One fine Sunday in September, Mitchell and Ashlee celebrated their engagement with a tennis themed party under clear blue skies. Mitchell and Ashlee had met in high school whilst playing tennis at a school sports day. After becoming close friends, they joined a tennis competition together and became doubles partners. After five years of dating and competition tennis together, Mitchell proposed to Ashlee at the summit of Mount Kosciuszko. They both adore outdoor sports such as tennis, hiking, and mountaineering, and thought that a tennis themed engagement party would be the perfect way to celebrate how they first met and their love for the outdoors.
At Ken Rosewall Tennis Centre, the club house was decorated with handmade hessian bunting, home grown plants with pinwheels, black and white pegged photos, mason drinking jars, blue paper chains, and fairy lights.
The centre piece was an amazing dessert table, stocked with tennis ball macaroons, cake pops, blue and white coconut ice, and a three tiered berry chocolate cake topped with vintage scrabble tile decorations.
Outside the clubhouse, canape food coordinated by Flamingo Follies Weddings and Floristry was served to the guests. The menu including melon and prosciutto balls, salmon bread cases, turkey and mint meatballs, and Swiss cheese and strawberry bites.
Tennis racquets and balls were out ready to play, and nearly all guests took to the courts for a match.
Other games were also enjoyed off the court, including Foosball and Finska.
For a late lunch, the fathers of the bride and groom cooked up a BBQ for the 80 guests. Beautiful lamb kebabs, spiced chicken skewers, and sausages were on the menu to enjoy with a collection of freshly made salads and breads.
Whilst the food was being cooked, Mitchell and Ashlee grabbed fifteen precious minutes to sneak away and enjoy some time with their photographer, Jade Flores . Ashlee and Mitchell remember this as one of their favourite moments of the day, smiling and laughing and spending some precious one-on-one time together both on and off the tennis court.
The bridesmaids and groomsmen were coordinated in their outfits. The bridesmaids wore a shade of blue dress and a blue flower garland, whilst the bride wore a 1940s swing dress in white and a matching white flower garland in her hair.
The groomsmen also wore shirts in a shade of blue.
At 3:30pm, the bride and groom and their guests enjoyed their delicious BBQ lunch by tea light wooden candles handmade by the groom.
After lunch, guests dug into the dessert table. The three tiered cake was freshly baked and created by the bride’s mother the morning of the party. The flavours included red velvet, lemon, and vanilla bean.
The day concluded with dancing and singing on the lawn and games of tennis until late in the evening.
Images by Jade Flores Photography
Ms Stripey says: What a gorgeous way to spend a sunny afternoon – a tennis engagement party! It looks like so much fun – and that cake looks like the perfect ending to the meal.
Ashlee says: Firstly, I am an outdoor junkie! I love nature, trekking, travel, outdoor sports, growing my own vegetables, and all things in between! I enjoy hiking the mountains of the globe, of which I have already climbed the Japanese Alps, the Himalayas, the Mt Cook range in New Zealand, and am planning a trip to the Patagonia Alps in November this year. I am not afraid to get amongst it, where on my recent hike to Everest Base Camp, I didn’t shower for 2 weeks and left my makeup bag at home.
Secondly, and quite contrastingly, I am a girlie girl! When I am not trekking and exploring, I am dressing up in my vintage dresses, my heels, and going out dancing with my best friends. I love looking professional to attend the University of Sydney where I work and am completing my PhD in psychology, and I love to come home and bake sweet treats and scrapbook whilst drinking a delicious tea.
Beautiful photography and styling! Looks like a lot of fun!
Doesn’t it? Such a great idea!
What a great idea for an engagement party! So much more unique than what everyone usually does! I might use this idea for my own engagement party (might need a groom first!) =P
I love it! I love ice breakers like a fun tennis game (though admittedly I would be terrible, I’ll stay by the food table!)
It was such a fun day. Even the non tennis players were willing to have a hit and giggle!
Oh i love hearing that!
Such a great idea! And what stunning photos!
So much fun!
You always post the best stuff Polka Dot Bride! Love this post!
You’re too kind! Thanks so much Belinda!
wow what an amazing day and a great theme for a party seems to have suited the couple to a tee. Those images are AMAZING!! If they are doing the wedding photogtaohy cannot wait to see them