RETRO LUXE | BETH + BEN

A week before their wedding I found myself sitting across from Beth & Ben over breakie. I couldn’t help a feeling of nostalgia wash over me as I reminisced of my husband Dave & I, a week out from our wedding. Loved up, excited, nervous, with an overall feeling of contentedness washing off of us, onto everyone around us. 

They were at such ease with one another, yet stared adoringly at one another every few moments. Love. I just love it. It’s a breath taking reminder of why I do what I do. 

Previous to our breakie I had spoken at lengths to Beth, who made the entire design process incredibly easy. She wanted the wedding to reflect them; Fun, colourful, quirky & romantic. Other than that, the details were up to me. 

I saw their wedding quite quickly and clearly in my mind - I saw retro. I know Clare from Fleur & Threads personally and knew she would create something colourful, bold and quirky, so it was a case of making sure our visions met up flawlessly. She was opting for small bursts of tropical foliage, deep pinks, orange, burnt orange & purple - ‘colourful’ covered! With this I saw retro shapes, many shades of gold, endless candles, festive festoon lighting & the brides only other request, working in some hessian bursts! I hadn’t worked with hessian for ages, but decided if we were going to use it, we had to do it in a refreshing way and stay far away from the hessian runners of the past. I decided instead to throw wide pieces across the table, letting them work as a base to the glorious tablescapes that emerged. 

For the ceremony, I wanted to maintain the retro vibes & gold hues but also wanted the set up to reflect the water side space the couple had had their hearts set on. I added our seaside pine arch, timber tea chest & shell chandeliers (which have massively retro vibes too, tick tick) to bring the look together. 

I have to admit, I hung around & spied on the ceremony and let that glorious feeling of nostalgia wash all over me. 

All photography is by the incredible Jimmy Raper, who perfectly captures the loved up vibe of Beth and Ben, and truly showcases how unique their special day was. 

If you're interested in recreating this style for your own event or wedding, get in touch!

MAKING MAGIC IN THE SNOWY MOUNTAINS | MISTY'S BEDROOM MAKEOVER

Whisking myself away to visit my mum & sister in the ever enchanting Snowy Mountains has got to be one of the better things I’ve done for myself of late. Having left my hard drive full of ongoing projects at home, I accidentally found myself free to spend time with my crazy/beautiful 1 year old, drink endless wine with my mum & work on extra curricular creative idea’s with my sister, all sans the inevitable guilt that comes with being a working mum.

At the beginning of my stay, Merceedes and I started chatting about her dream bedroom. And as the days went on, our concept seem to mutate into something that looked a little like 70’s record cover. At 16, Merceedes’ sense of self & style is enviable to say the least. Her fearlessness & her excitement in embracing anything slightly off kilter is glorious! She doesn’t care what people think & would honestly give anything a go. She trusts me implicitly too, which I love (and take advantage of!?) all a bit too much! 

As it’s a rented apartment, we could’t hang anything, hammer anything into the wall or tear anything down, so we had to think outside of the box. Working with flora, I have a huge obsession with branches. I convinced Merceedes that this had to be the backbone of the project, the whimsical part of her personality being celebrated! So that was it. Branch hunting along the lake took place, and being spoilt for choice we ended up hugely successful in our findings. 

Next up was her love of anything retro. We also needed to inject a bit of luxe & colour. A date at Cooma op shop served us incredibly well and we left with an unbelievable amount of treasures for a minimal amount of coins. Such a good feeling! 

In the end a combination of luxe vintage velvet & silk throw pillows, 70’s copper pressed plates, a bohemian black & white throw for her bed, various old records, a vintage bamboo head board & retro AF dark timber & clay styling bits worked together flawlessly with the branches & my sister was a very happy lady. 

VERSAILLES DECADENCE | WEDDING INSPO

After this epic wedding popped up on my facebook feed, I couldn't resist posting it! From it's flower wall, 9-tier cake and bride groom on horseback through to the insane table decorations - this wedding is the ultimate destination wedding! This would be an absolute dream to style and I hope you draw as much inspirations from it as I did!

