Wilhelmina and Geordie

If you are as immersed into The Vintage Issue as us, then today’s beautiful vintage-inspired wedding by the water will utterly enchant you.

This was a day that was filled with special, little touches of beauty, with vintage heartfelt details, with an honouring of times gone by, of special people, of memories and moments. It’s details like the bride’s stunning vintage gown, the little pieces she carried with her grandmother’s handkerchief and the groom’s cufflinks made from an antique silver pocket watch, that just adds so much magic to this story.

Captured by Fiona and Bobby Photography, the newlyweds planned their day to be a “family and community affair. So many people in our circle of family and friends helped contribute their art to make our day so special.”

These two met at band camp (wait, don’t say it!). “We are both choir nerds and we met at choir camp (no, really and please don’t make jokes about this one time at band camp…)” laughs Wilhelmina.

“In Sydney, I was a member of the Sydney University Musical Society (SUMS) and in Melbourne, Geordie was a member of the RMIT Occasional Choral Society (ROCS). Both of these choirs are part of a wider movement called the Australian Intervarsity Choral Societies Association (AICSA). Every Year members of university choirs gather in a different city for 10-14 days of music, friendship and silliness culminating in a big performance. In 2013 the festival was held in Adelaide and we sang the beautiful Rachmaninov Vespers. We had our first kiss right before we went on stage to perform!”

And the proposal? A mutual decision! “We both had decided we wanted to get married and even co-designed our engagement rings (yep that is rings as in two, Geordie wanted one as well as he wanted the world to know he was engaged as well). The only rule was that we couldn’t wear them until we found the right moment in time. Our rings were designed and made by the wonderful Luke Eliasz from Earth Fire Opals.

Geordie created the perfect moment on our fifth anniversary. Whilst getting ready for a night out I left the room to come back and find him on one knee holding out my ring. Geordie says he didn’t know how long I’d be so as soon as I left the room he got down on one knee and waited.

Of course, he refused to wear his ring until I also got down on one knee for him (it’s all about equality after all). The next morning whilst we were enjoying a lie-in I got down on one knee and asked him.”

Geordie had his suit tailor-made by The Bespoke Corner. The bride explaining “I had come home on cloud nine after choosing my dress and told Geordie all about the experience. He immediately wanted his princess moment. As his best man and family were interstate we called on a trio of friends to help take Geordie on his own experience. He went with the Bespoke Corner and had an absolute ball getting his princess treatment.” Geordie adding, “That’s quite an accurate retelling! Three of our beautiful friends came and helped me design the suit (the lining is AMAZING!) and toasted me with champagne and whiskey! It was exactly the experience I wanted!”

Wilhelmina found her vintage gown at Forever Vintage. She shares “Finding a dress was tough at first. I had my mum and sister by my side and I found the process at times overwhelming and at others, it dented my self-esteem.

Luckily we found Forever Vintage and their amazing team. I was given the chance to try on beautiful dresses in a variety of styles that made me feel like a princess. If the dress didn’t work it was never because of me (it was always the dress’s fault) and even when I couldn’t articulate exactly what I needed they somehow figured it out.

I narrowed it down to my top two and was able to see pictures and videos of me in the dress so I got an idea of how others saw me, after that it all fell into place and I chose my favourite which we all toasted with champagne.”

The bride travelled to the ceremony by boat. “I arrived by a yacht which was a total surprise to everyone. Our friend had everything ready and put up the flags in such a hurry they were all upside down, the maritime signal for distress!”

The sparkling seaside venue of RAN Sailing Association in Rushcutters Bay set the scene for Wilhelmina and Geordie’s nuptials. Wilhelmina sharing “Rushcutters Bay is special to us. It is walking distance from my family home where I grew up and our new apartment. We spend most weekends there as my grandpa is in a nursing home not too far away and we take him out for some sunshine in his wheelchair. We were incredibly lucky as a family friend is a member of the RAN Sailing Association and helped us organise the venue.”

A dear friend sang Eva Cassidy’s “Songbird, as she walked down the aisle with her family. “Family is everything to me so I walked down the aisle with my mum, dad, sister, cousin and niece and nephew to be.”

