Natasha & Roger
There is a beautiful sense of nostalgia in today’s celebrations. Natasha and Roger chose a romantic, traditional wedding to celebrate their marriage focusing on good food, good wine and the people they love. The result was a beautiful day photographed by Welsch Photography.
Natasha tells the story of how they met. “We met through a mutual friend; he had worked with Roger some 10+ years ago and I had studied at university with him. I was out with him and a group of our uni friends one night, and he suggested that I meet Roger. Knowing the calibre of his other friends, I told him was no way I was interested in meeting any of his friends. Ever! Long story short, I ended up meeting Roger a week later as I incidentally found out we lived around the corner from each other and thought it would be good to meet some locals. We met at a local bar and we hit it off straight away. Hands down the best first date I had ever been on.”
Yulia MC Couture created Natasha’s wedding gown, the bride remarking, “Yulia McAuley is the dress designer I used and she is so incredibly gifted in her ability to create such beautiful, intricate wedding dresses. From the moment I met Yulia, I knew she would be fabulous to work with and she understood my style straight away so the process of having my dress made was so enjoyable with her. The lace detailing on the bodice and arms of my dress was all hand sewn and cut out from a larger piece of lace, showing how dedicated Yulia is to her craft.”
Natasha notes, “My brother walked me up the aisle and it truly is a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life; we have always been pretty close but to share that moment was beautiful and I will always remember the day so fondly because how much he supported me through the process.”
Natasha chose All Of Me by John Legend for the processional, the couple choosing St Mary’s Catholic Church, North Sydney for their ceremony.
Natasha tells, “My paternal family’s tradition for each of our weddings is to carry my great, great, great grandmother’s ring. I had this tied to the front my bouquet and it meant so much to be able to carry on this much-loved tradition. For “something old”, my mother had gifted me my nonna’s (my mother’s mother) handkerchief which I held around my bouquet during the ceremony. It certainly came in handy to wipe up the tears!”
The bridesmaids wore raspberry gowns by Amsale from Bridesmaids Only. The groom chose a suit by Montagio and his groomsmen wore suits from Peppers Formal Wear.
Of their photographers, Natasha remarks, “Welsch photography are THE best. I’m sure everyone raves about their photographers but Karl and Bec exceeded all of our expectations. It’s not just about the incredible shots they produced, but what they’re like to deal with; they are such a lovely, fun, relaxed couple, who made us feel so chilled out on the day. Bec and Karl are also the ultimate professionals, with no request being too much trouble. I cannot speak highly enough of them and their amazing photography skills.”
Red Fragrance Flowers created the incredible floral arrangements for the day including floral chandeliers at the reception.
Natasha tells, “Roger’s brother runs a bar in Chatswood and he made a drink especially for the guests to enjoy during our reception called “The Toger Rash” (an anagram of our names; admittedly, not the nicest!). We had wooden cocktail stirrers made up with the name and the date of the wedding on the back.” Cake Salon created a ombre wedding cake for Natasha and Roger.
Natasha notes, “I made the programs, church candles, invitations and place cards. I bought lots of ribbon and used it across all three items to bring the theme together. I hijacked the printer at work to do the programs and folded them together one night while watching TV. For the invitations, I ordered them online and wrapped ribbon around them with personal name tags. I made the name tags using an alphabet stamp and some ink pads. I replicated this process for the place cards.”
Roger and Natasha hosted their reception at L’Aqua, remembering “Our reception was at L’Aqua in Darling Harbour. We liked the venue because we had a number of interstate and international guests and, with the number of hotels in the area, it was very convenient. As the venue looks over Darling Harbour, we ended up having a front row seat to the usual Saturday night firework display which was great entertainment for our guests. The Dockside Group (managers of the venue) were also fabulous to deal with; everything went so smoothly and they gave us a great value-for-money package. The food and wine were also incredible; it is not your standard wedding menu at this venue! Everyone raved about how pleasantly surprised they were with the quality of the dishes.”
“As our family live all over the Eastern seaboard, we only really get to see each other on special occasions. To be able to catch up with everyone after a long time reminds you how important family is; and to have everyone you love in one room is a seriously amazing feeling.”
Of their first dance, Natasha remembers, “Our first dance was to “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys. We had a few lessons beforehand but, once my dress was finished, we realised on the day that the routine wasn’t quite going to work because I had to hold my train up in one hand. We tried to improvise unsuccessfully and just laughed through it! ”
Black & White Colour shot a film of the day, the bride noting, “These couple of young guys are just starting out and have such great talent. They were so fun and bubbly, capturing so many little moments throughout the day. When we got our video back, we were totally blown away by the effort put in to the music choice and editing. They had paid particular attention to close family and friends, picking up little conversations that we don’t even remember because the day is such a blur! They beautifully and artistically recorded our memories in such a way that also brings back the emotion we felt at each time.”
Congratulations on your marriage Natasha and Roger! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Welsch Photography for sharing today’s wedding with us!
What a thrill it is to see Natasha and Roger’s beautiful day again! I was lucky enough to be there and it was a magical day in every way possible. Natasha and Roger had brilliant suppliers onboard but the thing that made this day so special was they love they have for each other, their families and their friends. A day of true romance and beauty. x
Oh how special you were able to be a wedding guest! I love hearing another point of view about a day!
It was very special, Ms Polka! Tash is my cousin and we both carried that same ring on our wedding days – the same rings our mothers and our grandmother before us carried. I love reading about the day in Tash’s own words and seeing those gorgeous images, her stunning gown and that delicious cake again!
That IS really special Koren- I love that your cousin has popped up on Polka Dot Bride! What a special story with the ring!