Gorgeous swimwear designer, Leslie Amon wed her beau Ronen Cohen at an epic 4 day wedding extravaganza held from May 26 - 29 at Musée Rodin and the Palace of Versailles.

Check out the full slideshow on Vogue.com.au to swoon over some serious wedding inspo!

If you're interested in recreating this style for your own event or wedding, get in touch!

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FRENCH BOHEMIA | SKAE + ANDY

The morning of the wedding, I rolled up to Marli Brae, flowers packed high, fabric layered over brassware, bouquet boxed in, protected as if it were the crown jewels of England… I was met at the venue gate by Skae’s dad, a rare man whose excitement for the day and welcoming smile prompted me to tears. It had been such a long & beautiful journey and here was the man that raised this incredible bride. 

Fast forward 20 mins and I’m on my way to deliver her bouquet. Something that I wouldn’t normally do as time is scarce on THE day, but I wanted to witness that special moment when a bride sees her bouquet for the first time. Of course it was magic & worth every second of sacred styling/installing time. To see such a soul on the morning of her wedding is something to behold. Very special - and I feel honoured to have gotten that moment.

The next time that I saw Skae was moments before she was set to wed Andy. It was from afar as I was working like a demon installing the french bohemia story that was her reception. Upon my instruction she didn’t dare look towards the reception space, ensuring it was a surprise. She was calm, something majestic about her, with an energy of radiance. Her dress was grandly ethereal & bohemian.  This guided the design of the wedding. Her veil was sublime, timeless yet bountiful & endlessly cascaded over her shoulders, pooling on the pebbles at her feet along melting into her whimsical & detailed train. Her bouquet was the deep velvety red rose on top of the bohemian icy white ‘rockstar’ gown. Magenta, midnight red, winter pink, pops of white, finished with a single lavender dyed orchid. Perfection.

I missed the ceremony which is always my favourite part but heard endless tales of how they their faces were pressed together, supporting one another through such important moments. It was complete silence yet a breathtaking feeling of love permeated the room. The space was layered fabric, iron lace, intricately designed floral & branch installation combined with the bohemian tassle blush rug.  Crushed buds & turn of the century luxe signing table & chair was the perfect backdrop for our star crossed lovers to whisper ‘I do…’. 

The reception space Marli Brae has built was the perfect backdrop for Skae & Andy’s bohemian luxe love affair. A very french provincial feel with touches of rustic chic & ‘show stopping’ fire place, finished off with the timeless glamour of antique chandeliers. All I had to do was inject the cascading ethereal bohemian heart & presto, a jaw dropping setting for the biggest celebration of two lovers’ lives, surrounded by their all favourite people. 

To create the look, we started with raw blush silk table runners, nipped & bunched in all the right places to create an incredible textured movement.  This was the base of the styling stories. Up next was the bohemian brassware & pops of french inspired cut crystal styled on the silk, dancing around one another. A combination of outlandishly wild & unstructured floral arrangements & single stem blooms woven in through the styling with endless pillar & taper candles completed the tablescapes.

As always, the ceiling was desperate for some love & making sure we stuck to the vibe, we created fine greenery garlands that were woven, haphazardly among the chandeliers. 

To finish off the room, I insisted we needed something seriously epic. We decided upon a wild branch & bloom installation that sat behind the couple, working as a gilded frame, to ensure the lovers felt special & the guests eyes were naturally drawn to them. 

The food was to die for, delicious & visually a feast for the eyes. Of course how the food looks is just as important as how it tastes, as far as I’m concerned! ‘Violets & Vinegar’ are second to none, lead by the super loved up couple Matty & Cass, their obvious passion for each other translates into the something special that sets this catering duo apart. 

Lastly I need to mention the photographer Ben Sowry. It’s not very often i come upon someone who is in the industry for the same reasons as me. The love. The story of the love. His genuine interest & understanding of each couple is magnificent to behold both on the day & in the breath taking images that follow. It’s truly been a magical experience & can’t wait for my chance to work with him again!

If you're interested in recreating this style for your own event or wedding, get in touch!