Victoria and David’s wedding at Somerleys, Sutton Forest, looked like something out of a nineteenth-century romance novel. The florals alone — lilacs veiled in tulle, lilies cascading from a pavilion tent, flowers frozen into gelatine cubes for the welcome drinks — would have been enough. That quality carried through every detail: the food, the table settings, the stationery, the cake. Visually considered at every turn, and yet full of warmth. The kind of wedding that looks extraordinary in photographs and felt even better to be inside of.
Location: Sutton Forest, New South Wales, Australia
Style: Romantic, Black Tie, Elegant
Time of planning: 18 months
Number of guests: 88
Setting: Garden & Tent
Season: Spring
Victoria is a flight nurse. David is an aircraft engineer. They met through work — she was flying with the NSW Air Ambulance, he was contracted to maintain the aircraft she flew on. What started as a friendship grew into eight years and a full life together. A cocker spaniel named Betty. Two sons, Max and Beau. A family home in Sydney, and eventually a move north to Nightcliff, Darwin, when David relocated with CareFlight.
The proposal came at sunset on the Nightcliff Foreshore. Just the two of them and Betty, red dirt meeting clear blue water along the NT coast.
Their working lives run on precision and zero margin for error, so when it came to their wedding, they wanted exactly the opposite: a single location, no schedule pressure, and a day given entirely to being present.
What was the inspiration behind your wedding?
I had many conversations about my dream wedding over many years with my friend Heidi. It was a concept that evolved over time, and as my relationship with David developed it naturally became about us. Given that we work in highly structured, time-critical and fast-paced environments, the focus was on a relaxed, effortless experience. We wanted to be present in the moment and enjoy the day together with our families and friends.
I started planning the wedding almost immediately. I was particular about which vendors I wanted and conscious they would book out in advance. So locking in my dream vendors was a priority from the beginning. David’s only request was to avoid an old money aesthetic and focus on modern romance with a classic feel. I wanted a styled theme that flowed throughout the entire event — Heidi from The Romance Styling worked to create something that connected from start to finish.
How did you choose the venue?
I flew down from Darwin by myself for a site visit at Somerleys in Sutton Forest. As soon as I drove through the gates and saw the incredible property, I saw David. I instantly pictured him standing there in his suit becoming my husband. It felt like us.
I wanted a wedding location where we could do everything — ceremony through to the end of the night. I didn’t want guests required to relocate during the event, but I still wanted to create different spaces, and Somerleys had so many beautiful scenic locations. The property felt private, natural, grand and historic.
We had a separate residence behind the main homestead for the bridal party to spend the day getting ready. We chose an area called the woodlands for the ceremony — surrounded by tall trees that created a natural canopy. It felt intimate despite the scale of the property. From there, guests moved up through a narrow path that opened into a pool space and bar. The entrance gave the feeling of a secret garden. Then back down past the homestead — where our silk seating chart hung from the balcony — and into the Pavilion tent for the reception. The flow of the event was something I really thought about. I wanted guests to feel relaxed as they moved from one space to the next.
Getting Ready & Fashion
When it came to my dress, I knew exactly where I was going. I spent ten years living in Paddington and walked past Pallas Couture almost every day on my way to work at St Vincent’s Hospital. I’d dreamed of wearing one of their gowns. I wanted a timeless look with a contemporary design — a large, voluminous skirt and a figure-sculpting strapless corseted bodice that felt strong and beautiful. The gown was made in a slightly luminous silk.
I paired it with a cathedral veil by Steven Khalil. That veil was actually chosen by my dad. We were both drawn to the soft tulle and floral embellishments that looked like a flower crown. As our wedding had so many floral motifs throughout, it felt like it connected my look to the overall theme beautifully.
My bouquet was created by Simone from Rosa Rosa using bearded iris, ranunculus and sweetpea. I had multiple pairs of shoes throughout the day — but I fell in love with a pink satin pair of pointed toe heels by Amina Muaddi. My perfume was The Noir 29 by Le Labo. All my bridesmaids had their hair up, so I decided to wear mine down in an effortless wavy style to contrast the structure of the bodice. Makeup was soft and natural — nude and pink tones.
We spent a long time finding the bridesmaid gowns. I wanted each of my ladies to have an individual gown and colour. They all naturally have their own styles and I wanted to draw on that.
With the colour palette in mind, we searched for gowns and they ended up more beautiful than I could have imagined — a plum velvet with a matching chiffon scarf, lilac silk with white floral lace embellishments and a train, an off-the-shoulder deep emerald green, a baby pink embellished with beaded rose detailing with attached chiffon gloves and train, and a classic fitted black with silver detailing around the neckline. The bridesmaid bouquets used contrasting florals — orchids, roses and calla lilies — all tied together within the colour palette.
As for David and his groomsmen — he decided he probably needed to organise suits about six weeks before the wedding. He purchased them at Joe Black Menswear. Our florist created matching creamy rose boutonnières for the groomsmen, both fathers, and our two sons, Max and Beau.
The florals are absolutely stunning and diverse. How did you approach choosing the floral design?
I will always look back at our wedding and dream of our florals. It was truly magical. I can’t take credit for how the design came together. All I did was provide a creative space for Simone and Heidi to do what they do best. The florist wanted to make sure the flowers were placed perfectly so we felt surrounded by them at every angle. The floral design was garden inspired and textural using soft pale pinks, deep burgundy and wine tones, creams, ivories, red and purple in single variety clustering.
