Rebecca & Jonny

Industrial, modern with plenty of chic styling- Rebecca and Jonny’s day, not only shows off the most beautiful aesthetic of Sydney city, but it also seems so very apt for The City Issue. 

Captured by the ever-talented  Zoe Morley, our two Brits wanted to show off the very best of Sydney to their guests. They wed on a rooftop overlooking the Sydney harbour bridge, they used the industrial wharves as the backdrop for their photographs and they completely embraced the New York loft, industrial city vibe they’d dreamt of.

It seems serendipitous, that these two, who first met online, became engaged one Australia Day long weekend.

Rebecca shares their story. “We are two Brits living in Australia and on Australia Day long weekend I’d planned a swim over at Manly with friends, a few other things and on the last day of the weekend to do a picnic at Sydney Park.

We set up the picnic and then a group of around 15 people came and set up a marquee next to us. Jonny ate the picnic really quickly and then said how we should go home, get our German shepherd Bonnie and come back for a walk. My only thought was that he never wants to go for multiple walks so thought that a bit odd.

We returned with the pooch and as we were walking around Jonny told me how he had made a video of Bonnie playing with the new water fountain that I had bought her. He asked me if I wanted to have a look and I said yes.

The video showed Bonnie playing and then cut to Jonny videoing himself trying to facetime my father. Mum and dad were away on holiday at the time so weren’t picking up. The video then showed the message Jonny had written to my father asking for my hand in marriage and my dad’s response. It then switched back to Bonnie where he asked her if she would like me to have the same surname as her and then he got down on one knee and proposed. We always have a little laugh now as when he got up off his knee he realised he had proposed to me in front of the BP garage hehe.”

The groom wore a tailored Belance suit.  Rebecca sharing “Jonny wore a Belance blazer, waistcoat and bow tie. Sticking with our less traditional theme he went for a wool blend and had the waistcoat and blazer in different colours. The blazer was in a dark blue and the waistcoat a grey. This blended both fashion and formal together in a perfect ensemble.” And a treasure of the day? The groom being able to take getting ready photos with the couple’s pooch. “We just didn’t want her to miss it. We even bought her a pink bowtie so she could be part of the day”

 

Let’s talk about Rebecca’s incredible gown, a custom creation by designer Con Ilio. “I LOVE fashion but really struggled to find a dress – I found them all the same and nothing really tickled my fancy” explains the bride. “After trying on about 60 dresses I got on a flight to Melbourne to meet Con Illio. I asked him if he fancied adapting one of his couture dresses to be a bridal gown. He was up for the challenge. I went for a backless dress that was buttoned up with Swarovski pearls. The dress was strapless with a bustier that angled down to the bottom of my back. The skirt was tulle and finished at the ankles so I could dance all night. Con and his team (Pauline rules!!) were great. I found picking a dress the hardest thing!!!”

The finishing touch to the bride’s look was custom made earrings by Hargreaves Stockholm.  “I designed my own earrings in conjunction with my very talented friend – Jemi at Hargreaves Stockholm. She is very patient and so talented – it felt even more special on the day because I was wearing something from someone very special to me.”  

Rebecca and Jonny chose Doltone House at Jones Bay Wharf for their wedding, marrying on the rooftop overlooking Sydney Harbour. “This venue was sophisticated but had wooden tones and exposed brickwork that matched the industrial feel for the day. We also had our pictures taken along the old disused shipping lines.”

Rebecca walked down the aisle to a version of “Whatever” by Oasis played on the strings by Red Soda.  “Jonny is a mad Oasis fan so it only felt fitting. The best man I know walked me down the aisle – my father.”

Rebecca and Jonny were married by Nicola Juliet, noting “The ceremony was outside overlooking the Harbour Bridge. We felt that if we were going to ask people to travel 24 hours for a wedding we better show them the best of Sydney. We wanted the ceremony to be heartfelt and full of happiness but we also didn’t want the ceremony to be so long that people lost interest. Nicola Juliet Ceremonies married us. She was so professional and listened to all our needs.”

   

The beautiful floral arrangements on the day were styled by The Bespoke Boys. Rebecca tells “Being someone that knows what she wants I was very prescriptive in what I wanted and they happily obliged. The flowers were a blend of English roses and Australian native plants – we used deeper pinks, purples and greens to further complement everyone’s attire. We also wanted to blend England and Australia together since we have both made Australia our home but remember our roots.”

Rebecca and Jonny can not rave highly enough of their photographer, Rebecca sharing  “One word – FABULOUS. Her work is extraordinary and she was just great to have around during the day. It was like just having a good friend there and she helped out and made me feel at ease even when I was nervous.”

Rebecca and Jonny chose the upstairs Loft at their Doltone House venue for their industrial New York loft-style vibe. “Emily at Doltone house was fabulous and organised – something that I really appreciated. The help and professionalism for planning the wedding was great – I am yet to see a venue that matches this standard.”

Guests donned custom made badges the bride commission from Inspired by Eva. “EvaStore made the badges that I designed for everyone – they were fabulous!!  Each had their name in the middle and how they knew the bride or groom underneath – I made these personal such as “Bride’s gym buddy” or in one case “LEGEND” and when we go and see our friends now they always wear their badge.”

A romantic first dance was played live for the newlyweds by Red Soda. Rebecca remembers “Our first dance was sung live by Red Soda – we chose Kasabian “Put your life on it”. Kasabian are another band that we love and this dance allowed us to keep even the first dance just that little bit different.”

As Jonny is a DJ,  music was one of the most important parts of the day to him, and led to one of the couple’s favourite memories. “We both loved leaving the wedding to “I’m in love with a psycho”. It was a great farewell song and made everyone smile.”

A big congratulations to you both Rebecca and Jonny! What a wonderful day you shared with us. Thank you both and to Zoe Morley for today’s beautiful story!