Sophie & Daniel

Describing their wedding as, “Spanish winter romance with a touch of boho; we wanted the wedding to feel elegant but relaxed,” was only natural for Sophie and Daniel, who honoured the groom’s Spanish heritage through so many elements of their day. To the delight of their Spanish guests who had flown in especially for the occasion! Captured with beautiful style by Erin Latimore, the couple included a stunning mantilla lace veil, Talavera tile details, Spanish readings and live Spanish music. This was a day that honoured their love of the gorgeous country and how it brought them together.

It was, after all, Spain that led them here. The pair met through a language exchange group. The bride, having recently returned from a Madrid exchange, met the groom who had recently arrived from the same city.

It was on Sydney Harbour, the city where they did indeed meet, that the groom to be popped the very important question. Tells Sophie, “Dani told me we had to attend a work function for his company on a yacht on Sydney Harbour. I was not-so-silently dreading it because it was a very cold, overcast afternoon in May and I wanted to have a ‘date night’ instead. When we arrived at a small yacht in Lavender Bay it was just the two of us and I noticed Dani’s overnight back in the hull. We set sail and just as the Vivid festival lights turned on (I love Vivid) Dani proposed to me on the front of the boat. After I said ‘yes’ over and over again we drank our favourite Champagne which Dani had prearranged to have on the boat. It was so thoughtful and romantic.”

The groom purchased his navy tuxedo in Spain from Suit Supply, finishing off his look with a velvet bow tie from OTAA.

Sophie worked with designer Helen English to not only create her gown but the gowns of her bridesmaids. She tells, “My gown was very simple. Long sleeves, low back, silk and French lace. I wanted something elegant but that still felt like me. I didn’t enjoy the wedding dress shopping process as I felt very uncomfortable in most things I tried on. Helen English was the final bridal shop of the day (I was determined to only spend one day looking at dresses) and as soon as I walked in I felt relief! I was able to design and choose exactly what I wanted”. She added a Spanish mantilla veil to complete her look.

Sophie and Daniel chose the courtyard of Alby and Esther’s for their ceremony, serving champagne on arrival to kick off the celebratory vibe.

To honour Spain, the day was filled with regional touches, Sophie says, “We added little Spanish touches here and there to make our foreign guests feel included. From the Talavera tile placeholders on the seats at the ceremony to the Spanish guitarist on guests’ arrival, to the canapés and Champagne.”

The bride walked down the aisle with her father to Sam Smith’s “Latch”.

Myriam Diaz officiated proceedings. “The most important thing to us was that both our families felt included and that only the most important people to us were present. For that reason, we had a bilingual ceremony and limited the wedding to 57 including us. My brother did a reading called “Love is a Temporary Madness” from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and Dani’s mum read a poem in Spanish.”

“Everyone was incredible, but Leigh Sargent from Alby and Esther’s went above and beyond to make our ceremony absolutely perfect! She even had a friend that speaks Spanish to come and help welcome the guests as they arrived!

Of the couple’s chosen photographer, Sophie tells, “Erin was incredible. We initially chose Erin because we like the simplicity of her photographs and her eye for detail. She made us feel so comfortable and joined in on the laughs and emotion of the day! We were blown away by the final product and cannot sing her praises enough!”

Shiralee Archer created stunning floral pieces for the day. “Our florist was incredible! I sent her a picture of a bouquet I had seen that I liked the shape of and the colours. Shiralee told me those flowers weren’t in season but she could recreate something equally impressive in the same colour scheme so I told her to go for it. I was so surprised when I saw them on the day, they were even more stunning than I had imagined!”

Guests gathered at Pipeclay Pumphouse to celebrate the newlyweds tells Sophie. “We had the reception at a restaurant called Pipeclay Pumphouse because the food is phenomenal.”

The day was filled with handmade touches, “We made our own invitations and had them printed, my brother helped a lot with that (he is a designer),” tells Sophie. “We made hangover kits as one of the favours. We made placeholders for the seats at our ceremony using Spanish Talavera tiles. I also made my jewellery and my bridesmaids’ jewellery.”

The bride says, “We also chose to have a cocktail wedding so everyone could mingle and talk the whole night – we didn’t want to stop people enjoying themselves.”

A first dance was not the style of these newlyweds, who instead welcomed every guest on to the dance floor at once. The most requested song of the night? “Despacito”!

A big congratulations to the newlyweds! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us. Thank you also to Erin Latimore for today’s beautiful imagery.