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Jackie + Timmy

November 17, 2012 Posted inCosmopolitan Hotel,Gwendolynne Burkin,Jon Von Goes is a God,Rainy Wedding,Trentham Wedding

Occasionally we get emails from couples, and its as if a small dose of magic has been deposited in our inbox.

Sometimes it’s the style the email is written in. Sometimes it’s what a person has said about their connection to our photos. Something just tells us …we would be a match made in heaven.

With Jackie and Timmy, we literally read their names and I think Katie called me and said “Oh my God, did you see that email from the couple called Jackie and Timmy? We HAVE to shoot their wedding”.

From their names.

We met up shortly after and soon realised we’d actually shot their friend’s wedding last year (remember this?) and had a few other friends in common.

At our meeting, Timmy regaled us with his proposal story. Jackie was climbing up a tree at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Trentham, when Timmy thought “Well, she’s up…I’m down…this seems like the perfect time to ask her to marry me!” (Haven’t we had some winning stories on the blog this week?!)

The only catch was Timmy didn’t have a ring. All he had was a loaf of bread from the local bakery (might we add, it’s a really good bakery) and so while Jackie was up the tree, and Timmy was down on the ground, he proposed using the loaf of bread as his offering.

Is that not the most romantic thing you have ever heard in your life?  

What you’re about to see is a rainy day wedding with sun, all rolled into one. Just as soon as everyone was told to go inside because of rain, the sun would come out again and all the guests would pile back outside. Then it would start raining again…then…

This must have happened about three times before finally, the delightful (read: rockstar) celebrant, Jon Von Goes, took a small window of sunny opportunity and ran with it, so that Jackie and Timmy could be married under the same tree in which Timmy proposed with his loaf of bread.

When I got married, I was looking back on wedding photos of my own family (some of the weddings were as far back as the 1800′s) and a thought hit me like a tonne of bricks: “The photos we take will one day be held in someone’s hands, just like you’re doing now. Hundreds of years in the future, the creative decisions you and Katie make on a wedding day might be the pieces of a puzzle that fit together to tell the story of where that person came from”.

We keep that thought with us at every single wedding. Once we realised that, it changed everything.

So despite the rain, the sun, the rain and the sun, it didn’t matter a bit. All we were thinking was…

How do we tell the story of the boy who proposed with a loaf of bread to his bride up a tree in Trentham…?

Love Katie & Sarah xo

PS – keep an eye out for Jackie’s stunning Gwendolynne Burkin dress, and custom Richard Nylon headpiece, which the designer himself has named ‘The Jackie’ after this beautiful, beautiful bride.

 

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Lyndsay + Dave

November 13, 2012 Posted inAmazing ring story,Barn Wedding,Farm,Gum Gully Farm,Kids

There has never been a more gigglier, wish-she-was-your-best-friend bride than Lyndsay.

And there has never been a more chivalrous, would-go-to-the-ends-of-the-earth-for-those-he-loves groom than Dave.

Would you like to hear an amazing story? Here goes.

Just after Lyndsay and Dave got engaged, Lyndsay took a work trip interstate. After a lot of work and not much play, there was a final night party. The party was at the beach. Lyndsay and a friend took a stroll down to the shoreline. A wave crept up with just enough force that Lyndsay’s engagement ring slipped off her finger, and despite an extensive search of the water the waves just. kept. coming.

Lyndsay called Dave back in Melbourne. She was absolutely inconsolable. It occurred to both of them that they would probably never retrieve the ring.

So what does amazing Dave do?

HE TRACKS DOWN A FORMER NAVY SEAL IN SYDNEY WHO WILL SCUBA DIVE WITH A METAL DETECTOR TO FIND THE RING, of course!

(We told you it was a good story).

The navy seal was a few hours away so Lyndsay sat tight on the beach. As the sun started to rise, the navy seal arrived. Lyndsay burst into tears on his shoulder. She begged him to find her ring. And he said something completely amazing. “Everything is going to be fine. These things happen. Life sometimes throws us these little challenges to teach us something. I’m going to get you your ring back, I don’t care how long it takes me.”

Every day, for three days, the navy seal calculated the tides and took the journey from Sydney up to the beach that Lyndsay lost her ring. On the third day he called Lyndsay.

“I’ve got your ring.”

