Sophie & Ed

Adelaide is the star of the show for Sophie and Ed’s big day, a day that celebrated all the beauty of this sweet city, and donned its finest for Sophie and Ed’s big day. With the cold of winter embracing them, the pair, who chose Evan Bailey to capture their day, made sure their day was done their way, ditching tradition when they felt it didn’t reflect who they are. “We wanted a fun, relaxed party vibe” explains Sophie. “The whole day reflected us as a couple (we didn’t get caught up in the traditions or what we ‘should’ be doing)”.

And we’re definitely saluting Sophie’s choice to have her bridesmaids wear what they like, which is totally appropriate for this month’s The Bridesmaid Issue. because I am sure you will agree, how every moment, every detail came together for these two, and how the result? Is pretty darn magical.

It was a mutual friend, while both Sophie and Ed were living in Canada that brought these two together, but Ed waited until they were in Australia, to pop the big question, Sophie reminiscing “We went camping on Ed’s parent’s farm in Eugowra, NSW. I had no idea Ed was going to propose and thought he was joking!”

The industrial vibe of Chateau Apollo completely fit what Sophie and Ed wanted for their day. “We knew we wanted the ceremony and reception done at the same place in the city. We had a lot of friends and family coming from out of town so having it at a convenient location was important to us” explains Sophie. “We were so stoked when we came across Chateau Apollo! It was exactly the kind of space we imagined we would get married at. It was an old garden centre back in the day and they have renovated into a really cool venue. We loved the brick walls, concrete floors and high ceilings. The space was so beautiful on its own, we didn’t have to decorate much at all!”

The couple kept their wedding decor minimal, using a neon sign as the focal point. Sophie noting “We didn’t want anything too traditional, just a pop of colour against the brick walls. It also transitioned into a cool photo wall for guests throughout the night!”

The bride found her retro-inspired gown at Fame and Partners, pairing it with an emerald green hairband from Lele Sadoughi. She shares “I had never really thought about what kind of wedding dress I wanted so it was hard at first (I spent a lot of time on Pinterest.) We decided on a winter wedding so long sleeves felt appropriate. I love a 70s style, full sleeve with cuffs and was lucky enough to find one online at Fame and Partners. They’re a ‘made to order’, zero waste, sustainable online store. I love everything they’re about and knew I wanted to wear one of their pieces. The whole process was so easy and I loved the dress!”

The bride walked down the aisle with her parent’s to London Grammar’s “Stay Awake”.

“We wanted to keep the ceremony short, sharp and shiny!” tells Sophie of the couple’s ceremony, officiated by Victoria Edwards. “We wanted a fun, relaxed ceremony that reflected us as a couple. We didn’t include any particular readings (but we did refer to our fur baby Chilli-Dog a lot, she means the world to us!) Our celebrant Victoria Edwards was so amazing! She had some great advice going into the ceremony and made us feel so calm. I would recommend her to everyone!!”

The guest list? Such an important part of the day for these two, especially for the bride. “I was lucky enough to have 3 out of 4 of my grandparents there on the day! They are all well into their 90s so that was very special to me!”

The newlyweds made sure the photo session with their wedding party, was as much fun as the rest of the day, telling “In between the ceremony and reception, Ed and I and the bridal party all went around the corner to a bar (Hey Jupiter) for cocktails. We didn’t want the traditional bridal party photoshoot so Evan, our photographer just snapped away while we were all hanging out, drinking espresso martini’s, taking it all in! Everyone was so relaxed which made the photos really candid, it was our favourite part of the day!”

Sophie and Ed worked with Fleur and Brew to design jewel-toned floral details. Sophie sharing “The flowers were an easy choice. Because it was a winter wedding I wanted to stick to deep autumn colours (burgundy, greens) I knew I wanted to use Fleur and Brew -a local florist in Adelaide that always puts together the most amazing bunches! They were so easy to deal with and nailed it on the day!”

the bridesmaids, in their stunning jewel tones, chose their looks, explains the bride. “I had my two sisters and two of my childhood friends. Ed had his two brothers and two of his childhood friends so it worked out well! They all chose what they wanted to wear as well. As long as they were comfortable, we didn’t care!”

“Evan was such a legend!” raves Sophie of the couple’s chosen wedding photographer. “Right from the start he made us feel so comfortable and relaxed! He was professional and efficient but also so down to earth and understood the exact vibe we were going for. We both don’t love having our photos taken but the whole experience was a lot of fun! We couldn’t recommend Evan highly enough!”

Guests celebrated the newlyweds with a cocktail reception. “It was all a stand-up, cocktail event which made it feel less ‘wedding’ and more ‘party’,” remarks Sophie. “The whole day reflected us as a couple (we didn’t get caught up in the traditions or what we ‘should’ be doing).”

The finishing touch? An array of doughnuts from Krispy Kreme in lieu of wedding cake!

The first dance, was completely spontaneous, says Sophie. “We only decided to do the first dance on the night!” The couple danced to Temper Trap’s “Love Lost”.

The biggest of congratulations to you both Sophie and Ed! Thank you to you both, and to photographer Evan Bailey for sharing today’s celebration with us.