Rebekah and James’ Happy Summer Wedding

Rebekah & James

The fun, romantic feeling behind today’s Summer wedding is evident through every photo. The couple’s beaming smiles despite the sweltering temperatures, the fun and love shown by the guests, the traditional dancing and singing that was so inherently part of the groom’s history and the ceremony itself. What a treat it is to share so much love and joy. Michael Gray of The Wanderers was there to capture every moment.

Rebekah tells the story of how she and James came to fall in love. “James and I met in high school and therefore grew up together, from children into adults. I remember the very first time that I saw James at my year 10 formal pre-drinks. He had a mullet at the back of his head, a mohawk on the top, and a fuzzy fringe in the front! He wore grey skinny jeans, a pink and blue striped tie, and had a blue steel pose plastered on his face for every photo! Honestly, I wasn’t so sure, but much has changed since then.”

The groom started his day with a football game to loosen the nerves before dressing in his suit from the The Gentlemens Club.

Rebekah started her day quietly, remembering, “I awoke at 6:30 on the morning of the wedding and sat on the verandah of my grandmother’s apartment looking out to Sydney Harbour. This was a very special 20 minutes of stillness where I was able to take deep breaths, read a passage from God’s word and prayerfully prepare for a very special day ahead. My mum and sister, bridesmaids and I then enjoyed a relaxed morning filled with laughs and joy as we had our make up and hair done, got dressed and were ready to leave.”

Rebekah chose a gown by Louise Alvarez with her bridesmaids in teal dresses from Marcs.

Rebekah and James were married at St Johns Uniting Church.

For her walk down the aisle, Rebekah remembers, “We walked down the aisle to ‘Song Bird’ by Eva Cassidy. It was arranged and performed to perfection by my brother Alex Hone, and a band that he had pulled together for our service.”

There was plenty of cultural homage paid to the wedding guests, Rebekah remembering, “The grooms’ family are from Tonga and therefore, we had a beautiful Tongan choir singing at the church.”

Of their photographer, Rebekah says, “We found Michael Gray online and were so pleased to have him there to capture our day. He was cool, calm and collected going with the flow throughout the day.”

Rebekah and James chose Athol Hall for their reception, noting, “I believe it was built as an officers’ dance hall in the 1880′s, and has a charming rustic appeal that we instantly fell in love with during our venue search.”

Much of the decor was created by the bride, who remembers, “My father and I spent the nine months of engagement creating items for the day. My dad had a garage full of old wood that was then chopped and sanded down in order to create flower boxes for each of the tables at the reception. Wooden signs were painted; paper flowers were created, lace tablecloths sewn together. Each guest also had a name tag made from wooden scrabble pieces. I spent many days looking through op shops for pieces of lace, my father walked through many forests to find fallen trees and it all came together wonderfully to make our rustic DIY wedding a reality.”

Boutierre Girls created a white wedding cake topped with fresh flowers.

The Tongan tributes continued at the reception, where the groom and his cousins performed a traditional dance Toli Lou Siale at the reception as a gift to the bride and guests.

Of their first dance, Rebekah remembers, “Sleep Away, Bob Acri, was playing which is a special song that we used to dance to in my room each Sunday night before James drove back home. The fairy lights were dangling from the ceiling and we gently swayed in each others arms.”

Congratulations on your marriage Rebekah and James! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Michael Gray of The Wanderers and Louise Alvarez for sharing today’s wedding with us!