I loved sharing Charlene and Jason’s Bright Citrus wedding earlier today and I like it even better knowing I can share their wedding film captured by Novae Films this afternoon!

Charlene & Jason

Today’s wedding is a mix of tradition, of a beautiful garden ceremony and and an urban, warehouse reception filled with the brightest of citrus tones. It speaks to the love of design of the newlyweds and their lives as they intertwine.

The couple answered our questions together, so let’s kick it off with their version of the story. “Jason & Charlene shared the same best friend in high school, although they attended different schools. Charlene didn’t like what she heard about Jason from their best friend Joey, because he would always make fun of people and sounded like a show-off. It wasn’t until after their year 12 formal that Charlene decided Jason wasn’t as bad as she thought, so they started chatting online and getting to know each other. When uni started, they found out that they shared similar break periods so they started seeing more and more of each other. Jason chased Charlene for 6 months and was rejected a few times before perseverance paid off and they finally became boyfriend and girlfriend. The rest is history.”

Matthew Mead Photography with his eye for detail and unexpected captured the most beautiful moments at today’s celebration.

The day kicked off with traditional festivities. “We decided to hold a casual Chinese tea ceremony at home before our wedding – the best part being the “door games” that the bridal party play, where the groom must prove his worth (with the help of his groomsmen) to the bridesmaids before he gets to see his bride-to-be. This meant undergoing challenges including nasty tasting force-feeding to represent the elements of marriage (sweet, bitter, spicy).

Charlene watched from her phone upstairs.

Of their photographer, Charlene says, “Matthew Mead was our photographer, and we chose him because we knew we would be spending the entire day with him and needed someone that we felt comfortable with. He was hilarious and very easy going, a bonus because we contacted him for the style of photography that we were after – photos that provided a “nostalgic” feeling by use of soft light. Matt captured our big day from the early morning until late at night, and it was important that he was familiar with Chinese traditions and customs as it made our day run more smoothly.”

Charlene wore a gown by The Wedding Boutique. She notes, “The wedding dress was a custom made piece by The Wedding Boutique, based on what the bride thought would best capture her style – it was structured but still soft with an origami-like silk dupion bodice and underskirt, with layers of tulle over the skirt. A grey silk sash with a hand made silk dupion flower was the finishing accessory to the outfit.”

Charlene and Jason chose Eden Gardens for their ceremony. They explain, “We wanted to have a relaxed and intimate summer ceremony, so we chose the lawn garden at Eden Gardens which was surrounded by tall hedges. There was a wet weather option, thankfully which we didn’t have to use, and the venue was perfect for the number of guests that attended.”

Charlene walked down the aisle to an acoustic cover of Empire of the Sun’s “Walking On A Dream”.

“Our wedding reflected our creativity as designers and our individual personalities.”

The floral arrangements were styled by Sydney Wedding Flowers.

“The weather was a major factor in our big day. The morning could not have been any better – blue sky, no clouds, sun shining. Our ceremony was planned to be held outdoors at 3.30pm, but at 2.30pm the clouds started rolling in and the sky turned grim and grey really quickly. Jason was freaking out and received a call around 3pm from the celebrant asking whether they should have the ceremony in the wet weather back up area or risk it in the garden. Jason replied with, “as long as it’s not raining down cats and dogs, we’re having it in the garden at all cost”. As the guests started arriving, the winds became stronger but luckily no rain – only a small sprinkle at the end of the ceremony. Actually, the cool change in weather worked in our favour in the end with our photos because we didn’t have harsh sunlight and no one was hot and sweaty!”

The reception was held at Simmer On The Bay. Charlene and Jason note, “Not only was the waterside location fantastic, Simmer had a great menu and was a different type of space than the typical function centre. It reflected our styles and personalities perfectly, and allowed us to show our creative side by dressing the space in whichever way we wanted. The staff were lovely and considerate of our needs.”

“What didn’t we DIY! We designed and made: – our wedding invitations and other stationery, including menus and guest book – ring cushion – handheld fans with credits list and our ceremony reading – table decorations – jars and table numbers – place settings – personalised flag name tags on paper straws for each person – tissue paper pom poms – photo booth including ribbon backdrop – dessert buffet was DIY by our sister-in-law & the bride.”

“Many of the details in our wedding were based on things we wanted to prevent – e.g. being too hot/no sun shade – we provided hand made fans; being too squashed on tables at the reception – we limited the number of seats so that everyone had ample space; tall centrepieces that block your view from one side of the table to another – we had low height flowers in hand decorated jars; our bridesmaids chose their own dresses & hairstyles so that they could feel their best; our crew dined with us at the reception so that they could feel a part of our wedding just as our guests did. Almost every decoration was hand made – many hand and finger cramps were suffered!”

“Having set up our own DIY photo booth, we managed to capture some quirky and candid photos of our guests at the reception.”

“Something Blue Cakes provided our wedding cake and cupcakes, which were made using our favourite flavours – butterscotch mud, banana & caramel, and carrot with cream cheese.”

Congratulations Charlene and Jason! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Matthew Mead Photography for sharing today’s gorgeous images.

Photo by SugarLove Weddings from Ilana and Benjamin’s Vintage Glamour Wedding

This post request goes way back to our reader survey last year (I haven’t written about it since 2008!) and today I wanted to dive in. Having your bridesmaids wear non identical gowns or mismatched is one of my favourite looks and can be a beautiful way to show off each bridesmaid’s individual style. For me, there is one key thing to remember when pulling your maid’s looks together.

Keep one element consistent throughout each bridesmaid’s look, whether that be a floral arrangement, the colour of their gowns, a special accessory or their dress length. You might choose different colours with the same length, different lengths but same fabrics with the same hairstyle, the same designer with different styles, different patterns and textures of the same colour – the possibilities are endless! Also make sure the formality is the same- a bridesmaid in a sequin clad ball gown might not work as well as you’d like if standing next to one in a shorter cotton sundress.

