Kirsty & Scott

The sense of old-world glam at Kirsty and Scott’s wedding had me at hello. Stunning, oversize bouquets, gowns with beautiful tulle skirts and that view of Sydney? Pure magic.

It was Kirsty and Scott’s love story that most sold me on today though – it started with the most romantic proposal, and ended with a private first dance under the fairy lights. Quiet moments like this, are my favourite to share. I’m so glad  Mr Edwards was there to capture it all as it unfolded.

Scott proposed on the couple’s first anniversary, remembering “The engagement was very unorthodox, and borderline spur-of-the-moment. In the hypothetical timeline I had in my head, I was always going to wait at least a few years before proposing. I wanted to be absolutely sure beforehand, and as both of us come from broken families, I don’t think either of us was in a rush to be married. With that in mind, we were fast approaching the end of the first year of our relationship.

The early stages of our relationship had been long-distance, and we had only just begun living together. So, it wouldn’t have seemed to be the perfect time to propose for someone being cautious. However, we had been friends for a number of years before becoming a couple, and I really just came to the conclusion that I wanted to get married.

I just asked her out of nowhere – I didn’t even have a ring – but because of the few ANZAC Day drinks I’d had at the RSL that morning, she didn’t trust that I was serious. The following day was our first anniversary – we had a picnic planned at the botanical gardens, followed by climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Whilst we were laying out in the sun eating our lunch, I got down on one knee and asked her again. I guess one year was all she needed too because she said yes. After we’d designed the engagement ring together, I made it official by giving it to her on a lunch cruise on the harbour – a more casual recreation of our very first date.”

The bride wore a tulle-skirted, gown by  Karen Willis Holmes, remarking “I fell in love with my Karen Willis Holmes’ dress the moment I saw it at their Paddington boutique. The blush pink dress was made with multiple layers of tulle, lace detailing on the bodice, and silk buttons on the back. It was modern, yet traditional – everything I dreamt my wedding dress would be.”

The couple met before the ceremony for a first look. overlooking Sydney Harbour.

The Sisters created the beautiful floral details for the day, enlisted by Kirsty to put a glam touch on the venue’s vintage decor. Kirsty explains “We wanted to keep the venue’s vintage feel and let the breathtaking view of Sydney Harbour speak for itself. So, rather than focusing on styling, we enlisted the girls from The Sisters to add a little bit of floral romance. Naomi and Esther made beautiful unstructured arrangements for our sweetheart’s table and the mantelpiece, as well as, a lush green garland for us to stand under as we said ‘I do’. We finished the look with over sixty candles, floral patterned menus, and a few gold touches.”

The couple chose  Gunners Barracks for their ceremony and reception. They wed in the courtyard in front of an intimate guest list.

Melissa Soncini officiated the ceremony. The bride’s grandfather contributed in a very special way to the ceremony. “Come March this year, my grandparents would have been together for 60 years. They’re my role models and greatest inspiration when it comes to making a marriage work. So, rather than using words from someone we’ve never met, we asked my Grandpa to speak from the heart during our ceremony. He told everyone about the comforts of growing old together, and how a wedding day is easily forgotten, but a marriage can last a lifetime. He then went on to share some advice to help send us on our way, like the importance of communication and letting your wife watch her favourite show. It made Scott cry, and they’re words that I’ll always cherish.”

The couple chose special favours for their guests – each handpicked to reflect the personality of the guest. Kirsty explains “We opted for unconventional wedding favours by letting our geeky, pop-culture-loving personalities run wild. Each one of our guests was matched to a Pop Vinyl character based on their personality, an in-joke, or a story from our childhood. My step-sister and I grew up reciting Pirates of the Caribbean, so she was Captain Jack Sparrow. Scott and his friends are massive Marvel fans, so they became the Avengers. One of our friends counts down to Christmas every year, so we gave her Buddy the Elf. Everyone definitely left with something that would remind them of us, and they worked as great place card holders too!”

Faye Cahill created a decadent wedding cake for the celebration with caramel drizzle.

The “first dance” was just a little unexpected, tells the bride “Between moving States and planning a wedding, we knew we would forget something. That something happened to be dance lessons – a department we definitely needed help in.
A week out from the wedding, I frantically called every dance company in Canberra and was lucky enough to find Kim at The International Dance Studio. She worked her magic and put together an entire dance routine in one lesson. For the next few days, we had the best time waltzing around our living room, and once in Sydney, the hotel gym. We laughed and twirled our way between furniture until we’d finally perfected the dance.
On the wedding day, whilst everyone else was enjoying canapes on the terrace, Scott and I had almost free reign inside. We chuckled away at everyone’s bobbleheads and added a few extra gifts to some guest’s places, before making our way out to the empty, fairy light covered courtyard. Scott put on our song, and we privately waltzed around one last time before performing in front of everyone. It was movie-style romantic- the complete opposite of our first dance.
When we finally performed the first dance, everything that could go wrong did. We missed our cue to start, I looked at my feet most of the time, and Scott ripped my dress. But, whilst the final dance was a bit messy, we will always have the memory of our real first dance as Mr and Mrs.”

A big congratulations to you both Kirsty and Scott! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us! Thank you to Mr Edwards for sharing today’s photographs!