, Oliver Hartley, was my friend and old work colleague. This made the photography experience easy and relaxing, and Oliver’s natural photography style suited the vibe of our wedding. A gust of wind blew my veil straight into the air during the ceremony. It felt like an “oh dear” moment, thinking my cover would blow away. However, guests commented afterward on how amazing it looked in the afternoon sunlight. Oliver managed to capture this unexpected, split-second moment on camera, which ended up being one of the “shots” and a memorable moment of our wedding!”
Following the incredibly emotional moments, Sean and Emma, after exchanging rings and officially registering their marriage, basked in the joyous congratulations of their guests, showered with rose petals.
The guests congratulated their dear friends on this joyous occasion, and for the lovebirds, the most important thing was having their closest and dearest people by their side, wholeheartedly sharing in their happiness.
Photographer Oliver Hartley captured beautiful moments as the couple took a brief stroll after the ceremony. The setting sun, leisurely conversations, tender embraces, and kisses filled with love all photos resembled a cinematic scene as if someone had pressed pause. If you were to “press play” again, you could hear Sean and Emma softly conversing and him tenderly expressing his love for her.
The acoustic guitar and singing of Tim and Sinead from The White Tree Creative during garden canapes and dinner, the music added to the celebratory mood.
The chic navy and white striped decor of Bells, reminiscent of Mediterranean holidays, inspired the color themes used throughout the wedding, from invitations to wedding attire. The decor was elegantly understated, featuring candles, white florals with a touch of blue, and vases of olive branches that paid homage to Emma’s mother’s artwork on the invitations. A last-minute decision saw the couple opt for simple vases of local, native flannel flowers as table florals, their white and sage colors harmonizing with the Bells conservatory and other decor.
The couple chose artisanal chocolates by Australian chocolatier Cacao as wedding favors. These delectable treats were thoughtfully boxed with a navy and white striped ribbon, perfectly tying in with the color theme.
Gold heart chocolates, Ferrero Rochers, and fresh lemons, limes, and oranges added a Mediterranean touch to the decor and also served as delightful favors for the guests. Two unconventional wedding cakes, Lemon Meringue and Vanilla Buttercream, were served as desserts, complementing the overall laid-back atmosphere.
Continuing with the relaxed vibe, the wedding dinner featured a shared style menu, eliminating the need for formal courses. Guests enjoyed slow-cooked lamb, fish, roast potatoes, and sides.
A DJ from The White Tree Collective kept the dance floor alive until the end.
Advice from the couple:
• Finding our ideal venue in a beautiful location, with accommodation, a restaurant, and an experienced events team onsite, meant we could keep planning and styling minimal. The Bells events team was fantastic, and we did not worry about anything on the day! Initially, we considered renting a luxe house to stay and host the wedding. However, the planning and cost involved in this looked much more. In the end, Bells provided the ideal location for our wedding, with the most minor planning and stress for us and our guests.
• Adopting a more relaxed concept, with fewer formalities, meant we could focus on planning and including the things we considered more important and meaningful to us. Also, it allows us time to enjoy ourselves with our guests instead of running to a strict schedule.
PHOTOGRAPHER Oliver Smith | BRIDAL DRESS Michael lo Sordo | CELEBRANT Killcare weddings | JEWELRY Sarah and Sebastian | BRIDAL ACCESSORIES Tania Maras bridal | SHOES Jimmy Choo | MUAH Chanel Olivier | FLORIST Gai Hyde flowers | GROOM SUIT M.J. Bale | VENUE Bells at Kill care | DJ The White Tree creative