Spy that purse? The bride carried some very special treasures with her on the day. “I carried a purse for my wedding and in it were several special items. I had a blue handkerchief from my grandma who had passed away, the fan that my mum carried on her wedding day instead of flowers and a little blue bottle of perfume, my mum had an identical one in her purse as well.”

The couple chose Celebrations by Ruby to officiate their ceremony, telling “We had a civil ceremony led by the superlative Ruby Fraser. She’s an absolute gem of a human being who helped bring all our ideas together and made sure all the little bits and bobs were completed.

The most important things to us were including music and poetry that was special to us. This was scattered throughout the ceremony. We also included a Celtic handfasting ceremony, this was Ruby’s suggestion and was such a unique and visually stunning moment for our guests.”

Wilhelmina’s favourite part of planning? “Working as a team.  Geordie was great with high-level concepts and I love details. Together we used our strengths to plan a day that was all about the things most important to us.”

“We didn’t have a dress code for our big day, we wanted everyone to be happy and comfortable in their skin” explains the bride. “We love them for who *they* are, not what they wear. My sister and Mum also ended up with dresses and accessories from Forever Vintage whilst my dad opted for a new suit.

Our page boys had matching shirts and flower girl a beautiful dress. As a thank you to them we gave our flower girl a Swarovski crystal tulip broach that she can keep forever and the boys matching patchwork pillows that were made by my late grandma and her best friend.”

“Fi and Bobby were our photographers and an amazing team! The captured some magical moments all whilst being charming, helpful and glamorous. Geordie says he knew within thirty seconds that they were the right people for us. Their passion and love for their art and each other was so powerful”.

Geordie’s favourite detail of the day? “Honestly? Knowing that from then on I could call Wilhelmina my wife. The word has weight, significance. I get to spend the rest of my life waking up next to my wife. Going to bed with my wife. It makes me so happy to spend my life with Wilhelmina.”

Georgie notes of his favourite photo of the day “There’s a particular photo Fi & Bobby took of Wilhelmina and I holding each other with the setting sun over the harbour bridge in the background. Something about it reminds me of two swans in love. It’s a perfectly captured moment where it felt like the rest of the world faded away and it was just us. Bliss.”

 

“Where to begin? Almost everything involved something or someone special to us. The venue was decorated by my two favourite people from Geordie’s work (Allison also took over the running schedule of the day so my mum could just focus on being the mother of the bride). The entrance music for our guests was a Cello and Viola duet by my cousin and my now brother-in-law-to-be. I walked down the aisle to our beautiful soprano friend Pamela singing Eva Cassidy’s Songbird. Our choir friends sang Samuel Barber’s Sure on This Shining Night at the signing as a way to bring into the ceremony those of our loved ones who had passed. Finally, as we recessed down the aisle, all of our choir friends (a good 75% of people there!) burst into the anthem of our choirs, Laudate, a song of raucous joy and abandon!”

Guests celebrated with a cocktail style reception filled with deliciousness by Joe’s Table and The Nutty Baker. “The catering was a combination of our favourite restaurant (Joe’s Table) and a smorgasbord of incredible cakes by Nina & Joel from The Nutty Baker.”

Wilhelmina notes “The whole day was full our the people who love us and are loved by us sharing their art. Whether it was music, food, painting, the things that mattered most to them were shared with us. I can’t think of anything greater than that!”

“We loved the energy and happiness from all of our guests celebrating with us.”

Music was a highlight of this wedding  “We didn’t have a first dance (Geordie’s not much of a dancer!)” shares the bride. “But we did enjoy the dance floor with Juliane Di Sisto and The Family Jewelz jamming away with all our friends.”

Floreat styled the beautiful floral details for the day, Wilhelmina says “Geordie wanted native flowers as having grown up in country Victoria they were part of his childhood. I had a bouquet of native flowers and eucalyptus made by Floreat.”

As darkness fell and the celebration truly began, the bride changed into another vintage gown, also from Forever Vintage ready to party!

Congratulations Wilhelmina and Georgie! How wonderful it was to share your day. Thank you both and thank you to Fiona and Bobby Photography for today’s stunning photography.