Rosa & Paul

Floral and FUN is a succinct way to describe Rosa and Paul’s wedding, but OH there’s so much more to it! The bride wore a hand painted floral gown with gold high tops, the bridesmaids wore burgundy and leather and every single moment looked like so much fun, we wish we had been there! James Day captured the joy!

The couple met in a cafe at Top Ryde, and their proposal took place in the same spot. Paul remembers, ”One afternoon we went to pick up take away. I’d had the ring for a couple of weeks, tucked away and burning a hole in my locker at work. Knowing we’d be going back to the very area we met in, I smuggled it around in my coat pocket. Rosa was eating a banh mi (a staple food of our relationship), and was half way through a bite when I couldn’t wait any longer, and handed her serviettes. She thought I was being considerate for the messy snack she was eating, but I was actually being considerate for the tears I knew were coming. Then I produced the ring and popped the question. Best (and only) “yes” I’ve ever gotten in my life!”

The dress had pockets! Already a dream gown with its pocket design, Rosa found her floral dress at Wendy Makin. Paul shares, ”It was a hand-painted silk dress that she fell in love with when we first got engaged. She had looked around but it was always that dress, and though I wasn’t there for any of the fittings, when she tried it on, she knew it was THE dress. She had a custom pink cape by Penrith Bridal Centre, gold Nike high-top sneakers and a Kate Spade Say Yes “Mrs” necklace that I bought as a gift to give her on our actual wedding day. When she walked down the aisle I was lost for words, she looked absolutely radiant, and I can’t have imagined any other dress being so perfect for her. A couple of months out from the big day, I asked my Mum if she wanted to loan something to Rosa for her ‘something borrowed’, and knowing Rosa to be a crier, Mum gave her a white handkerchief. When Rosa saw it she was so touched by the considerate gesture, and immediately started crying happy tears. It was gorgeous.” The groom wore a white blazer with black lapels, black trousers and a bow tie.

The outdoor ceremony was flanked by an arbour of roses and magnolia. Paul tells, ”We had a garden ceremony at Chapel Hill Retreat, with TMT Weddings as our celebrant and MC. We wanted it to be lighthearted, genuine, and most of all fun. Trung made it a pleasure to collaborate with, made everything run smooth as silk on the day, and ensured there was absolutely no stress for us. Trung stands out from every other celebrant I’ve seen, as he carries himself with a casual yet professional air, to the point where my own mum thought he was one of our close mates.” Rosa walked down the aisle with her dad to ‘At Last’ by Etta James.

Soft pinks and burgundy blooms complimented Rosa’s floral gown, and stunning pink hair. Paul shares, ”Rosa spotted flowers by The Marmalade Sky, and we organised a meet up with Kimberley. Much like James Day, and TMT Weddings, there was a congeniality that made it feel more like hanging out with a mate than organising a service, and she was excited to help us, which in turn made us excited. We opted for burgundy, blush, and champagne coloured flowers, and a lot of greenery for the reception, and Kimberly killed it – I never thought I’d say the sentence “these flowers look badass!”, but such is the quality of her work!”

Photographer James Day was on hand to capture the colourful and fun filled day. Paul remembers, ”Rosa had James recommended by a mutual friend. We organised a meet up, and after an hour or so of chatting, Rosa and I were both sold. Not only is his work phenomenal, but he is a genuine character, and we had a great time on the initial meet and greet. This was important to both of us since I’m not the biggest fan of posing for photos. All our vendors were amazing! They all absolutely killed it, and we’re both incredibly lucky and grateful to have had them play their respective roles in our big day.”

Finding their ideal venue took a little time! Paul tells, ”After going to at least eight different venues, Rosa stumbled upon Chapel Hill Retreat, and when we went out to have a sticky-beak, we both fell in love with it. A beautiful setting with some fantastic views, and a reception hall on the same property; spacious and equipped with everything we needed. We opted for shared platters of hearty winter meats and veggies and it was on point. The staff at Chapel Hill deserve massive props because they were incredibly accommodating to us, and bent over backward to give us an amazing experience.”

“Carla’s Cookies supplied us with love heart shaped cookies complete with edible flowers that doubled as bomboniere AND name place cards for our guests,” says Paul. “They looked amazing and tasted just as good, and Rosa and I felt it was a unique way to kill two birds with one stone, to do something a little different.”

At the reception, Paul notes, ”We had one of Rosa’s friends act as translator for the father of the bride’s speech, which was incredibly moving. We opted for roaming digital cameras for our guests to take candids with, and they proved to be a big hit; thankfully they didn’t roam anywhere they weren’t supposed to. Also, killing two birds with one stone, one of Rosa’s friends baked cookies that doubled as place cards and bomboniere for our guests and were delicious. For our immediate family and our bridal party, we booked out Madison’s Mountain Retreat.”

A lot of creativity went into Rosa and Paul’s beautiful wedding. Paul shares, ”For our stationery, we used a template and a printing service to make invitations in both English and Korean. For our table numbers and seating chart, we used the same template, which then went into frames from Ikea. For our wishing well, we bought a white greenhouse from Ikea, onto which we put a gold stencil that said ‘Mr & Mrs Martyn’. Then for photo props we bought stencils of masks from Marvel, DC, Star Wars, and Harry Potter films, printed them off, and our awesome family and friends helped assemble them in the days leading up to the wedding. We also picked up some hessian table runners from Gumtree that broke up all the white of the tables.” The couple had their first dance to ‘Songbird’ by Eva Cassidy, performed by Paper Hearts.

Congratulations to our stunning bride and groom on your wedding day, and thank you so much for sharing it with us! Thank you also to James Day and Dave Katague for your beautiful imagery!