We have so many stories to share this year, that we, quite frankly, could not wait to get started. So here we are, four days into a brand new year and wedding for you that is just packed with so many details to love. From incredible autumnal tones to the romantic evening ceremony (and the wedding cake that is what dreams are made of).

Yes, it makes sense we had to start our weddings early this year especially when you see the photos of Carol and Jack captured so beautifully by Russell Stafford. 

After both moving away from home to attend university, the couple’s paths soon crossed. “We had nothing in common but enjoyed each other’s company” laughs Carol. The pair fell head over heels for one another before they became engaged in a joint decision. “One year together grew into two, then three, and by our seventh year together we decided to get engaged while on a holiday to Hong Kong. We went and picked out a ring together and made it official by video calling our families from Victoria Peak.”

With a seven month postponement for COVID, “We ended up having a 2.5-year engagement and we had gone over every detail to death. I think maybe the best thing was that every piece fell into place in the end and we were able to celebrate with our loved ones despite all the uncertainty with the pandemic.” It was a beautiful autumnal May day when Carol and Jack finally got to tie the knot.

“Jack decided to keep it traditional” remembers Carol of Jack’s decision to wear a black tuxedo from P Johnson Tailors.

Carol wore two beautiful gowns, kicking off the day with a frock from Newhite (that she also wore for the reception) and donning a  Karen Willis Holmes gown for the ceremony, She explains  “I initially only had one dress (which I wore for the reception) that I picked out at a trunk show after having tried on several more classic options. I loved that it wasn’t so “bridal”.
We then postponed our wedding by seven months and during that time I fell in love with another dress in a more classical style that I wore for the ceremony.”

The couple opted to meet before their ceremony for photographs, their decision made easy when you see their beautiful photographs. “Our photographer Russ was a delight to be with during the day and in the lead-up to the wedding. He and his team went above and beyond, sending me a bridal care package pre-wedding, keeping us relaxed and on schedule, and of course, taking such beautiful photos of our day. All our vendors were incredible. Is it too much to say we are so happy and grateful to the events team at our venue, our photographer + videographer, our florist, and our harpist?”

The couple kept things simple and fuss-free, says Carol. “We wanted our wedding to be as stress-free as possible for everyone involved. Our wedding party was made up of our siblings only and we got ready with our parents, allowing for some quality time together before the whirlwind of the rest of the day and before officially becoming one family.”

With a seven month postponement under their belts, Carol has this advice for you. “Enjoy the wedding day! We ended up having two years between our engagement and our wedding day, so we had thought about every detail, but on the day it didn’t matter. Everything fell into place and we were able to relax and savour every moment.

Also, plan early! Sydney venues and vendors get booked out well in advance and we had a heads up from some of our friends. We booked everything 12 – 18 months before our original date and didn’t have issues with not being able to reserve the vendors we wanted.”

Carol and Jack held both their ceremony and reception at the Art Gallery of NSW, “It is such a stunning space, the food was amazing and the events team took care of every detail. Half our guests were travelling from interstate so its central location and not having to travel between the ceremony and reception was a massive plus.
Beyond being our wedding venue, the Art Gallery of NSW is somewhere we’d visited many times and we’re lucky to have been married at such a special place. Not to mention we can revisit it whenever we like.”

Letting the beauty of their venue do the talking, Carol and Jack let their floral designer Trille Floral run free with her imagination, Carol noting “We gave free rein to our amazing florist to realise her vision for the ceremony and reception. The final result was a glorious autumnal celebration that was better than anything we could have envisaged.”

On her walk down the aisle, Carol remembers “I walked down the aisle with my dad to “Love’s Light” by Gary Girouard. It’s a piano piece that was transcribed and played beautifully by our harpist.”

Carol and Jack married in an evening ceremony by Tom Cannock. “Our ceremony was short and sweet” reminisces Carol. “Jack and I aren’t overly romantic or sentimental but we did write our vows and felt that it was a lovely moment to speak out loud what often goes unsaid. We asked Jack’s grandfather to speak and he chose to read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

“One of our favourites is the photo of us in the master courts of the Gallery after the ceremony. The grandeur of this space is a big reason we chose to have our wedding at the Art Gallery of NSW, and it was a lovely quiet moment between the ceremony and the reception.”

Remembers Jack “People are right when they tell you the wedding day is a blur. What I remember the most is probably the speeches from our friends and family when we had finally relaxed and got to sit back and enjoy.”

“We cheekily skipped the first dance” says Carol. “Neither of us is into dancing and we were struggling to fit in with this tradition. Even though people found this odd leading up to the wedding, no one seemed to notice on the night!”

Their story finishes with the beautiful wedding day film, as captured by The Pepper June Wedding Co.

A big congratulations to you both Carol and Jack! Thank you both for sharing your day, and thank you to Russell Stafford for sharing today’s beauty with us.