Kayla & James

With an old world European theme, this grand and elegant ballroom wedding has us swooning with delight! A muted colour palette, lush blooms and textured papers, stunning architecture and romance a-plenty all combine to create a truly beautiful wedding. Sonja C Photography captured the day.

Kayla and James met on a night when both were out in Sydney with friends, instantly getting along. A first date one week later led to, a little further down the track, a proposal on the beach. The bride shares, ”We had a trip planned to my hometown of the Sunshine Coast to visit family and friends. As our family live interstate and overseas it was a beautiful week surrounded by our dearest. One night James took me for a walk along the beach, which I grew up going to, and proposed to me. It was a beautiful moment between James and I. We were able to celebrate the engagement around our families that night.”

Originally seeing her dream dress on Pinterest, Kayla believed she would never be able to track it down. She recalls, ”The Bell dress is from Suzanne Harward. I tried on many dresses but nothing could compare to the Bell. I had my sister search and track down the dress, which ended up being in Melbourne. I tried her on and there was no other option, she was the dress for me! She was different, unique and perfect!” The groom was dressed by The Tailors Co, of whom Kayla says, ”They were really nice lads from Sydney who did an amazing job. James is a massive fan of Happy Socks, he wore a pair on our wedding day and also gifted his groomsmen with colour coordinated Happy Socks.”

Including family was of utmost importance to the couple, in the lead up to the wedding and on the day itself. Kayla says, ”Our ceremony was held at The Willows. We wanted to have a feeling of two families coming as one. We had two readings, Ecclesiastes 4:12 read by my aunty, and a second reading by James’s friend of ‘I Will Be Here’ by Stephen Curtis Chapman. My grandfather is a minister, he has had the privilege of marrying his four children and my cousin. It was an absolute joy to have my Grandfather marry James and I.” The bride walked down the aisle with her father to ‘Make You Feel My Love’ by Sleeping At Last.

”Walking down the aisle was the only time Kayla cried. She shares ,”I was being walked down the aisle by my father, I looked up and saw James, the man that I love, standing next to my Grandfather who had the honour of marrying us. Three very important men in my life standing together. A memory I will cherish forever.” The bride and groom’s ceremony at The Willows was followed by a reception at The George Ballroom, both stunning locations. Kayla says, ”I love all things architecture! I believe both complimented each other nicely and fit the old world European feel.”

Having their day captured so beautifully, Kayla and James were thrilled with Sonja C Photography. The bride tells, ”Our photographer exceeded our exceptions! She was absolutely amazing on the day, so calm and collected. She effortlessly captured our story from start to finish. she managed our crazy families and felt like one of our guests. She snapped images that I didn’t even know about.”

Flowers played a large part in the bride and groom’s wedding day, with lush, organic arrangements filling the reception. Kayla shares, ”I started following Prunella flowers on Instagram and the moment we got engaged I knew we wanted the lovely ladies to do our wedding. We were instantly on the same page vision wise. We wanted to continue the old European feel, with French jardinieres filled with flowers that filled the lengths of the table. We used Peonies, garden roses, David Austin rose, chocolate cosmos, smokebush and green foliage to compliment The George Ballroom. A large urn was created as a statement piece that was placed on the bar.” The gorgeous arrangements overflowing throughout the day and the beautiful bouquets were much loved, with the bride choosing Prunella as a favourite of the day. Kayla tells, ”They exceeded our expectations! From the bouquets to The George Ballroom, walking into the room you could smell the flowers well before you could see them. From the initial quote to how they interpreted our brief to the day of the event, their communication was amazing. Amazing ladies!”

The newlyweds served espresso martinis which were very well received, and managed to add some beautiful DIY to their reception. Kayla tells, ”Our invitations, menus and signage for the day were all DIY. My mother made our welcome sign and seating chart. I wanted to involve the family as much as I could. I loved how wedding planning brings together the entire family. All together, discussing seating charts and menu options.”

A highlight of the reception was the dancefloor, with the couple having their first dance as husband and wife to ‘Lay Me Down’ by Matt Corby. Kayla shares, ”He is an artist both James and I are very fond of. The dance was unrehearsed and made up on the spot. Towards the end of the night, the dance floor was going off. My dad is NOT a dancer and we were not able to get him on the dance floor. At one point James, my brother and a few other guys grabbed my dad and got him on their shoulders and pushed him up in the air!”

The White Tree created this beautiful video, capturing the stunning day!

Thank you to our bride and groom for sharing your day, and congratulations on your gorgeous wedding! Thank you also to Sonja C Photography for your beautiful photos!