Sandy & Mikey
With flower crowns and beachside views, the boho inspired Athol Hall wedding of Sandy and Mikey has a laidback feel with handmade touches. I love that Sydney Harbour sets the scene for a day where children run freely and dancing? It’s definitely on the menu! The newlyweds choosing Little Black Bow Photography to join them on the day to capture it all.
Sandy spills the beans on how they came to be. “We met at a local pub; bonded over the football and sealed the deal over a game of Buck Hunter, we have been inseparable ever since.”
“My brother told me he had a surprise for me. When I had finally finished getting ready in the hotel room, I stepped out in front of everyone to realise that my brother and 8-month old nephew were wearing matching suits, suspenders and bow ties. It was potentially the most adorable thing I had ever seen, and I loved that my amazing photographer caught that on tape!”
Sandy wore a sparkling gown by Anna Campbell. She tells, “I had been following Anna Campbell online and kept dreaming about her beautiful dresses but was torn as I wanted to keep our wedding on a budget (not very romantic). On a strange whim, I searched a classified site and found that someone was selling an Anna Campbell dress, just around the corner from my house, which had been worn once by the bridesmaid at her wedding. I went with a girlfriend to try it on, I cried. It was my dream dress and spoke to my love of style, of detail, and of classic simplicity.”
Sandy and Mikey held their ceremony and reception at Athol Hall. “We got married on the grounds and had the reception in their beautiful venue which used to be a dance hall in origin. The grounds overlook Sydney Harbour, we had the bridge in the background, kookaburras, and incredible gardens surrounding the entire space. The staff were incredible, from the moment we first laid eyes on Athol Hall we knew it was our venue, we wanted something relaxed, where our favourite friends and their children could move around freely and celebrate with us.”
For the processional, Sandy remembers, “We chose “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” by Iron and Wine. Because we both wept when he heard him sing in in the Opera House. Equally as important was the song we walked back down the aisle to, when we were first married, “Maps” by the Yeah Yeahs, my husband’s favourite song.”
“We wanted our ceremony to be a reflection of who we are and what we believe – we wanted to show our love for each other, our family and our friends, My brother and nephew walked me down the aisle, in tribute to my beautiful Papa who passed away the year before. We wanted to honour him that way.”
Jennifer Kearns officiated the marriage ceremony, Sandy remembering, “We had readings from the bible (to represent our faith) and also from Khalil Gibran (to represent my Lebanese culture), which were read by both our mothers.”
Awkward Portraits by Karin Locke was one of the fun additions to the wedding, the couple posing for their own “awkward portraits”. “We simply had to have her as part of our wedding to take awkward photos of our guests. She had an incredible 80’s backdrop with hideous costumes and incredible poses. It was the hit of the wedding, our guests loved it, and being able to see them have so much fun with their hilarious photos was truly the best feeling.”
Of their photographer, Sandy tells, “We loved how authentic and warm her photos were, and were super excited upon meeting up with her for a coffee, to discover she was just as authentic and warm herself. We hit it off and it made the basis for an incredible day with her. It was like having an old friend there with you taking photos, she was hilarious and brilliant, and the photos are just breathtaking. Thank you, Dea!”
Clementine and Rose created the floral arrangements for the day, the bride remarking, “Lauren from Clementine and Rose designed my stunning flower crown, and also my bouquets. Actually, she didn’t just design my bouquets, she saved me because I had planned on using hydrangeas from my father’s garden, and they died two days before the wedding. I contacted her in much distress, and she designed up the most beautiful bouquets to match my flower crown. Designing the flower crown was my favourite part of wedding planning, I am a great lover of the garden, and was able to bring succulents that I had grown, and give them to Lauren to create her masterpiece.”
There were so many special touches throughout the day. “My favourite colour is yellow, so I wanted splashes of yellow throughout the day, from my bouquet, to the decorations and even my shoes, yellow was everywhere and I loved it. There were a few special people who couldn’t be there that I wanted to remember. I was wearing my Nanna’s sapphire ring so that she was close to me. My florist also helped me to honour my dad, by having blue hydrangeas in my bouquet, a flower that I remember him by. We also wanted our favourite kids around us and part of the day. Our godchildren were our ring bearers and didn’t leave our sides the whole day.”
Guests received and potted succulents created by the bride under her business Sunshine & Succulents .
Of the first dance, the bride remembers, “We had used all our favourite songs up in the ceremony and were a bit stuck on what to choose for our first dance. Mikey suggested a beautiful song he had put on a playlist for me when we first started dating, “When Did You Leave Heaven” by Lisa Ekdahl. Still, my favourite part of our wedding, dancing together to that song, in front of our loved ones Mikey dipped me, I wasn’t expecting it, he can be romantic sometimes.”
Congratulations Sandy and Mikey! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Little Black Bow Photography for sending us today’s celebration.
The post Sandy & Mikey’s Boho Inspired Athol Hall Wedding appeared first on Polka Dot Bride.
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