As seen on Hello May, Arifa and Tom transformed The Grounds of Alexandria into a magical origami wonderland for their wedding! Decorated with 1000 paper cranes, Ari recruited a group of friends to help with the folding.

The paper cranes are the stand out for this wedding, but following closely behind is the blush gown and the pineapple vases.

Having their ceremony in the late afternoon, Arifa & Tom had a “first look,” – This is when the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony and have their photographs. May Lane in St Peters provided us with a colourful, urban backdrop with its famous street art.

The Grounds of Alexandria (our fave venue!) continued the magic of the day with a paper crane decorated ceremony and a reception with the most beautiful table settings to die for. Fancy hollowing out pineapples to use as vases? The banquet tables were adorned with pineapples filled with bright blooms, bottles, earthy trinkets and personally packaged sachets of freckles for the guests.

This wedding was a visual splendour and made use of some very talented vendors as well as a very talented bride, who designed her own invitations and styled the whole shebang herself! But good news people – Arifa is pursuing wedding planning and design and could possibly assist you with yours! You can find out more about her work at thehappybride.

The bride designed her own invitations. LOVE!

Gorgeous flowers by Chanele Rose.

Oh them cranes! The effort was 110% worth it!

Pineapple vases are genius and how sweet & simple are the favours?!

We were so lucky that it had just been halloween! The Grounds was packed full of pumpkins!

All Things Sweet by Carissa has become a cake making fave of ours.

Instabooth provided some photography fun throughout the evening.

Bridal Gown Bariano | Flowers Chanele Rose | Cake All Things Sweet by Carissa | Hair | Makeup Stephanie Gangi | Transport Kombi Style | Photo Booth Instabooth | Ceremony, Reception & Catering The Grounds of Alexandria | Planning & Design thehappybride

Reena and Mitch designed their own wedding day at a private property in Katoomba – The Blue Mountains. With handmade signs and an aisle bordered with hand picked blooms, Reena and Mitch made their way to be married beneath the trees, under an arch of flowers and surrounded by daffodils. What a pretty picture!

The lush country gardens and lake painted the perfect backdrop for their photographs, which was followed by an outdoor reception beneath a canopy of fairy lights.

This wedding was pretty and perfect.

We just love the combination of bright & pastel coloured flowers.

The gardens at the property painted a stunning backdrop.

Personalised bunting on the cake, gives it a fun touch.

They danced beneath the night sky and those pretty fairly lights!

As featured on Polka Dot Bride, Jayne and Daniel had an eclectic wedding at their home. This wedding was very much focused around family with a nod to The Wizard of Oz. It really emphasised that there is no place like home, especially when it comes to a wedding.

When Jayne met Daniel, she already had two boys of her own. As their relationship developed, Daniel became a father figure for her boys and later on they completed their family with the arrival of their daughter. It was very important to Jayne and Daniel to have their children and their family take part in their special day. Unfortunately Jayne’s father had passed away recently before the wedding, so the use of photographs and a collection of sentimental belongings were used in the styling to reflect his presence.

Jayne and Daniel collected an array of old furniture and pieces to recycle and use for their reception. Beneath the marquee and inside their home, these pieces – chairs and tables, bench seats, lamps etc. were used to create the rustic, eclectic and homely feel that their wedding oozed.

The Wizard of Oz theme was reflected in Jayne’s ruby red shoes, their wedding at home and “Somewhere over the Rainbow” used at the ceremony and on the invitations.

Love these wooden boxes from Oxfam.

Vintage handkerchiefs were rolled and tied around the programs for happy tears. Ashdown & Bee created chalkboard signs to guide the guests.

Those ruby shoes!

Gorgeous floral arrangements by Florabomb.

Their reception was held beneath a starry night sky.

Jayne personalised some second hand, glass top nestling tables by slipping old family photographs, postcards and their wedding invitation underneath the glass.

Bridal Gown | Bride’s Feather Cape Alannah Hill | Bride’s Shoes Clarks | Hair Fiona Barton from Hairlink | Makeup Make Me Up By Yolani | Flowers Florabomb | Invitations/Stationery Eye’s On Solutions | Ceremony Venue St Lukes Anglican Church | Custom Signs Ashdown & Bee | Cake All Things Sweet by Carissa | Cake Topper Grain & Co | Wooden Ring Box Oxfam | Transport & Photo Booth Black Cab Culture

Yani and Matt had a whimsical wedding at the very charming Hideaway Retreat at Wentworth Falls. They were married underneath an arbor covered with native flowers overlooking the magnificent Blue Mountains – The view was breathtaking! They had an intimate wedding followed by lawn games, a visit by the ice cream man and a very lovely reception in a hidden room concealed by a bookcase door – Very cool! Yani collected a variety of antique teacups to give to her guests as favours and they looked fantastic on the tables.

