Bronwyn & William

There is something about simply beautiful weddings like the classic elegance at the Gundaroo wedding of Bronwyn and William that always sweeps me away. Captured by Emma Hampton, Bronwyn and William wanted a day that was traditional and romantic, inviting their guests to a small intimate ceremony in a beautiful church before they celebrated together at a restaurant with amazing food.

As teenagers, the couple first met Bronwyn, remembering “We met when we were both 17 through a mutual friend who ended up being my matron of honour. We both lived on opposite sides of the city (Canberra) and I was still at school and didn’t have my driver’s license. Will would pick me up in his mum’s car after he finished work every Friday night and we would spend the weekend together. We loved that we grew together, from teenagers to adults.”

Bronwyn chose a beautiful long sleeve lace gown from Grace Loves Lace, falling in love with it before she was even engaged, telling “I knew before we were engaged that the Inca gown from Grace Loves Lace was the gown for me. I loved the detail of the lace, the long sleeves and the low back. Grace Loves Lace had a concierge in Sydney a few months after we got engaged and I was lucky enough to get a spot. I took my Maid and Matron of honour with me and when I tried the gown on it felt so perfect, we all had tears in our eyes. About 7 months later, I received the gown that was made just for me and it was a dream to wear.”

The bride wore a very special heirloom piece. “I wore my Grandmother’s bracelet made from Dutch coins that belonged to her grandmother. My Grandmother also wore this bracelet on her wedding day.”

The couple found a ceremony venue at St Joseph’s Catholic Church Gundaroo very close to their reception, noting “We were thrilled to have found an old Catholic Church just 100m up the road for our venue. I knew I wanted to have a traditional Catholic wedding ceremony, in a small church to give it that initiate feel – it was perfect!”

The bride walked down the aisle to Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’Ole. She remembers “Ever since watching 50 first dates with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, I knew it was the song I would be walking down the aisle to (they play it when Drew’s character Lucy walks down the aisle to marry Adam’s character, Henry). My Dad walked me down the aisle.”

“We wanted it to be traditional and romantic. We had a traditional Catholic ceremony that was relaxed and full of love. We had a special candle ceremony where a grandmother from both the bride and groom’s side would come up and light a candle then swap the candles. We tried to include most of our family in the ceremony – candle ceremony, readings and being witnesses.”

Of their photographer, Bronwyn notes “Emma Hampton was absolute magic. She was the photographer at my matron of honour’s wedding a year before ours and when we got engaged, I knew she was the one to capture our wedding. She was relaxed, professional and made us feel so good! Emma felt like one of our friends at the reception and ensured she captured every special moment but she did so in a not noticeable way (I didn’t even see her in the ceremony – she is so clever!) I cried when I saw our photos for the time – we relived our day again and we get to keep these photos forever – we are so grateful!”

The newlyweds continued celebrations with their guests at Grazing. Bronwyn notes “Grazing was the first and only place we looked at. We loved the contemporary, minimalist, romantic warm feel.”

Lilygrace Flowers created stunning floral arrangements for the day, including garlands of greenery adorning reception tables at the reception. Bronwyn notes “We had a few meetings describing the style and feel for the wedding, Alicea created stunning bouquets, buttonholes, flower crown and lush greenery at the reception. When I was getting my hair done the morning of, Alicea walked in with the boxes of bouquets and I was blown away. When I entered the reception holding my new hubby’s hand, I couldn’t believe what I saw, she had made my vision come to life. I told Alicea my idea of having a macrame backdrop of her ladder behind the head table – she loved the idea and her husband made the macrame backdrop, especially for our wedding!”

The newlyweds made a last-minute change to their first dance, Bronwyn explaining “Our first dance was ‘Can’t help falling in love with you’ – Elvis Presley. We had a precious song picked out but it just didn’t feel right. A few nights before the wedding we watched a movie together (our favourite thing to do) and in the movie was Elvis’ song. It was stuck in both our heads for days. So the night before the wedding I called William asking if that should be our first dance song, he agreed and then I emailed our DJs and we didn’t hear it again till our first dance. It was the perfect spontaneous choice!”

Bronwyn and William chose Barn Owl Films to capture a film of their day, remarking “The team were so relaxed on the day and always full of smiles. They filmed us with little direction and captured the day as it naturally unfolded. We now have a highlight clip that is watched on the regular and a raw edit film that we get to share with the entire family for years to come. We are so blessed to have found them!

Congratulations on your marriage Bronwyn and William! Thank you for sharing the stories of your day with us! Thank you also to Emma Hampton for sharing today’s beautiful celebration!