As winter set into Sydney, many did not know lockdown was right around the corner, but somehow, due to fate, to magic, Dalia and Anthony managed to tie the knot, just before their city shut its doors. It was lucky in more than one way, even the groom’s god-sister even overcoming multiple cancelled flights to make it.

Honouring time loved (Greek & Assyrian) traditions, Dalia and Anthony went with a classic, modern theme for their winter wedding day. Anthony in chic black-tie, Dalia in a stunning embellished gown she’d dreamt over long before she even walked down the aisle. Every beautiful moment, every beautiful detail captured by Jimmy Raper.

The pair met on Tinder, over Dalia’s adoration of Lady Gaga. She tells “I had declared my undying love for Lady Gaga in my profile and Anthony used that to open our chat – his first dig at my music taste! We texted and chatted for a week and then went on our first date on June 4th 2017 – and we’ve been together every day since.”

Anthony completely swept Dalia off her feet with a surprise proposal right by Sydney Harbour. She remembers “We were staying at The Darling on the 13th March 2020, taking advantage of a staycation with the low hotel rates. The world was just hearing about Covid so we didn’t know much yet.
We were heading to Sokyo for dinner when Anthony detoured me to Pyrmont Park and proposed along the water’s edge. As we were basking in the love and emotions, I noticed a large boat getting closer and closer and upon inspection, it was filled with all our friends and family! Anthony had surprised me with an engagement cruise that was truly one of the best moments of my life.”

Anthony wore a classic black tie, The Bespoke Corner Tailors making him a tailored suit. Dalia noting  “Anthony knew he wanted a classic black suit that was custom made and personalised – he chose Bespoke Corner Tailors in Paddington and Miles was able to design and tailor a suit to him without any fuss.”

The morning was all about culture and celebration says the bride. “My prep in the morning consisted of traditional Assyrian customs and music. There was dancing, singing and drinking at my house before the church which was lots of fun! Anthony also observed the Greek traditions with a bouzouki player and religious traditions.”

There was never a doubt in Dalia’s mind, that she would have a Leah Da Gloria gown for her day. She tells  “I had been religiously following Leah Da Gloria’s style for a year or so and I knew that her effortless and contemporary style was exactly what I wanted in a gown. I had a mid-range budget and Leah was able to show me gowns from the Boheme Collection where I instantly fell in love with the ‘Delia’ gown. She was an absolute pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend checking out her dresses – even just to have fun trying them on!”

“It’s a cliche when they say the day flies by – but it does. Don’t leave anything to chance, plan as much as you can and accept that some things are out of your control.”

The couple held a traditional ceremony at The Annunciation of Our Lady Cathedral Surry Hills – the very same venue that Anthony’s parents were married at and he, himself was baptised.

The flowers, another stunning detail of the day, kept with the simple black and white colour scheme and were styled by The Yard & Co. “The theme was really simple, whites and greens. We kept the aesthetic of the restaurant and used green ferns and white roses with orchids. My bouquet was three long orchids with baby’s breath and the bridesmaids had a smaller version.”

“Jimmy Raper’s style is candid and elegant” remarks Dalia of the couple’s chosen wedding photographer. “We were drawn to his effortless images and knew he would be able to tell the narrative of the day without too much effort from us.”

Says Anthony ” I loved how much fun everyone was having – you could sense it everywhere you looked!”

Love brunch? Why not tie the knot at your favourite breakfast spot as these two did! Cooh Alexandria is now a favourite for not just breakfast but also memories. “We both frequent Cooh in Alexandria for brunch most Sundays – one week we looked around and said “Wouldn’t it be great if they did weddings here” and once we checked it out and realised that they did, we locked it in! The food is always spectacular and the service is impeccable. We were so lucky to be able to get married at a place we love to visit regularly.”

Each place was set with a box of Koko Black chocolates, remembers Dalia, “Our bonbonniere was two Koko Black Chocolates labelled “Our faves for Our faves” Our guests were able to take home mine and Anthony’s favourite chocolates.”

Dalia and Anthony highly recommend hiring a wedding planner after their epic experience with Brooke’s Wedding & Event Planning. “Brooke our wedding planner was incredible” remarks Dalia. “She was able to attend to the finer details and make sure everything ran to time on the run sheet. I didn’t know how important it was to have a wedding planner until we had one!”

Says the bride “We wanted the day to be about our guests – food and music was the brief – we wanted a party!
We had an open bar and flowing cocktails all night which we called “The Mrs” Lychee Martini and “The Mr” which was a Gin Gimlet. We had 4 courses and our mains came with a side of chips – which our guests loved! We also surprised our guests at 10 pm with the delivery of McDonald’s Cheeseburgers as a late-night snack.”

The couple made their dance floor debut to “Tennessee Whisky” by Chris Stapelton. Remembers Dalia “We have very different tastes in music so to find a wedding song was always going to present an issue! We road tripped around America in 2019 and we would often hear “Tennessee Whisky” by Chris Stapelton play – we both loved it and knew it was going to be our wedding song.
Our final song was “Love Story” by Taylor Swift which has a really special place in my heart. We danced to that together with a ring of our friends around us!”

The dance floor makes it onto the list as one of Dalia’s favourite parts of the wedding, the couple working with Alex DJ to make sure it was always packed. “Dancing the night away with family and friends. We played Assyrian, Greek and English music and it was essentially a big party – we were so glad our vision came to life! Never underestimate the power of a good playlist”

The couple chose Soda Films to capture their day in all of its festive, celebratory motion!

The biggest congratulations to you both Dalia and Anthony. Thank you both for sharing your wedding day with us. Congratulations! Thank you also to Jimmy Raper for today’s beautiful images.