Hayley & Mark’s Fun Vintage Wedding By The Water

Hayley & Mark

I love the fun vibe of today’s vintage wedding by the water. Hayley and Mark love vintage pieces but decided to opt for an air conditioned wedding venue to keep their guests cool. Their vintage touches and careful thought ensured that although the day was in a different setting to what they imagined, it was still very much them. Photography By Emma Pointon was there to capture all the moments of the day.

To kick us off, Hayley tells the story of how she and Mark came to be married. “Mark and I started dating in our final year of university, so we’ve kind of grown up together. We’d been mates for years, but all it took was a toga party, some liquid courage and some persistence on Mark’s behalf and seven years later we sealed the deal.”

Mark had a suit made by By Robert James, NYC. Hayley remembers. “We met this crazy tailor in New York called Robert James who custom-made Mark’s suit. I know the groom’s suit is often an afterthought but it was really fun to work with this eccentric designer, picking fabric and cuts and having a good time. I hope we keep that suit forever. If only wedding dress shopping was like that.”

Hayley wore a gown from Pronovias with her five bridesmaids in pale pink dresses from BHLDN.

Hayley walked down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon in D.

Hayley and Mark were married at St Luke’s Mosman Park. Hayley tells, “My nanna was married in St Luke’s during World War 2, wearing a wedding dress she borrowed from a cousin and planned the whole thing in a week before my pop went off to war. My great grandfather was also married there. Mark and I are not religious but it was an honor to walk down the aisle knowing that at least in spirit my nanna was there with us.”

Of their photographer, Hayley notes, “I couldn’t recommend Emma Pointon more highly. We were attracted to her candid photography style and the soft, dreamy, vintage aesthetic she captures. What I did not realize was how valuable it is to have a photographer that is very much in the background; who is skillful enough to capture moments without staging them. Emma allowed us to have a wedding, not a photo shoot, and her shots turned out absolutely beautifully.”

“After the wedding ceremony, we drove Mark’s dad’s vintage Mercedes from the church to our photographs, our first moment together as husband and wife. At this point you don’t care about your hair, your makeup, your veil – you just enjoy the moment.”

The bride created a fun birdcage veil for the reception, remembering, “I DIY’d my wedding veil! The whole thing cost $60! Veils in New York were coming in around $750, so a friend and I knocked it out in my apartment in 2 hours. If you can get your hands on some chantilly lace – the rest can be found on Youtube. I also went into a crazy DIY tailspin in the 2 weeks prior to the wedding, making lanterns, signs, bunting etc. I knew I was being insane, and my bridesmaids were highly amused, but it was worth it, I loved the end result. I joked with my bridesmaids that literally no-one notices bridal decorations except for the bride. They really don’t.”

The bridal party celebrated with a riverside picnic, Hayley explaining, “We decided to use the time between the reception and ceremony to have a river-side picnic. We bought some furniture off Gumtree and laid down my grandmother’s crochet table cloth. We had vintage champagne glasses from an op shop and a picnic basket of cheeses.”

Hayley & Mark chose Mosmans Restaurant for their reception venue, noting, “Mark and I have a strong affinity for old things – vintage, antiques and old buildings. However, our wedding was the middle of the Perth summer, so for practicality reasons we decided to opt for an air conditioned boat house on the Swan River, with louvred windows. The temperature on the day was 38 degrees and I can’t tell you how great it was, not to have to worry about what the weather.”

Hayley added her love of vintage pieces to the reception, remembering, “We live in the United States so for months leading up to the wedding I magpied around antique and thrift stores for clocks and whiskey bottles and milk containers and watering cans. I wanted the soften the modern aesthetic of the venue with some rustic pieces. My dad was like “Are we operating a flea market here, Hayley?”. ”

A table was filled with photos of family weddings.

The bride’s beloved bike made an appearance! Haley noting, “We also included my beloved bike, “Giulia” as a welcome sign, which Mark ended up riding.”

Hayley remembers, “Mark’s speech was so sincere, heartfelt and wonderful. Mark is an accomplished sailor and so I surprised Mark by engraving his wedding ring with the phrase “through stormy seas and starry nights”.”

“Paul Simon’s “Graceland” played as we kissed and cut the cake.”

Of their first dance, Haley remembers, “We danced to “Hey-Ho” by the Lumineers. It was very a romantic and meaningful moment.”

Hayley laughingly remembers, “At about 10.30 pm the dance floor started to thin and I thought perhaps people were getting tired. Then I looked outside and every male friend, cousin, uncle and even perhaps my dad were on the Jetty facing the reception, 50 white butt cheeks glowing in the moonlight. It was so unexpected and hilarious and exactly what I love about Australians – we are so mischievous and fun-loving. At 11pm we busted out a party bag of dance floor props.”

Congratulations on your marriage Hayley and Mark! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you to Photography By Emma Pointon for sharing today’s photographs!