Let’s explore!

Colour

1. Fleur Wood 50s Slip Frock 2. Alannah Hill Royalty Riot Dress 3. Jigsaw Ballet Panel Dress 4. Fleur Wood Sweet Sultan Dress

You might have a green colour running throughout your wedding. You could give each bridesmaid a swatch of fabric and find a dress that suits them in that colour. Don’t limit yourself to solid coloured gowns though, think about patterns with the colour in them too. Above, I’ve chosen a group of dresses in soft pinks and blush. You could choose all pastel hues, brights and bolds or completely mix and match. Above is one of my favourite combinations – a group of pale pinks.

Below, the bridesmaids wear bright shades of green- from emerald, to apple and teal.

Photo by Heather P. Moore via Inspired By This

Colour Palette

“Bridal Veil” from Colour Lovers

1. Alannah Hill I’m Taking Over Dress 2.  Band Of Outsiders Plisse Dress 3. Modcloth Arts & Class Dress 4. NF By Nicola Finetti Gold Trapeze Dress

Instead of going for “green” or “black” you might choose a group of colours that influence your decisions across the wedding- you might incorporate them into your floral arrangements, your table linens and your own accessories. So they’re a great kicking off point for your bridesmaids.  If you have a huge group of bridesmaids, selecting two gowns in your colour palette gives a traditional but mismatched look.

Above I chose a colour palette and found gowns within that palette, one which draws in the other colours for a bit of cohesion. Accessories work really well into looks here too – the bridesmaid in cream might wear a mint hair flower. The one in mint might have a browney bronze belt added to her gown.

Below the bridesmaids all wear gowns in shades of inky blues and purples. They keep their dress length similar, with the same hairstyle and nude shoes.

 Photo by Taylor Lord Photography via Style Me Pretty

Length

1. Review Clothing Sabina Dress 2. Alannah Hill My Naughty Bride Dress 3. Gorman Out Of This World Dress 4. NF By Nicola Finetti Black Trapeze Dress

This look allows you to go nuts with every element of the style – from crazy patterns, to bold colours. Keeping the length consistent across your bridesmaid’s gowns can tie it all together.

Below, the bridesmaids all wore gowns in shades of watermelon and coral, but each gown is knee length, so paired with bouquets there is no mistaking the bridesmaids.

Photo by Kelly Hornberger via Southern Weddings

Designer or Fabric

Gowns by Alfred Sung

Many bridesmaid gown designers will use the same fabrics across their ranges, allowing you to pick different gowns in the same fabric while still giving each bridesmaid an individual look while still keeping a more traditional feel. Also check out designer’s seasonal collections – a designer you love may use a beautiful fabric consistently across a few pieces. Thirdly, it may be the most convenient option if you have a brilliant dressmaker – buy the same fabric for each bridesmaid, leaving the design up to them! The gowns above are all from the one designer (who offers a huge variety of colours in each gown).

Below, the bridesmaids all wear a gown made out of the same yellow chiffon. All completely different – ruffled necklines to tiered skirts.

Image by  Jill Thomas Photography via The Brides Cafe

Other elements you might choose to keep consistent are shoes, hairstyles and accessories (think belts, hair flowers and even cocktail rings!)

Are you dressing your bridesmaids differently? How are you making it work for you?

Guro & Nick

If there is one thing Polka Dot readers love, it’s a good Australian country wedding and I think the wedding of Guro and Nick certainly ticks all the boxes for a splendid country affair!

Guro tells their story. “I, Guro was backpacking through Australia when I met Nick. I saw him from across the room at the Ivy Hotel in Sydney. I walked past him on my way out, but when I got to the door I decided I had to go back and find him because he was ridiculously handsome. From there we exchanged numbers and he called me the next day. And from there it’s been an incredible journey.”

David Roche of Dig It Photography captured the beautiful, fun images of today’s celebration.

Guro chose a gown by Demetrios. She explains, ” I found my dream dress in the first store I went to in Norway. I though it was too expensive so I shopped around. After six months in Australia I found a person selling the exact dress for half price after she decided it wouldn’t go with the venue. It was meant to be! ”

Guro and Nick held their day at Belgenny Farm. Guro remarking,  “Our complete wedding took place at Belgenny Farm in Camden. Our ceremony was outside under the largest tree on the property. We made the most of the large space by playing garden games between the ceremony and reception. Food and dancing was in the beautiful Granary which has an amazing old barn charm. The on-site catering was extremely professional and the food was delightful.”  The ceremony was decorated with paper pom poms found on Etsy.

Guro walked down the aisle to The Beatles – All You Need is Love.

Of their photographer, Guro says, “Finding the photographer was the hardest part! After looking for weeks for the perfect photographer we knew David from Dig it photography was exactly what we wanted after we saw his work online. His natural style capturing our story and the moments of the day was even better than we had imagined.”

“We wanted our wedding to be a reflection of our personalities, laid-back and fun. Being a young couple we wanted it to feel like a big party for everyone. We made our own traditions!” Guests enjoyed lawn games after the ceremony.

“We bought personalised serviettes, paper flowers and lolly bags for the candy station. Our table setting consisted of bottles, which were taken from Nick’s father’s collection. These included old blue, green and clear glass bottles of all different shapes.”

“Our first dance was unrehearsed and a very emotional moment as we swayed to ‘The Wedding Song’ by Angus & Julia Stone. It was followed by ‘Home’ by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, when all our family and friends got involved in the fun.”

Congratulations on your marriage Guro and Nick! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to David Roche of Dig It Photography for sharing today’s wedding with us!