Jenna & Lawrence

There is no doubt that this luxurious industrial Jewish wedding has got it all, from dancing to romance to florals hanging from the ceiling – and all with a stunning Sydney Harbour backdrop! Todd Hunter Mcgaw captured every beautiful moment.

Jenna tells of how true love can overcome the unlikeliest of beginnings! She remembers, ”Lawrence and I met on our gap year in Israel in 2007. During the first few weeks Lawrence and I were both allocated the job of looking after the chickens. This proved to be the least romantic setting to fall in love but somehow it happened! After spending an incredible year together in Israel we parted ways as I returned to Sydney and he returned to Auckland. After 4 years of long distance with countless trips to visit each other, Lawrence made the move over to Sydney.”

Getting ready on the day with her bridal party, Jenna shares of special traditions in the week leading up to the wedding that she took part in. She tells, ”We all got together to bake ‘Challah’ a special (and delicious) bread used on the Sabbath. This was a really beautiful evening to share with my closest friends and family where they all gave me blessings for my marriage and life ahead. On another night I went to the Mikvah with my sisters, mum, mother-in-law and sister-in-law. This is a ritual cleansing experience that a bride completes before her wedding. It was an extremely emotional and spiritual experience which I will never forget.” Choosing a stunning Karen Willis Holmes gown, the bride shares, ”I wanted a dress that reflected my personality, and something comfortable and practical. I absolutely loved my dress and wish I didn’t have to ever take it off!” The bridesmaids wore gowns from different stores, including Reformation, Shona Joy and Stone Cold Fox .

Choosing Doltone House at Jones Bay Wharf was easy for the bride and groom, with Jenna telling, ”We chose this venue as it is aesthetically so beautiful! We also wanted somewhere convenient for our guests so that they didn’t have to travel between locations, worry about getting home at the end of the night, or wait around between the ceremony and the reception. We also wanted the incredible energy from the ceremony to flow over directly into the reception!”

Remembering her favourite part of the day, Jenna recalls, ”I think it was the first moment that Lawrence and I saw each other. We had observed the Jewish custom of not seeing or speaking to one another for a whole week before the wedding. So the moment I saw him I was totally overwhelmed with emotion and have never felt so electrified.”

There is no doubt that Jenna and Lawrence were thrilled with their photographer Todd Hunter Mcgaw, sharing, ”I loved how authentically he captured what was happening and how much emotion was in all of his photographs. I also loved his creativity and quirkiness, and once we Skyped with him I knew it was a definite yes! He delivered everything and more on the day, he was so much fun and super relaxed. His photographs are something I will treasure forever!” The couple also chose Love Storm Films to capture their day.

The venue was draped with gorgeous blooms, and Jenna tells, ”My brief for the florals was to have a lot of lush greenery with pops of rich burgundy, red and some pink. I loved the smell of the greenery in the room and how romantic and modern the feel of the flowers were throughout!” The flowers for the bridesmaids, ceremony and reception were created by Neat Floral, with the bride’s close friend Ellen from Pearsons Florist creating her bouquet.

As favours for their guests, the bride and groom enlisted family help. with Jenna sharing, ”Lawrence’s aunty is an incredible ceramicist! She made 300 individual tea light holders which were absolutely beautiful. They were set up on the tables during the evening and guests were able to take them home at the end of the night.”

There were many beautiful touches on the day, with Jenna and Lawrence both involved in the planning. Jenna remembers, ”I planned with Isser that he would sing a traditional Jewish wedding song to the tune of Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ when I walked down the aisle.” Jenna also painted the invitation artwork herself, and Lawrence chose Jenna’s engagement ring setting, using his Mother’s engagement diamond.

Jenna and Lawrence loved the work of Stephanie at Styled by Sting, saying, ”She helped to plan the wedding every step of the way. She was extremely organised and took all the stress away as she was on top of everything. She helped me to source decor items based on my brief and she delivered above and beyond. When I saw the reception hall on the day of the wedding I was absolutely blown away. She achieved the brief even better than I could have imagined it!”

And for their first dance, Jenna recalls, ”Lawrence’s brother sang the song ‘Kiss Me’ by Ed Sheeran. He sang this song to Lawrence and I just after our engagement and so it was a really meaningful moment for our first dance.”

Thank you to our stunning couple on sharing your wedding day, and congratulations! And an extra special thank you to Todd Hunter Mcgaw photography for your magnificent photos!