Becky and Simon
We don’t normally showcase engagement parties on Polka Dot Bride (because truth be told we don’t actually get many!) but this one? It was so full of delicious smiles and yummy red sugar that I had to share it with you!
Today’s engagement (held in the gardens of the bride’s family home in Sydney’s Hills district) celebration is full of plenty of cuddles and plenty of sticky sweet sugar- both of which I need today and both of which I hope warm your heart as much as they did for me.
Photos this morning by Milton Gan who captured the exuberance and happiness of the event beautifully- I had such fun looking through Becky and Simon’s photos!
Becky and Simon wanted a fun whimsical party to celebrate their personalities before their more formal wedding. Becky says”We are set to have a quite traditional black tie wedding next year and so for the engagement party I wanted to create a relaxed and fun atmosphere that reflected Simon and my personality. We tried to personalise as much as possible, with a number of family and friends getting involved with our DIY projects both on the day and before hand.”
Food was an important part of Becky and Simon’s engagement party. Becky says “The George Khouzame Group did the catering and put together the amazing desert table based on a vision I pulled together with my dear friend, Liz Hunter, Cupcakes were from The Cupcake Factory, Drummoyne, Sydney, cupcake toppers from Colleen Cech- Purple Peony Couture on Etsy, pom pom decorations were from TiddlyPom on MadeIt and heart cookies were by Liz Hunter”
Beer was always going to be on the menu, but Becky and Simon had a special brew added to the mix. “My maternal Grandparents, as well as my own parents, met and married in Papua New Guinea. It was our family holiday destination for a long time and last year I took Simon there so it was only fitting that we served SP Lager, PNG’s National Beer!”
Guests meant everything. “For Simon and I, the most important thing in our lives (besides each other!) is our family. We have a large and diverse network of relatives and close friends, a lot of whom don’t know each other- so for our engagement party we wanted to have as many of them there as possible. Whilst that meant about 200 guests, we were honoured that everybody there on the day was truly present in the moment.”
Guests traveled from around the world! “One of the best moments for me, was looking around and taking in the amount of love, support, and friendship in our garden that day. I felt truly blessed that so many people made a huge effort to come and celebrate with us. We had friends and relatives fly in from QLD, Papua New Guinea and even Simon’s mum traveled all the way from the UK just for us!”
And speeches made Becky emotional…”Another special moment came during the speeches. Simon, along with my dad Michael, and Simon’s mum Wai shared words with our guests which were so lovely, I shed quite a few tears!”
Becky and Simon’s family were very involved with elements of the party. Becky says “The Engagement cake was made by 2 of my aunties, the top 2 tiers were baked in Guyra, about 5 hours from Sydney and flown in the week before. Another Auntie decorated the cake and dressed it with fresh Ranunculas and Chrysanthemums. My mother in law to be, Wai Chen Lee sewed the gingham table cloths.”
Congratulations on your engagement Becky and Simon! Best of luck with your wedding plans!
Photos by Milton Gan
this is a gorgeous engagement party. I just love the red ‘pom poms’ could you tell me how these are made? I am dying to know! Xx
Hi Amber Njoy is right! Martha Stewart created them years ago, you can find the tutorial here http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/tissue-paper-pom-poms-how-to
What a great engagement party! Can’t wait to see the wedding! Amber (above) I know there instructions on Martha Stewart’s website to make those pompoms.
What a fun and happy looking engagement party! Loving the use of red!!
Wow, how colourful was that ?
This takes the whole engagement party idea to an extra level… Well done guys on doing something not so normal like we tend to find in this industry. Well done indeed.
Such fabulous photos by Milton Gan and a wonderfully planned engagement party by Rebecca! I feel honoured to have been a part of it! …cant wait to see their wedding!!