Rachel and Sam’s Sweet Sydney Wedding

Rachel & Sam

This sweet Sydney wedding is classic in nature – a beautiful church ceremony followed by an intimate restaurant reception. But that doesn’t mean it loses any of it’s magic – after all, there is magic and sweetness in tradition, it’s doing things in a way many have done before, in honouring those who have gone before while still creating a day that is so very yours. Michelle Dellis Photography shot the most beautiful photographs for the couple.

As for how they met, Rachel tells. “My husband and I first met late at night on an impromptu camping trip with mutual friends. Samuel talked the night away around the campfire telling stories and jokes and I left the next day thinking he was definitely the funniest person I had ever met. It wasn’t until a year later, after several failed ‘dating’ attempts, that we actually started dating!”

The bride remembers, “Great food was a major feature of our wedding day! The girls and I ate breakfast and lunch at Clevelands on Cleveland’s with food from Brickfield’s and the boys enjoyed lunch from Bourke St Bakery”

Michelle paired her Karen Willis Holmes gown with shoes from Gorman.

Rachel’s bridesmaids wore navy dresses from Zimmermann.

Rachel and Sam were married at their church – St Stephen’s Anglican Church, Newtown. The bride walked down the aisle to You’ve got the love- by Florence and the Machine.

Rachel notes, “My husband and I are Christians, so our wedding was really special to us because we were united before God in marriage and that was a wonderful thing.”

Sweet treats and celebrations marked the end of the ceremony, Rachel telling, “After the ceremony we spent some time celebrating in the church gardens and had a wonderful treat of Serendipity Ice Cream.”

The groom and groomsmen wore MJ Bale. Rachel remembers, “Samuel looked super classy, very Chuck Bass, in his velvet blazer decked out with cuff links, RM Williams boots, and a bow tie. I felt very beautiful in my Karen Willis Holmes dress, I was so comfortable and it was very special to wear a long white dress!”

Of their photographer, Rachel tells, “Our photographer, Michelle, is young and creative. She has a wonderful eye for beautiful shots without making you pose or feel uncomfortable. Her shots are very natural and she was a pleasure to have around on our wedding day! Michelle was also assisted by another friend, Lloyd Presbury who was a great helper!”

“My dear friend, Tam, packed us a very extensive picnic which we sat down to in Hyde Park during photos.”

Rachel notes, “I’m currently undertaking my PhD at the University of Sydney and also working part time as a lecturer, so I decided at the outset that we didn’t have time for D.I.Y. I have been a part of so many weddings with lovely D.I.Y personal touches but we knew we could still have a very personal wedding without actually making things ourselves. Instead, we got our personal touches made for us e.g. personalized handcuffs designed by my husband for himself and all of his groomsmen and infinity rings made by my jeweler Meg Maskell Jewellery (who also designed my ring) for myself and my bridesmaids.”

The newlyweds chose Alpha Restaurant for their reception, the bride explaining, “I wanted our wedding to be very classic. In everyday life I always steer towards clothes and design that are navy, black, white, or grey. It seemed obvious that our wedding would be just the same! My beautiful engagement ring is a deep navy sapphire, so that also helped to set the tone. Alpha, being a Greek restaurant, fit really nicely with the navy/white theme so our invites also had hints of classic Greek design.”

Rachel tells, “Decorations at the reception were very minimal. Each guest had a white tulip at their place setting tied to the serviette with twine. After our tasting at Alpha we decided that the table was going to be way too full with all of the share food and glasses to have space for other table flowers. We shared the most beautiful dinner at Alpha with slow cooked lamb, dips, spanakopita, salads, and Greek donuts.”

Rachel tells, “Our wedding was a celebration of not only our marriage but also our wonderful friends and family who have supported us, it was classic, simple, and super fun.”

For their first dance, Rachel remembers, “Our first dance was to Northern Wind – by City and Colour. We hadn’t practiced anything special, we just went for it!”

Congratulations Rachel and Sam! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Michelle Dellis Photography and Karen Willis Holmes for sharing today’s wedding with us!