A stunning Spring day is perfect for a picnic, but it turns out, as Hannah and Gareth found out, it’s also perfect for a picnic wedding. The couple embraced the unknown of pandemic restrictions and planned something simple, intimate, and full of what was very much important.

Hannah sharing “Because we got married in the middle of COVID restrictions we didn’t know what would be able to go ahead until the last minute. We started the ceremony in the morning and the whole celebration was finished by 2 pm. We loved the morning ceremony as we got the most of the sunshine and our friends and family were able to go swimming at the end.”

With Folk + Follow behind the camera, Hannah and Gareth could not have picked a more perfect Sydney day, The historic homestead standing tall, the gardens green and lush, the champagne bubbling and flowing, and the scene set for a beautiful morning celebration. it was,

The couple held the garden party at Greycliffe Gardens. Says Hannah “With the threat of restrictions and cancellations,  decided not to have a reception and have the ceremony and mini picnic celebration all in the park at Nielsen Park in Sydney Harbour (through National Parks and Wildlife Service). For our wet weather backup plan, we only had a bunch of umbrellas on the sidelines so we’re so lucky it ended up being a beautiful day.”

Hannah wore a gorgeous long-sleeve white gown from For Love and Lemons. She tells  “I didn’t want a traditional wedding dress and wanted something different so I didn’t look at ‘wedding dresses’. I found this beautiful dress online that was fun, unique, and pretty and felt like me.” Gareth, also ditching the idea of a traditional suit, dressed in pieces from MJ Bale. “Gareth also didn’t want a traditional suit and we loved the burgundy jacket from M.J. Bale.”

The couple begin their morning with a photography session “Our photographer was Hank from Folk and Follow.” says Hannah “He was wonderful and made us feel so comfortable as we were a bit shy about the photos.”

 

The flowers were styled by Hannah and her mum “We did all the flowers ourselves which we bought from Sydney Flower Market at 5 am the day before. My grandparents were florists so it was a special way to remember them and learn about floristry from my Mum and Aunt who worked in the shop and used to buy from the markets growing up.”

Hannah walked down the aisle with her dad to the sounds of a viola “My best friend Cecile is a viola player and played for us walking down the aisle. (For the signing she composed a piece on the viola named ‘3 birds’ to represent the native birds in the bushland at Nielsen Park. ) My sister Camille and Mum Kerrie walked down the aisle followed by me with my Dad Steve”

“Our favourite photograph was after the ceremony walking back up the aisle with our guests throwing rose petals. The roses were a complete surprise that Hannah’s best friend’s Mum brought from her garden in the Blue Mountains.”

The couple intentionally kept their wedding relaxed, to save any stress amid pandemic restrictions, Hannah explaining “Because of COVID most of the wedding was DIY as we didn’t want to overcommit in case it had to be cancelled. My Mum, Aunt and I made the flowers. Gareth and his Mum baked and decorated the cake. We got friends and family to play the music. My aunty made personal tags for everyone with native flowers for their cups. Our beautiful family and friends pitched in early in the morning to set everything up in the park. Hannah painted the invitations with native flowers to match the native bushland at Nielsen Park.

Because of COVID restrictions we were limited to only family and just the week before because of changing restrictions we were able to have some friends there which made the day.”

Teh first dance was as relaxed and as romantic as the rest of the day, says Hannah “Because we didn’t have a reception and weren’t allowed to have a dance floor, but wanted to still celebrate the special moments, my uncle Mark played acoustic guitar and sang ‘Love me tender’ by Elvis for the first dance. As a surprise he made song cards – using my watercolour flower paintings from the wedding invitations – so all the guests could sing along too.”

A big congratulations to you both Hannah and Gareth! Congratulations on doing your day your way and doing it perfectly. Thank you both for sharing your day and thank you to Folk + Follow for sharing today’s beautiful celebration.