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!!!!!!!!! Lyndsay couldn’t! She was sure it must be the wrong ring. But it was the right ring. He had delivered on his promise.

We dedicate this post to that navy seal. To the amazing Dave who went to the ends of the earth for his bride. And to Lyndsay, who, upon reflection, giggled her way through the entire story.

Where there is love, there is hope.

Love Katie + Sarah xo

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Vendor Spotlight on Natalie Luke from Intique & Co.

November 10, 2012 Posted inBrighton,Styling,Vendor Series

Who are you, what is your business, and where are you based?

Natalie Luke – Creative Director of Intique & Co! A definitive, contemporary, one destination bridal boutique that I thought was missing from Melbourne’s wedding industry repertoire. Our store is full of gorgeous dresses, shoes and accessories. We also design and style weddings with the aim of producing events that are fresh an captivating! Our Boutique  and HQ are based at 283 Bay Street in Brighton.

How long have you been doing styling? How did you get into it?

I’ve been doing various sorts of styling (Fashion, Merchandising and Events) over about a 10 year period at various places. In a way I sort of fell into becoming a stylist perhaps because I had a natural creative flair (my dad is a surfboard shaper/designer and my mum a chef/seamstress) and so with each different job I had, I always gravitated towards the merchandising, design or decorating projects.

Did you always want to be a stylist? What was your path to styling like?

I actually studied PR and Event Management  before changing to an interior design Course at RMIT. Whilst soft furnishings and paintwork were a joy,  the technical drawing side of interior design was something that I really disliked. I then toyed with the idea of starting my own clothing label, because I have a great love of fashion and enjoy sketching and designing. My grandfather had a chain of women’s clothing stores, so I worked in one for a while before moving to a fashion label in Melbourne helping to grow the brand and sell it into stores. Both of these roles were great as each gave me the opportunity to be actively merchandising and styling and constantly kept me updated on the direction of trends. After that I took an event management position with a corporate events company  in charge of The F1 and MotoGP Grand Prix, as well as some freelance event co-ordinating, before I started Intique & Co. Originally Intique & Co. started out as a styling company doing fashion, event and property styling but almost 90% of our work was wedding related which is why we now focus on bridal styling & wedding design.

Favourite kind of bride/groom/wedding?

A much as I love a big wedding there’s nothing quite like a beautifully styled elopement, just the bride and groom, gorgeous decor and talented photographers to capture it all on film!

Best career moment?

Whilst I was freelancing I was asked by another styling company in Melbourne to co-ordinate the wedding of Chris Judd & Rebecca Twigley. Which of course I accepted!

Worst career moment?

We recently had some clients who cancelled their wedding the day before. Hopefully it’s the first and only time this happens!

Favourite kind of dress or designer?

Claire Pettibone and of course Vera Wang.

Favourite place when you’re not working?

I grew up on Phillip Island so I love travelling down to my home town for  a weekend here and there. And Byron Bay is my holiday favourite – the beaches are exquisite.

What do people think styling is like versus what it is really like?  

Styling is hard work! And to be honest you don’t spend too much time actually doing it, only a small portion of our work is styling. The rest is spent designing, putting together mood boards, quotations, sourcing and collecting samples, setting up, packing down, phone calls, emails, meetings…the list is endless! I think there’s a common misconception that styling is this glamorous, jet-setting job. In some cases it can be, but there’s a lot of time and work spent on important  preparation for the actual styling part!

Any other projects that are close to your heart at the moment outside of Intique? 

I’ve recently taken the plunge and captured  my dream of having my own clothing label – LUKAH – which will include a ready to wear line  and of course a wedding/evening range. It’s only early days but from little things big things will grow. Stay tuned!

 

What a stunning business Natalie has created with Intique & Co. It’s absolutely worth a visit, and we love that Natalie is there for her brides from the first dress fitting right through to planning their reception if they should need it. You can find this dream team on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and of course the Intique & Co. website here. 

 

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Wedding Bonfire

October 31, 2012 Posted inVideo

A few posts ago, you might remember seeing Gary and Damcho’s stunning buddhist ceremony on the beach at San Remo.

Well, the night before, we were invited to capture their pre-wedding bonfire at a family member’s stunning property. We happened to film some highlights and set them to music. Gary’s music! The song is called Sib Farrari and suited this magical night perfectly.

Love Katie + Sarah xo

 

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