Intimate Fort Denison Wedding - Polka Dot Wedding

Tara & Joel

There is a beautiful sense of intimacy, of what is important and what matters to Tara and Joel at this intimate Fort Denison wedding, They intentionally chose to keep their guest list small so they could do everything they waited to do – from a waterside ceremony to a beautiful lunch time reception in the middle of the harbour. The couple chose Rose Photos to capture their day.

Tara tells their story. “We met through mutual friends almost 8 years ago. Joel doesn’t remember the first time. However, the second time we met we were both at the races with friends and we just hit it off.”

Tara chose a Maggie Sottero lace gown as her wedding dress, remarking “I adore my wedding dress. I wanted something elegant, mature, stylish and individual to my personality. I wanted something more fitted with a train and was looking for something that would cover some tattoos I have on my lower back and shoulder. When I saw my dress for the first time it was in a colour called ‘café’ so I wasn’t entirely convinced. However, when I put it on, I knew it was it, and the fact I could order it in ivory was a dream come true. It truly was stunning, and I am told that as I descended down the aisle it shimmered.”

The couple chose Bradley Head Amphitheatre for their ceremony, telling “We wanted it to be very intimate, elegant and romantic. We chose Bradley Head Amphitheatre for not only the location and views but because it symbolised our relationship – we have had many overseas adventures together so the amphitheatre represented our past travels. Honestly, we couldn’t have had better weather or views for our ceremony. We had 17 guests present so we just put cushions on the bottom step of the amphitheatre for them to sit down.”

Tara walked down the aisle to “Running” by James Bay. “This song still brings tears to my eyes. I chose it because of the words, the music style and because it was relatively unheard of, so there were no pre-existing memories or emotions attached to this song by our guests.”

Of their ceremony, officiated by Janet Lomax Weddings I Do , the bride tells “Our ceremony was very intimate, however it still had a lot of humour and really described to our guests the relationship Joel and I have, and the love we share for each other. Because our back story and proposal story was quite in-depth, we chose not to have any readings. And we also wanted our guests to sit back and enjoy themselves. Joel and I wrote our own vows separately and surprised each other on the day with what we had each written. There was not a dry eye in the house.”

Guests celebrated with champagne before a boat whisked them to the reception.

The newlyweds dined with their guests at Fort Denison, remembering “We chose Fort Denison for our lunch venue because it was unique, historical, had spectacular views and the food is delicious. Even though we were booked there for a group lunch, they really made us feel special. We were able to personalise our table with printed menus, place settings and candles, which the staff at Fort Denison set up for us before we arrived. We were allowed to bring our own floral arrangement also. They also gave us access to parts of the island normally “off bounds” to capture some great photos.”

The bride was surprised by one very special guest at the wedding, recalling “My brother and his wife were unable to make our wedding; their first born came a few weeks early on 15th April and she was still in hospital undergoing tests to determine if she could go home yet, due to being quite jaundiced. So the day started with a bit of dark cloud hanging over my head that my only brother was not going to be present on my wedding day. However, he surprised me at Fort Denison during lunch by sitting down next me. It was such a beautiful moment and I cried many happy tears, it completed the day for me that he was there and saw me in person in my dress and was able to be part of the family photos.”

Of their photographer, Tara notes “James from Rose Photos was outstanding. We couldn’t fault him even if we tried. He was so open to all our suggestions and really captured the day in stunning, natural photos. He was also calming, as most brides would agree the time getting ready flew by and I was starting to feel a little anxious about being late to the ceremony, but he just told us to relax and reminded me that I was the bride and they will all wait, so we let’s still get the photos we want. When he sent us our sneak peak the very next morning we were blown away, and they brought back all those beautiful emotions we felt on the day.”