Dreamy Hunter Valley Wedding Day

When elegance & fun come together for an unforgettable wedding, you know we want to share it with you, our lovely Dotties. Alana & Peter’s dreamy, Hunter Valley wedding day was captured by Bryce Noone Photography and was set against a beautiful backdrop of pastel florals and rolling hills. As Alana describes, “The style and theme of our wedding was modern and elegant, with a slight rustic feel. Our venue had hues of greens, whites and browns, and was just a gorgeous setting. We wanted our venue and the day to reflect us and that it did. We added touches of soft dusty pink, which complimented the venue so well, from the surrounds to the venue itself. The atmosphere we wanted to emulate was elegance, but so much love and fun with just the people we care about. We had a mix of Italian, Maltese and Lebanese cultures represented throughout our day, which set a fun and heartfelt touch to our day. Everything we chose to have and do and everyone we had there was important to us.” She tells us about their love story and their day…

We met through my best friend when we were both 17 years old; high school sweethearts. My friend introduced Peter and me, and we spoke and went on our first date 2 months later. Peter had to come to my house to meet my family, get approval from Dad and Mum, and off we went on our first date. The rest is history!

Peter organised the entire proposal as a surprise for me. I was in my first year of work as a Speech Pathologist, free from studying, Peter working full-time and we had all just come out of our second COVID lockdown. It was just the right time; no more holding back. Peter booked out an entire city apartment looking out to a view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, had set up dozens of red roses, “Marry Me” light-up block letters, our song which became our first dance song too, and a photographer waiting for us to arrive. I just thought we were staying in the city for the weekend and we had dinner reservations to go to, but I was getting engaged! This was followed by dinner at the Crown and karaoke. It was beyond anything I could have hoped for.

The groom, Peter, wore a custom-made classic tuxedo from Brent Wilson, in Sydney NSW. His tuxedo was a classic black suit that fit him perfectly. The suit included a double-breasted waistcoat and initials embodied within the jacket, and a custom French cuffed shirt, making the suit stand out. Peter chose to go classic as that was part of the theme and styling of our wedding and he felt at his best in the classic design, with small touches of his own created into it.

The flowers we chose were lush, in shades of whites and dusty pinks, with hints of green throughout. Our vision was to have full-looking flowers, that complimented the venue’s colours and its surroundings, whilst tying in with our getting ready site, Wandin Valley Estate, and elements chosen throughout our wedding day. My Little Peony were our florist and stylist and Tegan from the team, went above and beyond to create our vision and more. The number of flowers and how they were put together for our ceremony in the Peterson House Chapel and marquee reception were immaculate and beyond stunning. We received so many compliments about our flowers from guests and it was just magical how it all came together.

I absolutely loved our flowers and thought they brought the ambience, romance and feel of our wedding together. I also loved how we chose every detail as when we looked around the room we were proud, extremely happy and having a blast and so was everyone else.

My dress was a Martin Thornburg specifically designed dress, purchased from the lovely boutique Brides of Beecroft, in Sydney NSW. It had intricate beadwork all through the bodice and straps, and throughout the soft princess skirt, with a long-flared trail. I accompanied it with a Swarovski crystal veil. It was a take on the traditional princess dress, with a modern elegance. I chose the dress as I wanted something that had intricate detailing but was soft and elegant and was me. I felt beyond beautiful when I tried it on and my mum, sister and I all cried when I was in it; it was the one! I had the most amazing experience at Brides of Beecroft. My stylist listened to my inspiration, my needs and my budget and we found a dress beyond what I hoped for.

For our ceremony, we had our family friend officiate, Alex, in the beautiful chapel at Peterson House in the Hunter Valley. The chapel is stunning as is, and we just added two flower arrangements on rectangular arbours at the front of the altar, with small arrangements at the ends of rows, where our guests would sit. The sun shone through the chapel windows, creating a natural glow, and happiness, during the ceremony.

Peterson House were amazing, from the moment we booked our wedding to the big day! Eloise, who we spoke with for most of our duration of planning, was amazing. Nothing was too hard or small to figure out and do. She answered all my queries and made everything we needed and wanted to happen.