As we had planned a wedding for October, the original idea was for dramatic hanging wisteria as the ceremony and reception feature. About two weeks before the wedding the temperature increased early for spring and the wisteria bloomed earlier than expected. We got a call from our florist, Simone, and it was likely the wisteria wasn’t going to hold out until our day. So Heidi and Simone got working on an alternative.
This is where the idea of the veiled florals was developed. Keeping with our colour palette, Simone sourced lilacs to replace the wisteria. I’d never seen veiled florals at a wedding or event before and was excited to see a theatrical element to the ceremony.
The ceremony was by far my most cherished experience of the day. Simone’s team peeled back the floral veils before I walked down to the ceremony to leave a moment for my veil. The aim of the concept was to give romance and a bit of drama. I loved the uniqueness of the idea and it left a memorable impression on our guests. Looking back over the photos they feel so romantic. For me the veiled florals felt connected to me as the bride.
What was the palette, and how did it translate into the decor?
The colour palette was something Heidi and I really put a lot of thought into. I’d always imagined using deep tones with burgundy in my wedding. Ultimately we created a palette of ivory, plum, burgundy, deep tonal purple, lilac, silver, transparent glass, a minimal touch of black and a pop of baby pink. This was incorporated into the beautiful garden greens of the Somerleys gardens.
The cubed florals I made myself as part of the welcome drinks display. They are actually gelatine cubes with florals set inside. This gave the illusion of ice, however they did not melt in the sun. The bar menus were created by Emily from Esthetic Bride.
For the cocktail hour I found a vintage silver tray in an antique warehouse in Sydney and we used this to feature the cocktail bar menu. The swan statues were new additions to the Somerleys bar and rather than have our menu on a stand it was perfect to feature them.
The atmosphere in the Pavilion tent was beautiful. It felt romantic and unique. Styling details included tall plum taper candles of various heights in crystal glass holders, crystal cut glassware, pink and ivory velvet tablecloths with plum velvet napkins and draped plum purple chiffon over the table lamps. The florals included an incredible moment of 150 lily heads strung and spilling down from the side of the tent.
That Stationery Suite and Seating Chart Were Incredible. Where Did the Idea Begin?
My inspiration for the wedding invitations was the 2024 Met Gala invitation. I wanted a single deep red rose illustration to feature on the invitations that felt romantic and dramatic. Overall I wanted the invitations to look clean and simple — ivory cards and a burgundy envelope. The rose illustration was created by Emily Lawrence. We then created table numbers and menus that matched the invitations to keep the theme consistent.
The seating chart was something very special. It was a six-metre ivory sheer silk chart that hung from the Somerleys homestead balcony, embroidered with wisteria and lilac floral embellishments, with the guests’ names in ivory print. I wanted it to feel soft and relaxed rather than a rigid sign board. It was truly magical as it floated in a light breeze and created a point of interest for guests to wander up to the homestead. The seating chart, reception table numbers and menus were the only signage I had throughout the day.
The Menu, the Drinks, the Cake
When we picked our wedding location I really wanted to find somewhere with great food and lots of it. Somerleys have an onsite kitchen and chef and we went for a tasting day before the wedding to choose the menu. All of the food was divine and the chef and his team were so attentive to detail.
Welcome drinks of sparkling and beers were served as guests arrived to the ceremony. For cocktail hour we chose our personal favourites — margarita and negroni. Beer and wine selections we selected ourselves, taste testing at home, and all drinks were supplied by Dan Murphy‘s wedding service which was seamless. With our wedding cake service we had a round of espresso martinis.
The cake was made by Valentine from Vege Mamma. I chose a deep burgundy icing over a traditional white. It was a four-tiered cake with a vintage feel — each tier had scattered piped floral details. The flavor was chocolate fudge cake, salted caramel, toasted hazelnuts and vanilla bean swiss meringue buttercream. We served the wedding cake as our dessert.
What made the day unique? How did you feel?
David and I both agree one of the most special moments for us was our two sons walking down to meet their dad during the ceremony. They had matching boutonnières to David and little black suits. Their faces lit up when they saw David waiting for them.
My bridesmaids are not just five of my closest friends. We all grew up together. We have celebrated each other and been a part of each other’s lives for 34 years. The friendship I share with these women is something that is so special to me. So having them a part of my wedding was so incredible.
A little tradition was a brooch I had pinned on my bouquet. This belonged to my late Nanna — my dad’s mum. On my dad’s side of the family there are six women who have all worn the brooch on their wedding day.
If we had to pick one memorable moment it would be our ceremony entrance. Walking down and seeing David looking at me is a moment I will never forget. I wish so much I could experience that moment again. As our sons are still quite young, we had a short ceremony to keep them calm. Having our two sons present for the ceremony was very special.
Advice from the couple:
• Take a few moments throughout the day to take it all in.
• The sunset photos are well worth the effort — it was a romantic moment for David and I to step away, just us.
• Find a wedding perfume scent specifically for your wedding.
• I would recommend wedding dance lessons. It was exciting and fun and I felt confident on the day.
• Great food, great drinks and great music is a winning combination. I made a last-minute decision to hire a violinist for our ceremony and it was one of the best decisions I could ever have made. Zoe’s music was so incredibly beautiful. Our live musician and DJ Seani elevated the party from cocktails to finish.
• Trust your stylist and leave space for creativity.
