Stephanie and Adrian

I love a wedding that involves family, but today’s takes it to another level. The couple’s children each received an engraved wedding band of their own and were as much a part and a focus of the day as the bride and groom. I love everything about that.

Stephanie tells how they met. “We worked together for a couple of years on a number of projects. We spent a lot of time resolving nerdy computer issues. We didn’t quite fall in love over a spreadsheet, but the pages and pages of instant message conversations would certainly make for interesting reading…”

Photographs today are by Sandra Henri who has captured this beautiful romantic, feeling that just feels all embracing.

Rochefort Tailoring dressed Adrian and his five year old best man! Stephanie notes, “Shane did an amazing job with the suits. He designed the style with us from scratch in what was an incredibly enjoyable process. Both suits were identical and looked fantastic on groom and best man even though the best man was only 5!! Shane’s engagement with us was reassuring and fun and I will definitely use him again.”

Gillian Adams styled the hair and makeup. Stephanie notes, “Gillian Adams at Wahroonga did hair and makeup (and also relaxed the bride and groom with an all day spa session the day before the wedding). Gillian Adams day spa is a slice of heaven and they did such a fantastic job.”  Stephanie chose a gown from Jennifer Regan. “Jennifer of course did a superb job on the dress, simple but elegant which was exactly the description for the wedding.”

Briar Ridge Vineyard played host to Stephanie and Adrian’s wedding, Stephanie explaining, “The ceremony and reception were both at Briar Ridge Winery and we stayed at Cypress Lakes Resort in the Hunter Valley NSW. We chose Briar Ridge for the lovely gardens, fantastic food from their restaurant and of course the wine which we absolutely love. At Briar Ridge the ceremony was held in the gardens with guests standing and sitting on either side of the lawn. The ceremony was relatively brief and we moved immediately into the reception so the guests didn’t have to wait around. The reception was cocktail style and guests moved between the gardens, terrace and restaurant area.”

For the processional “The music was the instrumental version of “A Thousand Years” which is a wonderful song that represents the way we feel about each other – The song is very special for us and always feels very moving.”

Stephanie remembers, “Because of the kid’s involvement we had the majority of the photos taken prior to the ceremony in the Hunter Valley Gardens. This ensured the kids were not too tired and everyone was fresh. We wrote our wedding vows to involve the whole family, each of the kids took a vow and all five of us have a wedding ring engraved with ‘ASMQA 24/11/12’. This is the way we sign our cards and letters from the family (ASMQA = Adrian Stephanie Makayla Quinlan Arielle). Because of the family focus we asked all of our guests to bring their kids to the ceremony and reception.”

Silver Classic Limousines transported the family for the day, Stephanie remarking, “Steve from Silver Classic was such a great provider. He was good with the kids, entertained us, drove well and even walked through the Hunter Valley Gardens carrying our nibbles and champagne during the photo shoot. After the ceremony Steve even went home and came back with a different car so that we could return to the room in another car. On the way back he surprised us by dropping us (no kids) off by a lake and left us with a picnic rug and champagne by a beautiful lake in the moonlight to relax and reflect on the day – fantastic.”

Of their photographer, Stephanie says, “Sandra Henri was referred to us by a close friend who had used Sandra for their wedding. We had seen their wedding photos and were captivated by a number of shots which really drew out the personality and character in the family (kids and adults). We booked Sandra based on the photos we saw from our friends and how easy they said she was to work with…we had not even met Sandra face to face. Sandra very quickly built rapport and a strong working relationship with us. We felt like everything she did and suggested was based on her understanding of us and not some generic packaged approach. On the day everything was natural – Sandra made the whole day go smoothly and every decision on location and style of photos and timing was perfect. Our three kids really warmed to Sandra and she did an amazing job of drawing out their personality, averting tantrums by the little ones and generated real smiles and heartfelt laughter which made for an amazing photographic record of our family’s special day.”

Stephanie notes, “Our wedding was light on details – we stripped away a lot of the formalities and the usual things that people get bogged down on. All of the decisions were made without agonising over the endless options, but we chose together and everything turned out wonderfully. ” Guests received dessert wine from Briar Ridge Vineyard as favors.

The wedding cake (made by Bec’s Cake Creations (02) 4932 0377)) featured the family’s special monogram.

In keeping with the family friend tone of the day, the couple hired magician to entertain the littlest guests. Stephanie explains, “At the reception we hired a number of carers from a local daycare centre to look after and entertain the youngest kids (including our own) and they had a blast. The kids (and adults) were entertained part way through the reception by a Magician (J.D. the Magician) who not only did a great range of magic, he was also absolutely hilarious. Joel (JD) entertained the adults with humour, made the kids laugh with his antics and put on a really great show. Music was provided by Synergy which consists of a singer / guitarist with prerecorded backing tracks. They gave the feel of a live band without the hastle and expense. The music was great and Adrian from Synergy was really easy to work with and has an amazing voice.”

Stephanie loved the fact it, “was all about our family – all of the kids had a great time and felt included. We got time together – it was wonderful to celebrate with everyone and also still get a few quiet moments to ourselves. We had immediate family and friends present – we didn’t have hundreds of people that we don’t see, only those who play a big part in our lives. This helped make it a real party and celebration for us. It was everything we wanted and we didn’t do anything just because someone else wanted us to. Everyone had fun!”

For the first dance, Stephanie remembers, “The only detail of the first dance that was organised was the song choice – “Into Temptation” by Crowded House. Every time we hear this song it makes us smile thinking about each other. When it came time for the first dance we just went with the flow and had some fun without thinking too much about it. It was the most fun we have had dancing!”

Congratulations Stephanie and Adrian and the rest of the ASMQA clan on your wedding! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Sandra Henri for sharing today’s wedding with us!