This wedding reflected Yani and Matt’s personalities to a tee – It was quirky, fun and very chilled out.

Yani’s dad was very crafty and made the wooden ring box.

Yani, her mum and her mother in-law made the bouquets themselves.

They were married under a rustic arbor covered in native blooms.

They had prepared ice cream tokens for their guests to use once the ice cream truck arrived. Hmmmm…Ice Cream.

Crochet, Connect 4 and Jenga were some of the games that were set up on the lawn for the guests and the bride and groom to play.

Yani made her own cake. Pretty impressive if you ask me!

 Venue The Hideaway Retreat | Catering Diamonds Catering | Hair & Makeup K Marie Creating Beauty | Dress Always and Forever | Bridesmaid Dresses Lynnbridal.com | Rings Moissanite Co. | Celebrant Sassy Ceremonies 

Imogen and Jake tied the knot in her family’s church in Glenbrook. Literally a lane away, we were able to stroll from Imogen’s house to the ceremony! I adored her lace dress, head piece and the bright bouquets of daisies and sunflowers. This intimate wedding had a fun, vintage feel. After the ceremony, an afternoon tea was held at the church with some delicious nibbles and cake. Following this we made our way up to the stunning Everglades Gardens in Leura. This place is like heaven on earth. I could live there. It was a gorgeous day and we really enjoyed capturing this fabulous couple and their amazing entourage – One of the best bridal parties ever. (There was a part of the day where they broke out in song. The Lion King….I am not kidding!)

Chloe and Micah remind me of a disney romance – Chloe is a pretty, fair and petite young lady and Micah is tall, dark and handsome. They are a perfect fit. They are too cute and perfect together. Really!  They married at Ottimo House in Denham Court – A gorgeous country style venue. The ceremony was held in the wooden auditorium which was decorated with pastel blooms and petals – It had a gorgeous rustic, vintage feel. The lush green country and hillsides made for the perfect backdrop for the location photos.

I really loved this wedding. It is so precious to watch love blossom between two beautiful people. I must admit that during the speeches I got teary listening to the two of them talk about each other. “When I first met Chloe, I knew that if I didn’t pursue her, that I’d miss out. She was like a shooting star.” – Micah. Oh my heart!

Carly and Glenn married at the very scenic Panorama House in Bulli Tops. Rain and icy winds almost meant that the outdoor ceremony would be moved indoors, but the rainclouds passed over and we were able to take in the gorgeous coastal views that this venue is renown for. Though the winds were high and chilly (unbelievably chilly!!!) we were able to brave it and capture some images in the grounds and at the bush walk/look out just next door. My favourite part of this wedding had to be Carly’s lace, bohemian style dress. She was the most gorgeous and down to earth bride ever.

Maria and Angelo were married in the Herb Garden at the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens. I love this spot! My husband and I love to sit on a bench just across from it when we visit the gardens. It was rainy, but that did not stop the day from going so beautifully. Rain makes the garden so green and lush and the clouds soften and disperse the light in such a gorgeous way. It was an intimate wedding that included their children and united their families together. A very impressive part of the day was the swarve private boat that escorted the bridal party and guests from the Opera House to the reception at Cala Luna in Mosman. Oh, it was a great day and it was so lovely to capture it.

Hugo was 3.5 months old at his session. Now, if you’ve done your research, you’ll notice that’s a lot older than the recommended age for a newborn session. The reason 2 weeks is the recommended age for a newborn shoot is because babies are generally more sleepy and curled up at this age making them easier to pose. But in saying this, it is just a guideline. I made sure to advise Hugo’s mum that we may not be able to achieve those sleepy curled up shots as he might not sleep and because he is much stronger and stretchier at his age. The plus side to leaving a newborn session until this age is all the smiles and personality that you can capture! Anyway, despite his age, Hugo did sleep for us and I was able to capture a mix of sleepy and awake shots. Win, win!

I photographed John at 6 months –  (his half birthday.) I absolutely loved meeting and photographing this gentle and happy little fellow. And I must say that I was pretty excited that he lives on a plantation filled with crops of all sorts! (Getting driven about the property in a buggy was very exciting!) I was so pleased to return for John’s first birthday. He’s grown so much! It is so rewarding to have returning clients and to watch bubba’s as they grow. This little man is pretty darn cute. Really.