Marayka & James
There is a very special feeling to Marayka and James’ wedding day – they chose a modern classic feeling, but they included elements that made sure everyone they loved was involved. Their family and friends surrounded them as they said their vows, they held a catered lunch and recovery barbeque to make sure they had as much time with their guests- including the tiniest ones – as possible, and they dined together at a table for two at their wedding reception. The romance was evident, the nod to classic traditions with a modern element running through every part of their day and all beautifully captured by Antony Merat.
The newlyweds tell the tale of how they came to marry. “James’ mother taught Marayka at school and our families became friends through a sailing club. We don’t actually remember when we met but Marayka was a teenager and James was living in Sydney and used to arrive back at family sailing days in Brisbane with an entourage – he was her friend’s sophisticated, cool older brother – but it would have been illegal then! Years later, Marayka had been living in London and both returned to Brisbane where James noticed Marayka was “all grown up”!”
The groom wore a suit from Anthony Squires and yes, a cliche tale occurred with the best man forgetting the rings!
Marayka chose a crystal embellished Collette Dinnigan gown and carried a bouquet of greenery and white blooms by Bouquet Boutique. She notes, “The flowers were stunning – a wonderful job by Geraldine from Bouquet Boutique at New Farm.”
The music was as special as the rest of the choices the couple made, the newlyweds noting, “Lisa Harrison sang at the Church – an old uni friend of Marayka’s and school friend of James’! Her son played the organ then led a jazz trio at dinner.”
The ceremony was held at Queen of Apostles. The couple noting ,”Queen of Apostles is the parish where James reads and Marayka’s parents attend. The courtyard area allowed a catered stand-up lunch for 160 guests.” The bridesmaids wore coordinating, but different gowns – each with a pashmina that Marayka’s bridesmaid who had traveled from France brought with her that she had had handmade in Africa. The bride also donned one for the reception.
As for the music? Marayka tells, “I walked in to Ava Maria and we walked out to an instrumental version of Johnny Cash – I Walk the Line (don’t tell Father Denis!) We loved watching peoples’ faces as they recognised Johnny Cash when we walked down the aisle!”
The ceremony had a lot of involvement from guests, the newlyweds telling, “For a Catholic ceremony it was quite modern – Father beckoned people off their comfortable (yes!) seats and gathered the guests around us as we said their vows. Father Denis had guests introduce themselves and tell their neighbours how they knew us, which created a lovely vibe and broke the ice.”
Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a catered lunch in the church courtyard. The littlest guests were looked after at lunch and the following day’s picnic with a nanny, a sorbet wall and a jumping castle.
The couple cut a “cheese cake” at their post ceremony luncheon.
white+white weddings and events planned and executed the weekend’s festivities, Marayka noting, “Our weekend would never have been so memorable, seamless and gorgeous without the wonderful planning and management of Danielle from White and White Weddings and Events – Danielle’s service, attention to detail and eye for design are transformative and the fee was a modest investment for a sensational weekend we could never have organised ourselves.”
Of their photographer, Marayka tells, “Antony is an amazing artist; we still don’t understand why such a great international photographer took our little job but how lucky were we?! What appealed in his work was the sense of fun and lack of staging – we loved the photos of guests who had no idea Antony was photographing them – so natural. Antony has an amazing eye for catching details. At first we wanted just the ceremony photographed but he stayed the entire weekend and we are so glad he did; we now get to see so many little details and moments that flew by! “
Reception celebrations continued at Citron Restaurant, Marayka explaining, “For us, the celebrations were all about the food; we checked many venues and settled on our favourite restaurant – Citron – where the food is full of flavour and never disappoints. Robert and Mark at Citron were so accommodating and really engaged in the spirit of our wedding dinner.”
The couple chose to have a sweetheart table, telling, “We loved out sweetheart table for two under suspended tea lights – looked great and meant people would be comfortable to come up to us though we were rarely at our table!”
Each table was named after a different flower, the stationery for the day designed and produced by Invitation Station. The bride noting, “The stationery set the scene and so many people commented the invitation was the coolest they had seen. We had a lot of fun putting James’ old uni mates on the ‘Buttercup’ table.”
Each guest received a favor made by the bride’s mother and sister – round silver boxes with handmade flower decorations and handmade chocolates inside. In lieu of traditional wedding gifts, guests were asked to give a bottle of wine to the newlyweds to start their wine cellar.
The wedding didn’t end there – the couple hosted a picnic the next day at Lake Samsonvale – the very place they first met!
Congratulations on your marriage Marayka and James! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Antony Merat and white+white weddings and events for sharing today’s wedding with us!
What a beautiful wedding! Love the simplicity!