Infused with the essence of La Vie en Rose, this wedding was filled with romantic style, classic features and traditional elements. Saif and Suad wanted to plan a timeless wedding that embodied their relationship – so they did exactly that.

Capturing the day alongside them was Monica Cugnier as the photographer and Brey Fuentes Films as the cinematographer.

Their story began at a church youth group, where they were drawn to each other immediately after chatting. “The biggest drawing point to each other was the many philosophical, political and deep conversations we were both able to hold; our worlds gelled together and merged so effortlessly in a heartbeat,” recalled Suad.

Saif and Suad chose to have a traditional Middle Eastern proposal, gaining blessings from their parents beforehand. “We were surrounded by our family and close relatives, and we all celebrated together right after.”

Filled with gold, velvet and black, Saif and his wedding party chose a classic, timeless theme for their attire. Saif wore a black velvet tux, setting himself apart from the groomsmen and their standard suits, all from Joseph Uzumcu. The party finished their outfits with gold accessories, white roses, and baby’s breath boutonnieres. His groomsmen wore black bowties to match his, while his honorary groomsmen wore white bowties with their suits.

For the ceremony, Suad chose an A’line gown that flared at the skirt. It features feminine shoulder ties, a boned bodice, pearl detailing, and a thigh split. Instead of a veil, she wore a romantic cape secured at the shoulder ties of her dress and flowed down her back.

Suad’s bouquet was made up of white roses and baby’s breath to match Saif’s boutonnieres. The bridesmaids and groomsmen had baby’s breath bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages to match.

Within her wedding party, she had two bridesmaids and three honorary bridesmaids. The bridesmaids wore satin corset gowns with a slight train, while the honorary bridesmaids wore the same gown with a shorter train – all from Club London. Suad added off-shoulder black chiffon sleeves to all the dresses draped over the chest and tied in a bow at the back.

Drums were played to announce the arrival of the groom’s family at Suad’s house before whisking her away to the Catholic church for the ceremony.

The church they chose was filled with grand wooden arches, high ceilings and lots of natural light – perfectly fitting the religious ceremony venue they wanted. Suad walked down the aisle with her dad as her great aunties and uncle sang Eastern Orthodox hymns.

It was important to Saif and Suad that they had a religious ceremony, so they had readings from the bible and a priest officiating. “We wanted a religious ceremony that had a sacred and holy feeling. We had the honorary groomsmen participate in the ceremony by carrying the candles and incense when the priest was reading the bible.”

Once the ceremony had concluded, Suad and Saif had some time with their photographer, Monica Cugnier, to take their portraits. “I came across Monica when I was looking for a photographer for our engagement. After the engagement party, we just knew that Monica had to photograph our wedding as well. Her energy was so bright and bubbly, and she made us feel comfortable in front of the camera – Her photos work magic at capturing the best moments and angles of the day.”

One of Suad’s favourite photos included the one just above here! “Monica did such a great job capturing the day. A really special one is one with Saif and me facing each other and laughing with the bouquet in my hand. There were also some really nice photos taken from the back with our crowns on at the ceremony.”

Some of Saif’s most distinct memories from the day include the thoughts;

  1. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life with the one I love.”
  2. “When I saw her walking down the aisle and saw her beautiful dress, it made me so happy and fulfilled.”
  3. “The look on her face and smile while we were taking photos; it was pure joy!”

The Playford Hotel was their reception venue of choice for the day, which had a modern mid-century feel. Upon entering the reception space, the first thing guests saw was this incredible seating chart. “Our seating chart was so unique; it was a canvas roll hung on a big golden frame; we also added a roll with a photo of us as well as one with a welcome sign. The guests loved it!”

There were a few elements at the reception that Saif and Suad DIY’d – including this beautiful placeholder, which they called “The Newlywed Times”. “The newspapers also had the menu, a thank you message, remembrances of our late grandparents, the timeline of the night, it had a wedding crossword, as well as photos from our engagement photoshoot. It was such a fun and unique addition to the day.”

Other fun features at the reception included this audio guest book for guests to leave their voice messages throughout the night! They also had live musicians, including a sax player, drums and an Arabic singer, to keep the party going all night long.

Suad had a stunning reception dress from Dressmaking Boutique to change into, featuring a bold black corset and a fitted satin silhouette. “I wanted something fitted and easier to party in, so I got it made, and it fit me like a glove! I couldn’t have been happier.”

Bouquets and boutonnieres weren’t where the baby’s breath stopped for this wedding. They also featured across the reception, with the seating chart as centrepieces and an arch over their sweetheart sofa. “Our florist, Avril, did such a good job with the florals. They looked so nice and fresh, and she took some creative liberty with my bouquet, and I ended up absolutely loving it!!”

A highlight of the night was the use of a sword to cut their wedding cake, a homage to Saif’s name – which means sword in Arabic. The sweetheart sofa also allowed the couple to spend some intimate time together. “This also allowed us to seat the bridesmaids and groomsmen with their partners and social groups, which made them enjoy themselves even more.”

They chose “La Vie en Rose” by Louis Armstrong for the first dance. “We did many dance lessons with Adelaide Wedding Dance for a choreographed waltz – it was definitely a highlight of the night. The whole wedding was themed around this song as it has such a timeless, classical and romantic feel. It was also a highlight from the early days of our relationship!”

Congratulations, Saif and Suad, on your romantic, timeless wedding! And a huge thanks to Monica Cugnier Photography for capturing and submitting this beautiful wedding.