It was the hidden inner-city venue of Beta Events that set the scene for the wedding of Christine and Bandoll ” We wanted to keep things simple and stress-free by having a venue where we were able to have both the ceremony and reception.” explains bride Christine, who also “loved having a unique venue that no one had ever been to. It was truly a hidden gem in Sydney”.

The pair chose a black-tie dress code, and little touches of glam (and fun, lolly table & Champagne tower anyone?) to ensure their own personality came through the day, with it’s beautifully classic & elegant touches.

The pair accompanied by photographer Images By Kevin to make sure every moment of their day was captured.

A random afternoon, as teenagers at their local shopping complex, led Bandoll and Christine to meet “We met when we were 14yo at Westfield, Liverpool. As part of a game with friends, we took turns picking out boys in the crowd and our friends had to ask them for their number on our behalf. As fate would have it, I saw Bandoll going up the escalator so I chose him. We started talking (on MSN and a landline!) just as friends. Six years later, we saw each other online on MSN, began chatting, met up for lunch and the rest is history.”

Bandoll popped the question during a leisurely morning at Maon Rock Pools Christine only catching on par5tway through, She tells ” Instead of heading back to the car like we normally do, Bandoll asked to go for a walk near the cliffs. When we arrived, it was closed off for construction so I said we should head back. Bandoll was adamant to find a way in and in that moment my stomach dropped – was this it?! We managed to walk around and find a spot overlooking the shore. Bandoll said, “I have a birthday present for you”. I was excited but slightly disappointed to see him pull out a book. It was titled, “Reasons why I love Christine Tacadena”.

Each page described why and what he loves about me including inside jokes and holidays. As I continued turning, the last page was a cartoon version of him on one knee with the words, “Will you marry me?”. I started to get teary and put my head in my hands. When I looked back up, the real Bandoll was on his knee with a ring.”

”

Christine and Bandoll enlisted the help fo stylist and floral designer The Hunted Yard to bring their wedding to life. the bride sharing ” I wanted a darker, moody vibe with the flowers; nothing too bright. I wanted to complement the vibe the exposed brick gave and keep it urban and chic. The venue was gorgeous on its own and we wanted the flower arrangements to complement what was already there. For example, the round frame behind our bridal table accented the arch in the brick wall.”

The bride donned a Sottero and Midgley gown from Abbey Bridal. She tells “I chose a strapless dress as I never wear strapless pieces. I wanted something to suit our venue so I chose a fit and flare styled dress. Inspired by the brick and colour scheme of the venue, I opted for a champagne underlay with heavy white lace on top. I never dreamt about my wedding dress so when I first started looking I had no idea where to start and was so overwhelmed by the choices

I went a few times with friends and did the whole group thing in hopes to have a, “say yes to the dress” moment.  I ended up wandering around on my lunch break at work and instead of doing my Christmas shopping I stumbled into Abbey Bridal and picked out my dress on my own and kept it a surprise for everyone to see on the day (except for my mum).” Christine added her mother’s own wedding veil to finish her look.

The groom’s favourite memory fo the day” The moments before his future wife arrived “Watching the guests reaction as they arrived. The venue is truly a hidden gem in the city. Everyone said that they didn’t expect that venue based on what they could see from the outside. Some thought we fully decorated the place – we added nothing! Some thought the place wasn’t fully constructed yet lol”

The couple chose Sydney venue Beta Events for their wedding, loving the ease of the all in one, flexible space. “We shortlisted three venues but Beta was the first one we saw and once we saw it we didn’t have to see the rest. We love the exposed brick and charm that it has without any need for extra decorations.”

Christine chose ” Alicia Keys “Not Even The King” to walk down the aisle, on the arm of her father,

Of the ceremony, officiated by TMT Weddings, Christine explains “I wanted it to be laid back and intimate. We had the ceremony in the gallery so it was a tight space. We didn’t have a formal aisle, we just asked guests to part ways for the bridal entrance. I really liked this and called it my, “red sea” moment. We didn’t have any readings. We wanted a short ceremony and wrote our own vows.”

“In the ceremony, we came to the part of the rings and everyone’s shock there was only one ring on the pillow! We were sure at the beginning of the ceremony there were two (Selfishly I was relieved to find it wasn’t my diamond band!) There is an awesome photo of the best man and the groom looking down in shock trying to find the ring. Everyone was curious as to what was happening and those close enough started looking on the floor nearby. Thankfully our trusty photographer found it on the floor under our parents’ seat and saved the day. He even had time to quickly snap our reactions as we laughed it off. Our poor best man will have to live with this as one of our favourite moments on our wedding day.”

For something different to his everyday attire, the groom wore a classic tuxedo from Peter Jacksons. “Bandoll is a personal trainer and massage therapist so is always in activewear. ” explains Christine “He takes any chance he can get to dress up. A tuxedo had a simple and classic look.”

Of the couple’s chosen photographer, Christine and “Kevin made everything so easy. He was the photographer at my sister in laws wedding so we had already seen him at work and he already met the groom. I don’t like taking photos and always feel weird posing and don’t know how to look natural and not awkward. We had an engagement shoot to trial some photos and spend some time with Kevin. We captured awesome shots in such little time; Kevin had complete confidence Kevin would deliver the same if not, more on our wedding day. We scheduled 45min for photos between the ceremony and reception. Kevin got all the “money” shots I actually asked to stop after 10 minutes! We didn’t need it anymore. We started the reception earlier and took advantage of the time and sat down at each table chatting to everyone.”

“We planned our wedding together. ” says the bride “Myself and the groom made all the decisions for our day together and we were both involved in the process. It was important to us that the day was a reflection of us. We saw our wedding as a way of saying thank you to our closest family and friends for all their support throughout the years. It was nice to plan it together and have some surprises for guests”  

“From dress fittings and menu tastings to sending a thousand emails! I loved how everyone including our family and friends was so supportive, generous and loving with their time and effort to make sure our day went as smooth as it did.”

“Our priority for the guests was that they could enjoy some cocktails!” laughs Christine ” Not all weddings serve cocktails or drinks people actually like so we made sure we selected the bar menu and chose two of our favourite cocktails for guests to enjoy. We also arranged a dessert station complete with a self-serve ice cream machine and a table full of candy.”

“In light of covid, we are even more grateful to have been able to have guests from overseas and Melbourne attend. My maid of honour was from San Diego and my day would not have been complete if she wasn’t there”

Advice for couples yet to walk down the aisle? Christine says “Enjoy the process and enjoy it together. The lead up to the wedding is longer than the actual day! Communicate your expectations, wishlist and must list. The wedding day should be special and memorable but not at the expense of your sanity!”

The newlyweds took to the dance floor to Boyz II Men’s “More Than You’ll Ever Know” “We are both big fans of Boyz II Men. This is one of their newer songs so it was nice to choose a new song from a group that has been around for a while. Just like our relationship – we’ve known each other for so long but we’ve grown up so much and our growth as individuals keeps us new as a couple.”

Tells the bride, of her favourite moment of the night “During the reception, I decided to sit outside in the small courtyard with a few friends. I remember sitting there looking into the venue and just watching everyone having a good time. I loved that I had that moment to literally take a step back and look in. Look at our gorgeous venue, the cake, the flowers, listen to music and watch all our favourite people in the world be together for us. Definitely, a moment I can revisit a million times over and over.”

A big congratulations to you both Christine and Bandoll! How lovely it was to share your beautiful day! Thank you both and to Images By Kevin for sharing today’s beauty with us!