Most of the weddings I shoot kick off in the late afternoon, sometime around 4pm give or take, but my most recent 2 weddings at Mandalay House have taken place at night and at 11am!! Bethany and Mike decided on a morning wedding and relaxed garden party reception and it was absolutely delightful.
The day started with a lazy breakfast involving the whole wedding party. Shortly after Mike and Bethany went their separate ways to prepare the ceremony (suits, flowers, dresses, hair, makeup, all the things).
We ventured out in the late afternoon for some photos around the immaculate grounds. I’m no gardener, but I appreciate it when a lot of time and care has been put into a garden, and the attention to detail on the expansive grounds at Mandalay House is unbelievable.
But weddings aren’t about places, they’re about people, and relationships, and love and support, and there was plenty of that going around on this magical afternoon.
Mandalay House Wedding Vendors
The dream team who made the magic happen:
Photographer: simonbills.com
Venue: mandalayhouseandgarden.com
Celebrant: www.maryodgerscelebrant.com
Dress Designer: madilane.com
Dress Boutique: luvbridal.com.au
Suit Designer: www.tarocash.com.au/au
Florist: www.floral-eden.com
Hair Stylist: etcher.com.au
Caterer: www.chlosveganclub.com
Rental / Decor: www.olympicpartyhire.com.au
Pet Chaperone: idopaws.com
Bartenders: www.lovemittie.come.au
Alterations: www.olgakoloskova.com
Mandalay Morning Wedding Slideshow
Q & A
Tell me about your The Beginning!
Even though neither of us were really into Halloween, fate had a funny way of bringing us together at a Halloween party Mike helped throw on the 26/10/2019. It was touch-and-go whether the party would even happen, but somehow it all came together. We don’t really remember much of the party but We hung out with friends a bunch after that and then started chatting online. Eventually, we decided to go on a date on a Saturday. But we were too excited to wait, so we decided to hang out on Thursday instead. After all that our story really began with tacos at mikes apartment. The Saturday date still happened. We went on a coffee date that turned into mini golf and walk around the botanical gardens Before Bethany got locked out of her share house by a crazy landlady and stayed at mikes. The next morning we had breakfast together at a cafe and in true Bethany fashion she forgot her purse at a coffee shop and our relationship grew from there
When and where did you get engaged?
Mike
The original plan was to propose on the final day of our first holiday together in Sydney. Knowing Bethany’s love for gardens, I had hoped the Sydney Botanical Gardens would be the highlight of our trip. However, seeing her slightly underwhelmed, with only six hours left in Sydney, I improvised. Remembering her enjoyment of the cliffs at Coogee Beach a few days prior, I found the perfect excuse to return there, I got down on one knee against the backdrop of the breathtaking sea and I asked her to spend forever with me.
Bethany
We’d discussed getting married many times over the years and wound up buying an engagement ring in a sale at some point. Yet Mike still managed to surprise me. I had an inkling it’d happen on our first holiday together but when we only had a few hours left in Sydney I figured I’d been mistaken or maybe he’d gotten a little bit too nervous. We headed to his friend’s apartment to wait for our flight as it was raining and there wasn’t much else to do. The sun came out, so we went on a walk during our last hour there and then suddenly he asked the big question on a scenic cliffside. I was stunned – how? Our bags were in a car, and it had just been raining. It was an absolutely beautiful proposal. I couldn’t have imagined anything better. We even walked back down the path and there was a rainbow in the sky! (Our dogs name is rainbow it was like she was there celebrating with us)
What style/theme have you chosen for your Wedding Day?
a relaxed, whimsical and elegant garden party with peachy pink floral decorations, and pastel rainbow accents,
What are you most looking forward to on the day?
Celebrating with all our family and friends in one place and enjoying the day
Top Tips!
If your getting stressed out planning take a break. it’s only one day,it’s not worth getting stressed over for months / years
It’ll still be beautiful in the end!
