Vanessa and David’s Black Tie Cafe Sydney Wedding

Vanessa & David

Oh what a beautiful black tie wedding at Cafe Sydney I have for you today. The entire day glittered – from the bride’s accessories, to the shimmering silver cake to the lights of Sydney Harbour. Marcus Bell from Studio Impressions was there to capture it in all of its grandeur.

Of how they came to be, Vanessa recalls, “David and I met on a Qantas Aircraft. I was a Qantas Flight attendant working upstairs on the upper deck of the Boeing 747. The flight was not very busy and David started to talk to me. It was a little difficult at first as we are both shy and I did not want to appear unprofessional by giving a passenger too much attention. David felt that he somehow knew me from the moment he boarded the aircraft, though we never had met. At the end of the flight, David was very discreet in giving me his business card with a get well message on it as I had returned to flying only a few months prior after having major spinal surgery. I emailed him and I guess the rest is history!!!”

Vanessa wore a sleek gown with a cowl neck by Lilli Marcs and a beautiful veil from Kristi Bonnici . She remarks, “A very special detail of our wedding was the creation of my bridal veil. I was highly recommended to Kristi Bonnici. I was most definitely NOT disappointed. Kristi was lovely to work with and I just love the veil that she made for my day. I will be keeping it for my daughter one day should she wish to wear it.

I also must say that my dress was made by Lilli Marcs and I was extremely happy with the outcome and just blown away by her creativity. Lilli is just another beautiful person to work with. Her creations are amazing and will bring you to tears!!! I had beautiful lace and crystals throughout my veil and dress.”

The couple chose St Thomas’ Anglican Church, North Sydney for their ceremony, noting, “We were married in St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney NSW. It is a beautiful Gothic style church. The minister, Reverend Richard James and his wife are wonderful and they make your day just extra special. We were so pleased with the service, we would not have changed a thing.”

Eden Floral Design styled all of the floral arrangements on the day, Vanessa noting, “Rebecca from Eden Florist in Randwick was amazing. She did such a wonderful job of all the flowers and the decorating of the venue. I found her very easy to work with and a true perfectionist in all her work. I can’t recommend her highly enough! She is a true artist…I was just so very happy with whatever she did.”

Vanessa walked down the aisle to Trumpet Voluntary by J Clarke.

Vanessa remarks, “We wanted to keep the theme simple and elegant. We tried to reflect this from the very start with our invitations through to the final event at Cafe Sydney. The only colour added was via the bridesmaids dresses (from Bridesmaids Only) in the navy/royal blue.”

Vanessa loved, “Having David’s three children( my stepchildren) as part of the bridal party, as well as having our daughter as the little flower girl.”

Of their photographer, Vanessa notes, “Marcus Bell from Studio Impressions was brilliant. He was such a lovely person and so easy to work with. He was very accommodating with not only ourselves but all the family who wanted to get photos too. His photos are great…we are still debating over which ones to have in our album as you just can’t choose as they are all so good.”

The newlyweds chose Cafe Sydney  for their reception, telling, “It is a beautiful restaurant that has breathtaking views and food to match. Kate Parsons was our functions manager and she did a wonderful job of organising a magnificent evening. We just LOVE this location/restaurant, the staff are excellent, the location and views are magical and the food is exceptional!

Everyone from our wedding is still coming up to us with great comments about our wedding venues. Some of our interstate guests have even been back to Sydney and to Cafe Sydney …they enjoyed it that much!!!”

For favours, Vanessa remembers, “I sourced some lovely handmade chocolates from Coco Chocolate in Kirribilli. They hand made beautiful heart shaped chocolates that I added to little pouch bags with a crystal heart on them. My Mum and I were preparing these just a few days before the wedding as the chocolates were very freshly made and we wanted them to be at their best for our wedding day.” The lace and crystals of Vanessa’s look was picked up in the wedding cake by Faye Cahill Cake Design.

Vanessa notes, “All the flowers were white or variations of the white. The tables at the reception were decorated with my favourite Singapore Orchids. ( A flower I had grown to love from all my International trips to Singapore) The Bridal Table and my bouquet had the white Phalaenopsis Orchid, I had always admired this flower in the photos of my mother’s wedding bouquet, I wanted to carry this through into my wedding as a little tribute to my Mum.”

“All of my stationery I had also sourced from my all time favourite card maker in the UK. “Five Dollar Shake”. Once again the staff here were just so helpful, especially Caroline, the Bespoke Stationery Manager. I could not have been happier with all the beautiful items of stationery. Our Order of Service and the Invitations were just perfect. We had the crystal theme throughout.”

“My parents had a running joke with David should he ask for my hand in marriage that they wanted a dowry of farm animals….. of course this was a joke!!! David apparently bought some toy animals and presented them to my father when he asked if he could marry me. My parents have kept the animals until our wedding night whereby they were placed around our wedding cake and referred to in my father’s wedding speech.”

Of their first dance, Vanessa remembers, “It was to Bruno Mars “ Just The Way You Are” . This song had a lot of meaning to us. We started to dance on the balcony with beautiful views over Sydney Harbour and we were quickly joined by our two year old daughter…it was a very special moment for all of us. ”

Vanessa recalls, “I loved all the family and friends that joined us on our day. So many had traveled from interstate and some from overseas. It meant a lot to us – the effort they all made to share our day with us. My grandparents who are close to 90 years old were also there which was very special! Seeing David so happy and sharing our day in such a such a wonderful way…it was a dream come true.”

Congratulations Vanessa and David! Thank you for allowing us to share your story! Thank you also to Marcus Bell from Studio Impressions for sharing today’s wedding with us!