Fay & Dave

Romantic, inviting and intimate, Fay and Dave’s Gunners’ Barracks Sydney wedding was simply divine! Lush roses, dreamy sparklers and a grassy, hidden spot for the ceremony were captured by Sonja Cenic.

The bride and groom met through work, but only just! Fay remembers, ”In 2009 we worked together at opposite ends of the same floor. Dave had noticed me, finding me difficult to ignore as my laugh carried across the floor (and pierced his noise-cancelling headphones). I had not noticed Dave – but when news came that he was leaving the bank to pursue a more meaningful existence I quickly invited myself along to his farewell drinks! The next week we were no longer colleagues, and had our first date.”

The bride wore a floating lace gown, designed by Couture By Francesca. She tells, ”I wanted something modern and unique to my style. I found Couture By Francesca and initially liked one of her other dresses, but when I came back she had just started making her new collection. I found two dresses that I loved and Francesca had the amazing idea to combine the first dress with the skirt of the second dress. Francesca was amazing and was such a different experience to go through the dressmaking experience. It was really special.” The groom wore a polka dot tie with a tailored suit and brown shoes.

Balmoral beach was the perfect location for Fay and Dave’s first look. The bride shares, ”As the ceremony started late we met earlier to get some photos of us and the bridal party and it helped relax us into the day and have those few special moments to ourselves before we celebrated with our closest friends and family.” The ceremony was styled by Simply Beautiful at Gunners’ Barracks, Fay teling, ”As it was the middle of summer the stylist suggested including bottled water and fans as part of the ceremony which was a great addition to help people cool down.”

Outdoors and surrounded by lush greenery, Fay and Dave said ‘I do’! They tell, ”We wanted everyone to enjoy the ceremony so there were a lot of jokes and laughs as neither of us wanted it to be too serious. But there were a lot of tears and emotions for the vows which made it also very heartfelt. We had one reading from Bob Marley, with the lines, ‘He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can. He isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break. Don’t hurt him, don’t change him, and don’t expect for more than he can give. Don’t analyze. Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he’s not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you.” The bride walked down the aisle to ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran with her father.

There were many important factors when it came to choosing a reception venue, but one option fulfilled them all! Fay shares, ”We chose Gunners’ Barracks because of its unique style with beautiful sandstone walls and amazing city views. We also wanted people to be well fed with tasty food and the food at gunners barracks was great! I left most of the choosing of my flowers from Willow & Bear to my stylist, Simply Beautiful, and they did an amazing job at bringing all the elements of the wedding together.”

Photographer Sonja Cenic was on hand to capture each romantic detail. The bride tells, ”Sonja was amazing. She makes you feel relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera and captures so many beautiful moments without you even realising she is there. We loved the style of our photographs and the album she has put together. Our first dance was to ‘At Last’ by Etta James. We don’t like being the centre of attention for too long so we gave everyone sparklers to play with!”

Thank you to our beautiful bride and groom for sharing your gorgeous wedding day with us, and congratulations! Thank you also to Sonja Cenic for your stunning images!