Karina & Luke

I love the Adelaide weddings that we’re showcasing (due to popular demand!) Adelaide is one of my favourite cities in Australia with it’s relaxed, laid back feel and Karina and Luke’s winery wedding has the same atmosphere.

Karina explains how she and Luke met. “A girlfriend from uni was having her birthday celebrations at her boyfriend’s house which happened to be where my groom also lived. It was a bunch of single uni girls turning up to a house full of single boys…chances of meeting someone that night were high!. My now husband was playing the guitar with his band mates in the back yard of their house and caught my attention. We chat, instantly hit it off and we have been together ever since. That was 5 years ago.”

Photographs today are by Event Imaging who have captured the romantic essence of the day.

Dare Hair styled Karina and her bridesmaid’s hair while Allure Hair & Makeup styled the makeup.

Karina wore a lace gown fromCinderella Bridal & Evening Wear  (08) 8373 7291) ” Julianna managed to turn my rambled ideas into the wedding dress of my dreams. It was simple yet beautiful, made entirely of stunning French lace.”

The floral arrangements on the day were by Bliss Events. Karina says “I cannot brag enough about the amazing job they did in putting together the arrangements for the venue and also the bouquets. The flowers and table arrangements were more beautiful than I had ever expected. My bouquet was a beautiful arrangement of peonies, lisianthus, baby’s breath and David Austin roses mostly of white with a little latte and soft pink strewn through the bouquet. The bridesmaids had a smaller bouquet with similar flowers however they had mostly soft pinks and latte with a little white strewn through. They looked gorgeous against their cream dresses.”

Karina and Luke chose Bird In the Hand Winery for their wedding. Karina explains, “We had always thought we would have our wedding at a winery, so we checked out numerous wineries across Adelaide’s wine regions (with quite a few wine tastings later), but couldn’t find the venue that met all our needs. The groom’s family live in Woodside and so one day we thought it an idea to pop into this little winery in Woodside (Bird in Hand). We were instantly in love with the picturesque setting that oozed class but also had a relaxed vibe. The staff were incredibly helpful in the planning process and were willing to accommodate any ideas we had.
We had  roaming entrées in the outdoor garden whilst the sun was out and then moved into the barrel room for a sit down main and dessert. Turned out perfectly.”

Karina walked down the aisle to “An acoustic version of David Gray’s ‘This Years Love’ sung by our best man. My husband and his best man play in a band together and every time I hear him sing this song at a gig, I love it! So it was special to both of us that he played this song as I walked down the aisle.”

Of the day, Karina says “It was an amazing day when we got to share our love for each other with all of our beautiful family and friends…lots of fun, laughs and wonderful memories. ” Karina’s bridesmaids wore gowns from Wild Child Stylelab and added tulle under the skirt. The groom and groomsmen wore suits from The Suit Co.

Of their photographer, Karina says, “Pete from Event Imaging was amazing, the bridal party loved him and he made the process of having photos taken fun and relaxing. He captured the vintage/romantic theme we were wanting perfectly.”

Karina made the seating chart herself but most of the stationery came from UK stationer Ivy Ellen. Karina explains ” I had ordered the wedding invitations and order of service booklets from an online store in the UK called Ivy Ellen. I chose a vintage floral design that was gorgeous and different from anything I had seen before. ”

Karina notes “A lot of the decorations were made or sourced ourselves. My mother and I hunt through the thrift stores across Adelaide for vintage glass vases, lamp shades and photo frames which we painted for table numbers and blackboards. We sourced some gorgeous floral material and lace trim which friends made into serviettes for the day. They looked amazing! We made a table seating board ourselves also which stood on a large easel at the entrance. It all came together beautifully. I also made lace trim for champagne glasses given to each guest on the bus for the trip to the venue. ”

For favors, Karina says, “We made homemade Onion Jam ( a recipe from the groom’s family) and gave little jars with lids made up in various vintage floral materials to each guest. It took a lot of man hours to make, but they looked gorgeous and added a personal touch.”

The wedding cake was made by Heidelberg Cakes. Karina says “We had a five tier cake stand filled with individual cakes coated in white chocolate with fillings of either strawberries and cream or baci. Tiers decorated with beautiful flowers from Bliss Events matching those used in the bouquets. ”

Karina recalls “The highlight of the evening was without doubt the best man speech.  Our best man surprised us all by writing and singing a song as opposed to a speech. It was the most incredible speech I have ever heard with a standing ovation from the guests. Everyone still talks about it and we listen to it regularly!”

The couple hired the band The Last Broadcast to perform at the reception . Karina says “For our first dance we danced to ‘I shall be released’ by Bob Dylan. We are both not much of dancers so it was a very simple bridal dance.”

Congratulations Karina & Luke! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us on Polka Dot Bride! Thank you also to Event Imaging for sharing today’s images!