Bianca + Joshua — SA Weddings

Perfectly planned, this Italian-esque affair went off without a hitch.

The theme

We always knew we wanted our wedding to feel like you could be anywhere in the world – without planning a destination wedding. Italy was the inspiration behind the theme and style and is where we recently spent our honeymoon. The incredible hedge gardens, Cypress trees, terracotta pots and archways are what sparked the inspiration, and then we literally found a venue that intertwined it all into one incredible place!

The planning

Planning an event isn’t unfamiliar territory for me – as an event manager, I am used to working on large scale events, so we didn’t use a wedding planner.

The first thing we knew we didn’t want was a cookie cutter wedding. Anything that was presented to us from venues that was a part of a ‘package’ was quickly discarded. We wanted to do it our way; everything from the menu and wine list, right down to the types of glassware and chairs our guests were sitting on. We wanted everything to be bespoke and to reflect our personalities!

Josh and I both had a wish list of what we wanted in the wedding, and we did our best to accommodate it all. His requests were simply that the menu needed to incorporate a juicy Florentine steak to be shared, a solid dessert offering and late-night burgers, and mine was a little more extensive. I knew I wanted a wedding in a garden, that the music would be key in setting the tone and that we needed to take guests on a journey to create a total experience.

Pinterest became my best friend during the planning process and articulating our vision into mood boards was key to the success. Every element had its own multi-page proposal document that I shared with our suppliers, including floral and catering. It was important to us they really understood what we were hoping to achieve and what they needed to do to bring it all to life.

The dress

I always had an image in my mind of what my dream gown would be like, but it was impossible to find a dress that ticked every box. I knew I wanted something unique and different, but there were key stylistic elements, like the type of silhouette I wanted, that just made it really hard for me to find. The gown I chose was from designer Christie Nicole – it was a dress from her new collection. It was quite a daring choice, and it certainly made a statement.

The gown had a long silhouette with detailed sequinned tulle, a structured sweetheart bodice and a small godet train. The sleeves really framed the dress and made it the showstopper that it was with an over exaggerated pleated puffy tulle.

We made our own tweaks and additions to the dress and altered the length of the train, the puffiness of the sleeves (I opted for the puffiest we could find) and also sourced some delicate fabric to layer underneath the dress so that it wasn’t so sheer, but also not too blocked out either.

At the end of the reception I changed into ‘the party dress’ – an incredible sequined dress by Rachel Gilbert. It was full-length with long sleeves falling into a straight cut. It was so detailed and included hand beaded nude sequins throughout. Both sleeves featured an ostrich feather trim that really glammed it up. I changed up my look slightly with a sparkly stiletto sandal heel and a simple earring. My hair was kept in the same low bun, but I added a little spice with a bold red lip.

The ceremony

We were married amongst the lavender and cumquat trees in the garden of beautiful Mandalay House. It was everything we could have imagined. We had an incredible arbour at the end of the aisle and barrels of lemons and olive branches cascading out in front of it.

As guests arrived, we had Luciano Pavarotti playing O Sole Mio amongst other iconic Italian opera songs. This made for such a powerful arrivals moment for our guests, allowing them to feel as though they were transported to an Italian countryside from the moment they walked in. Josh’s daughter Skye was our flower girl, so to have her walk down the aisle first was really special for the both of us.

My three bridesmaids walked in one by one to You Are the Reason by Olivia Penalva. I walked down the aisle accompanied by both my mum and dad. It was a dream of mine to have them both part of this special moment. I walked down to the orchestral version of Unchained Melody composed by Maurice Jarre.

The reception

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktail hour in another part of the garden (a cascading seafood station served on large blocks of ice was the pinnacle), before heading into the marquee reception space.

Josh and I love food, and if nothing else, we knew we wanted a reception where our guests would be well fed and could just dance all night. In true Italian style, we wanted the food to be shared, and for there to be plenty of it! We worked with Ray and his incredible team from Out in the Paddock to design a menu that was uniquely us and iconically Italian.

Yet again, the music was another important element. Our dinner playlist included classics from Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and Etta James.

Josh and I chose a sparkler exit and left the wedding at midnight running out to A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay. I had an outfit change into something more comfy but equally fabulous – this impromptu moment saw us capturing some of the most incredible photos!