We chose “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Elvis Presley. My parents walked down the aisle to this song when they got married and so did my sister, so it was a really important and special song to choose.

Our ceremony was a more modern and shorter take on a Catholic ceremony, that was conducted by our family friend and celebrant, Alex. We wanted our ceremony to have the spirit of God and blessing, alongside having personal elements, such as having our mothers light candles to signify the union of two families and subtle laughs throughout.

My sister, Amy, made all the name/place settings, welcome signs, seating charts and table numbers. Many afternoons and nights using a Cricut machine and free labour from our family. We made our invitations and menus using a template on Etsy and printer and our candle favour stickers matched the templates used.

We absolutely could not speak more highly of Bryce from Bryce Noone Photography. He was beyond amazing! Our photos are beyond what we could have hoped for and how easy he was to work with on the day, was fantastic. He made us laugh, and feel as natural as we could – he just got us and what we wanted from our photos. Nothing was too hard to do and he is just a great guy. He is fantastic at what he does and I am beyond grateful he was our photographer.

We absolutely loved all our photos but there is one where I am looking over my shoulder and Peter is holding my dress with me and my flowers, in black and white, as we walk across the vineyards. We love this photo because no one told Peter to hold my dress and flowers, he just did it and it made for the perfect shot. Bryce is amazing at capturing natural in-the-moment shots!

Our reception was then held in the marquee at Peterson House, which was on the same grounds as our ceremony. The reception is purpose-built, so has gorgeous hardwood floors, stunning chandeliers, air-conditioning, fairy lights, round and square tables and wooden cross-back chairs, with a bar; everything was ready for us to make it even more beautiful. We entered through a beautiful stair pathway, leading to opened glass panel doors, and we danced along this to Lebanese drums and music from C’darz Entertainment. The marquee was spacious and allowed for a configuration that kept our guests comfortable, able to see all moments in the night and a big dancefloor. We could also see outside the entire night, as all the walls of the marquee were clear.

The food and drinks were amazing; we still receive compliments now from our guests. This was a big deal for us, as we are foodies and it meant a lot to have good food. The staff were incredible on the night and accommodating. We couldn’t recommend this venue enough!

We loved all our vendors, seriously! We picked the best bunch of people. Our photographer, Bryce and videographer, Jesse, from Marry Me Movies, were funny, easygoing and just knew what they were doing. I am obsessed with the content from them. Our florist and stylist, Tegan, from My Little Peony, is an actual wizard at what she does. We were in contact from the moment we started planning, and she was amazing at making sure we were comfortable and she understood everything we wanted. I am obsessed with the flowers on the day. Our car vendors, Classic Limousines Newcastle, were so lovely. Katryna helped me all afternoon, fluffing my veil, getting me in and out of the cars, handing me water, and helping me walk; above what she needed to do! Peterson House is amazing! Alicia from Alicia’s Personal Hair Design and Erika from Zay Beauty and Makeup Artist, lovely women and so amazing at what they do; I have never felt more beautiful.

All the songs chosen throughout our ceremony, to our reception were hand-picked by us. They included walking down the aisle to the song my parents and sister did, choosing “our artist” for our first dance and classics our parents, friends and we loved. We represented both cultures by having SaxoJohnny and C’Darz Entertainment play drums and saxophones using Lebanese music as we entered our reception and throughout the night. We had a dinner set of songs we loved and got everybody up on the dancefloor mid-dinner. Italian traditions shone through as we had Italian songs play during our meals and everybody waved their napkins in the air and my Dad saluting Limoncello shots at the end of his father of the bride speech.

Our song for our first dance was “When You Say Nothing At All” by Ronan Keating. Ronan Keating has always been “our artist” and Peter proposed to me with that song playing. Our first dance was amazing, as we sang the entire time, spun and did our dip we had been practising all week! and were just present for ourselves; even our MC commented on our intimate and special our first dance was.

Our advice would be to be a team, enjoy the good moments, take in the difficult moments and remember it’s about the love you share with your partner; that will radiate above all else on the day and fill the room more than you can ever know.

The couple’s wedding video was filmed by Marry Me Movies.