Chic Hunter Valley Wedding - Polka Dot Bride

Amy & Richard

There is something so very romantic about a vineyard wedding and Amy and Richard not only had a day filled with romance but their chic Hunter Valley wedding was also filled with so many moments shared between guests that they have cherished and will continue to cherish throughout their life together. I can’t wait to share their story with you with photos captured by gm photographics.

The couple met through Richard’s sister who Amy worked with. It was Australia Day when the two were together on a boat on Sydney Harbour. The rest, as they say is history.

The couple wanted to celebrate all weekend long with their guests, noting, “We had always wanted to have a weekend away wedding – people tend to relax and really get into it more. Once we found the perfect venue in Roberts in the Hunter Valley we knew our guests would be in for a great weekend. Friday night dinner at Tempus Two and a Sunday brunch at the Deck Cafe. We wanted our day to be a simple and elegant garden wedding in a memorable setting with amazing food where we could celebrate and have a great time with those we love the most. We also wanted it to be away from Sydney, where we live, so our guests could relax into the weekend away vibe and kick up their heels.

Most of our guests met us for drinks and a casual dinner the night before our wedding and joined us for a ‘recovery breakfast’ the day after the wedding. It was a great way to kick off and close the weekend and give guests the opportunity to mingle and get to know each other if they wanted to.”

Amy wore a beautiful lace gown designed by Beska Couture, noting “I spent a lot of time searching for the perfect dress before coming across Beska Couture, owned by Bec Childs, an incredibly talented young designer. We discussed some ideas and she created a dress that was classic, romantic and flowing, and that fitted me and my personality perfectly. It featured a French lace overlay, capped sleeves and a low back. The skirt was silk georgette with a long train. Bec was an absolute pleasure to work – not only is she so talented and passionate, but she made the experience so much fun. It was also wonderful to wear a dress where I had input in some way in every detail.”

Amy and Richard chose Hunter Valley venue Circa 1876 for their wedding. “When we found Roberts Circa 1876 in the Hunter Valley’s wine region, we knew we had found a place that ticked all the boxes. It provided a unique and beautiful setting for both the ceremony and reception. The venue speaks for itself and needed little decoration. We held our ceremony in the tree lined aisle that was just starting to show it’s springtime buds.”

Amy chose a song by her favourite musician for the processional, explaining, “I chose “All of me” by John Legend. As a long time John Legend fan I waited a long time for him to release the perfect “Walk down the aisle” song. His concert was also one of the first concerts we went to together.”

Cathy Keech officiated the ceremony, Amy remarking, “We worked with our wonderful celebrant, Cathy Keech, to create a ceremony that captured how we feel about each other and what we want to do as a couple in our lives together. We chose readings that reflected this as well. Our ceremony had a mix of serious moments and personal touches with readings from friends and a blessing of our rings by my grandmother, as well as fun and lighthearted moments, such as when my veil went flying off in the wind multiple times!”

Guests enjoyed post ceremony drinks before a marshmallow toasting filled their bellies.

Of their photographer, Amy remembers, “Since we knew our wedding day would pass in a blur, it was important to us to capture the memories in a classic and timeless style so that we could enjoy and remember them forever.

Gm photographics had photographed the wedding of some close friends and we had loved their photos and feedback, so the decision to book them was an easy one where we knew we would be in safe (and very talented) hands. Simon and Tim were so much fun and easy to have around and really contributed to our experience, both in the lead up and on the day. The photos they took surpassed every expectation we could have had.

We were blown away by their use of the Hunter Valley setting, the candid moments they captured and their ability to show the mood and emotion of the day in unique ways. Gm photographics far exceeded our expectations, not only producing the perfect wedding shots but were also so much fun on the day. We’ll treasure the photos and our experience with them forever.”

Reception celebrations then continued in the gardens and restaurant, Amy noting, “Roberts Circa 1876 serves as much fresh produce from their own gardens and local businesses as possible, which resulted in our guests enjoying some amazing creations from head chef George Francisco’s kitchen. The venue were wonderful to deal with and went above and beyond to make sure we had a memorable and smoothly run day.”

I Do Wedding Cakes created a simple four tier wedding cake which co-ordinated beautifully with the simple green and white floral arrangements by Jade McIntosh Flowers.

Amy remembers, “We used classic colours of white and green for flowers in both the bouquets and in decorating the reception to complement the vineyard setting. We also filled a large stone mantlepiece at the front of the room with pillar candles of varying sizes to create a soft and elegant feature. We had wanted our wedding to be loving, welcoming and fun for our friends and family. Atmosphere is always something that happens organically, but we wanted to contribute to it by involving our friends and family where we could.”

The first dance was a complete surprise to the bride, who remembers, “We hadn’t planned on doing a first dance, but Richard, unbeknownst to me, arranged for one of my bridesmaids and her husband to perform ‘Soul Sister’ by Train, a song significant to us and our six month backpacking trip around Europe that we took together early in our relationship. It was a very emotional moment and is it something I will always remember as a true life highlight!”

Master Blaster co-ordinated the music for the day – from the ceremony until the last dance. Amy explains, “Music played an important part in setting the atmosphere and showing guests a good time so a lot of our planning went into finding the right one. Jerome, the lead singer from trio Master Blaster, played a fantastic acoustic set between the ceremony and the reception and as the sun set over the vines. He then joined the rest of the trio to entertain us during dinner and, once the dance floor began, they had it filled from start to finish. We’ve had so many comments on how entertaining and fun they were! They really made an impact on the night.”