Claudia and Rhys’ Elegant Cricket Ground Wedding

Claudia & Rhys

One might say today’s venue is slightly unusual but that’s why I love it! Claudia and Rhys chose an elegant cricket ground wedding for their big day in the Hunter Valley. Their venue so large that they married with the backdrop of the oval, the score board later lighting up with a congratulatory message for the newlyweds. Close friend of the groom Matt of Matts Photography  was there to capture it all.

Claudia chose the Johanna Johnson – Odetta  wedding gown with matching hand chain. Her bridesmaids wore silk, floor length Zimmermann gowns in porcelain.

Dianne Bischoff of Peter Herd Floral created soft pastel floral arrangements for the day.

Claudia and Rhys chose Wandin Valley Estate  for their wedding, noting, “Wandin Valley Estate is an amazing vineyard in the Hunter Valley. It’s spacious and beautiful to look at. The Ceremony was outdoors. We wanted a pretty theme with a happy vibe. Our florist decorated some trees (with muslin & metal hearts) that formed our arch, placed beautiful flowers in bottles onto shepherd hooks and created the perfect aisle for me to walk down.”

Claudia remembers, “The entire day was special, it sounds like a cliche but to spend such an occasion with family and friends was really one of the best days ever. Walking down the aisle with Dad was a highlight. I am a bit of a daddy’s girl and it was special to see him so proud that he was about to hand me to the man of my dreams. Dad and I were talking as we were walking and his smile was ear to ear. There was so much emotion in such a tiny fragment of time.” Claudia walked down the aisle to City & Colour  “We Met Each Other In The Dark” after her bridesmaids walked to Angus & Julia Stone “Mango Tree”.

Of their photographer, Claudia notes, “We chose Matt Streatfeild from Matts Photography. It was an easy choice really. Matt is part of our extended family. Rhys has known Matt for over 14 years so naturally we were very comfortable around him, we could just be ourselves. We also love his photography, his relaxed nature and we knew he could deliver a really great photographic experience not just for us but for everyone else involved in the wedding.”

“The indoor reception was amazing. We did the styling ourselves. We hung fairy lights from the truss beams and had vine and orbs with flowers hanging above our table with rope. Wandin Valley is so big it has its own Cricket Oval, they customised the scoreboard with a congratulations message to Rhys and I! ”

Hello Naomi created a simply elegant two tier wedding cake.

Guests received homemade jam as wedding favors. Claudia remarking, “We self styled it, came up with the ideas for what we wanted it to look like. We had some of Rhys’ mates helping him set up the reception venue with decorations, installations. We shared our vision with vendors who we worked with like the florist who gave us exactly what we were after.”

One of Claudia’s favourite memories happened during the speeches, she remembers. “One of the best stories of the day, was when the Best Man (Chris) gave his speech. He and Rhys have known each other for years, he was giving his speech and telling the usual stories that a best man can get away with telling at his wedding. He then went on to tell a story about a time he and Rhys got in trouble off the police when they were kids and got locked up for a night in Byron Bay. All of our friends knew the story, Rhys family (especially his mum) naturally had no idea. There is a photo that captures the moment perfectly, Rhys is loosing it in laughter, his mother mortified, me – well I was unsure whether to laugh along with Rhys (as it was hilarious) or laugh with caution because of his mum’s expression. It was priceless and I am so glad a picture captured it. Still a couple of months on and this story has not surfaced with family once…”

Of their first dance, Claudia remembers, “We had a three piece band (MasterBlaster) and they played Magic by Coldplay. We had dance lessons for 6 weeks leading up to the wedding! Our photographer Matt and a few others at first thought the song was a playback by Coldplay themselves. It took them a few moments to realise it was the band playing it live. They played and sang it pitch perfect. It was amazing!”

Congratulations Claudia and Rhys! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Matts Photography for sharing today’s wedding!