Sustainable Sydney Wedding At The Freedom Hub

One of the things I have learnt most while planning The Green Issue, is that an eco-wedding isn’t all or nothing. You don’t have to make every single element of your day sustainable, green, it makes a difference, a big one to just carefully choose the vendors and services you do use. To make decisions that have a big impact. That’s exactly what Caitlin and Daniel did – they chose a venue that gives back – that uses their own ethical suppliers and makes a stand for social justice. Everything else aligned from there, including these beautiful images from Jack Jones Photography.

“The theme was ‘Essentials’ ” explains Caitlin. “From the food to the music, we kept the wedding as ‘in-house’ as possible. Themed with Australian natives the atmosphere was very cheerful and relaxed.”

The duo met in an act of serendipity, Caitlin remembering “Our meeting follows the age-old story of ‘right time right place’. We met through a mutual friend from Canada who just happened to be in Melbourne at the same time we were. I met the famous ‘wing-woman’ many years prior during a University exchange to the UK Midlands. We became very close friends but drifted when we both returned to our hometowns (mine being Sydney, hers being Canada).
Daniel met the famous wing-woman during his master’s in Melbourne where they were both in the same course. All our lives collided in a vegan restaurant Smith & Daughters in Melbourne where we all shared faux tuna and nut cheese. The next week Dan and I ran a fun-run where we had to race a train. Dan was so smitten he ran with a Tenosynovitis (apparently very painful). And the rest is history!”

The groom and groomsmen (along with groomswoman!) chose suits together at Bossini Menswear.

The bride chose her beautiful navy gown from Bariano. “I chose a dress that was anything but the status quo. I was out with Dan and two other friends as we were just about to go away for a weekend wine tasting and hiking. We decided to look at a few shops (‘just for fun’) and I ended up walking out with a dress! It wasn’t white, and at first, I was really nervous about that. I was worried I wouldn’t look or feel like a bride without being in the traditional white dress, especially when so much emphasis is put on the bride’s outfit, the style, the brand, the entire look. But when Dan reassured me that there was no real reason a bride has to wear white and that I was a mature, sophisticated and individual woman who could make my own decision, we just went ahead with it. Looking back I couldn’t have been happier!”

The couple met before their ceremony for photos and a first look, the series of moments captured some of the bride’s very favourites. “Our favourite photograph of the day was the ‘reveal’ photo. Dan was made to face a wall as I approached him from the side. Jack then captured our first views of one another, almost second by second. We love our natural these photos turned out”

The couple worked with Tumbleweed Events on the beautiful floral details. Caitlin sharing “The flowers and decorations were provided by Tumbleweed Events. I love the rawness of Australian natives and Ruth was able to capture them beautifully in such a special and artistic manner.
Each bouquet was wrapped with a rich, deep red ribbon and trail which looked like a stunning contrast against my navy dress.”

Caitlin gave photographer Jack Jones a rave review. “We were very blessed to have Jack Jones as our photographer for the day. He was everything you could ever wish for in a photographer plus more! He was professional, yet still very easy going and really made everyone feel very relaxed. He did a fantastic job of scoping out the best spots for the wedding party photos in close proximity to the venue. We had an amazing combination of the urban and natural landscape, all located in Surry Hills. We’ve had so many compliments about our photos, so many have said they’re the best they’ve ever seen!”

The industrial style setting of The Freedom Hub was beautifully aligned with Caitlin & Daniel’s values. “We had the ceremony and reception at the one venue – The Freedom Hub. The Freedom Hub was a very special venue and it really encapsulated our values regarding health and sustainability. The venue is socially responsible and all profits go towards the fight against human trafficking in Australia. The venue also offers sustainable catering options, including providing a plant-based menu developed primarily from organic, local ingredients. It was the perfect location, perfect size and when we found out it was available for our date we grabbed it!”

Caitlin’s parents lent a hand, making an array of jams and pickled grapes for guests to take home as favours (supplemented by Caitlin’s own homebaked choc-chip cookies and Parmesan and Rosemary Biscotti.)

Daniel’s favourite detail? A piece his wife had spent many an hour creating, he tells “My favourite detail of the wedding was seeing in real life the placard Caitlin had spent countless hours preparing. It symbolised the two of us cycling off into the future together with love-heart balloons and flowers rising to the top of the page. The balloons were individually cut out and stuck to the page with space in between them for people to write their names and little notes in. I had only seen this from afar while getting set up in the US; it meant so much to me to see Caitlin’s creativity come to life. We now have it in our bedroom to look at every day.”

Tumbleweed Events executed the bride and groom’s vision for their day beautifully, tells Caitlin “It is not hard at all to pick the most outstanding vendor for the wedding. This would have to be Ruth Sanders from Tumbleweed events. She was engaged as our florist and decorator but brought so much more to the table. She was friendly and professional and unbelievably organised. She went above and beyond to give advice about how to set out the room, and organised an amazing array of flowers, candles and chandeliers. She made me feel like a real bride and made me such a beautiful bouquet. Ruth was engaged throughout the entire process. She was never difficult to get hold of, and was fair and reasonably priced and really went beyond to make our day easy and memorable.”

The bride walked down the aisle with her father to Maroon 5’s “What Lovers Do”.

Caitlin and Daniel chose Amy Watson to officiate proceedings, telling “We wanted the ceremony to feel like a celebration. We wanted it to be about proclaiming our love and union with all our close friends and family. Our celebrant, Amy Watson, did a fantastic job of setting the scene and mood. She was high energy and really got the room excited for the ceremony that followed. Dan and I decided to write our own vows, centring around the theme of making genuine promises to one another, and our excitement for the future and adventures we’d get to share. We wanted it to be a personal and genuine event.”

This wedding? It really was all about the community. “Wedding planning can be stressful, but it can also be a lot of fun” notes Caitlin. “I really enjoyed seeing how the planning brought people and ideas together and knowing that everyone was there to support us. Mum and dad were very helpful in driving me to places and attending meetings at the wedding venue. They were also really supportive by helping organise the cake, the wines, the bonbonnieres. My sisters were great with bouncing ideas off and helping organise the hens setting. I also really enjoyed working with Ruth who had great ideas about the venue setting, the flower arrangements and chandeliers, yet was also very receptive of what we were looking for.”

“This wedding was all about incorporating our individual values, quirks, family and friends into a celebration of love and intertwining of two lives into a shared one.
Our night would not have been complete without our family and friends contributing their talents to the night including the music, wines and favours.”

The newlyweds kicked off the dance floor with the favourite Ed Sheeran “Perfect”, Caitlin remembering “It was an intimate experience that we hadn’t practised at all adding to how genuine it felt. We smiled while looking into each other’s eyes, holding one another as close as possible. Within a few twirls, we had everyone joining in with us; it was a great experience.”