Three Blue Ducks, Rosebery, NSW

photos captured by: Lara Hotz Photography

Swiping right on Tinder five years ago, Mariam and Christopher met. “Our first encounter was rather a dramatic one…” Christopher was waiting at the foot of the escalator as Mariam was coming down; they instantly recognised each other and had one of those cinematic moments.

THE PROPOSAL AND THE CAKE OBSESSION | Christopher proposed after an unprecedented effort of preparing a very romantic dinner for the two of them. “It was such a ‘gorgeous meal’! We finished, and Christopher pulled out a bottle of Champagne and mentioned that he had my favourite cake, a Black Star Pastry’s watermelon and strawberry cake waiting in the fridge.”

“I am slightly obsessed with cake, I always say it’s not a celebration without cake,” explains Mariam. In her excitement, Mariam went to get the cake out of the fridge and when she turned around where Christopher was down on both knees “...he forgot the one knee part,” laughs Mariam. The choice of cake for their wedding was an easy decision after that.

PLANNING | “We didn’t have any ideas on what we wanted our wedding to be, other than a celebration of our love and commitment to each other in front of our family and friends, followed by a big party!”

Mariam and Christopher speculated on having a destination wedding given she is from Melbourne and Christopher is from Glasgow. However, in the end, we decided on having a wedding in Sydney. “It’s the city where we met, have most of our shared memories and built a life together in,” said Mariam.

With family and friends travelling from around the world, they felt it was a way to share their home and enjoy Sydney’s beautiful summer weather. The wedding day turned out to be a hot 37 degrees.

“We enjoyed the wedding planning process, given I am generally super organised, and love a spreadsheet or five. We decided the first step was to pull together a checklist, timeline and budget. We both know what we like and are very decisive so there wasn’t much deliberating and the bulk of planning completed in the first couple months,” Mariam explained.

THE BEST DAY WITH YOUR FAVOURITE PEOPLE | Mariam and Christopher decided to spend their time together and have photos taken with their wedding party before the ceremony; it helped in easing nerves and having a laugh with their closest friends. It also set the tone for the rest of the day. “Lara Hotz, our photographer, did such an amazing job capturing the vibrancy and sheer excitement we felt on the day.”

TOGETHER FOREVER | Mariam and Christopher decided to spend their time togetherMariam and Christopher chose to walk down the aisle together to Kian Grannis version of ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’. “It was amazing to take it all in and experience that moment together. We saw our family and friends expressions of excitement, and tears of happiness as we made our way past them,” said Mariam.

FLOWER POWER | “I just love flowers and roses in particular, so it’s no surprise that I fell in love with Boutierre Girls floral designs, who worked their magic on the day coming up with the perfect mix of modern and romantic florals for our wedding.”

I DO | The ceremony had moments of surprise as they shared vows they had written for each other for the first time. “Lucy, our celebrant who is one of the loveliest, funniest, down to earth humans, pulled together the perfect ceremony and it was wonderful to experience it for the first time along with our guests.”

“I accidentally responded with ‘we do’ rather than ‘I do’ during the ceremony which everyone had a bit of a laugh at!”

MIX AND MATCH | Mariam had a mixed bridal party; her Man of Honour wore the same suit as the groomsmen from the Suit Shop but wore a white bowtie to match the bridesmaid’s dresses.

STYLING | Mariam had a very clear idea of how she wanted the wedding to look. “I had fun creating a style guide for our vendors and pulling together the different elements.” Their colour scheme was soft pink with splashes of red and touches of rose gold that ensured the whitewashed industrial venue popped.

“Leisa, our wedding coordinator from Woodwind Events, did such a brilliant job of bringing it all to life in the lead-up and on the day.”

Mariam’s friend Amy designed the signage and menus. They set up Polaroid cameras for guests to take photos to stick in their guest book.

FLORAL FAVOURS | As favours, their florist wrapped bunches of their reception flowers for guests to take home at the end of the night.

Invitations were sent via online using Paperless Post. “We created a website to give guests travelling from interstate and overseas more information and capture RSVPs.”

“Lara, our photographer, took us aside and told us to go and have a moment together to take it all in. I will be forever thankful for this advice.”

DOGGY DAY | Norman, their fur baby Pug, was present for the ceremony. “He managed to be very well behaved when we walked down the aisle.” We are sure he still thinks the celebration was all for him.

MOTHERS WISH | The Mother of the Bride read out her wishes for us in our marriage, which was a beautiful way to end the ceremony.

MAGIC CARPET RIDE | Mariam and Christopher married on her Mother’s Persian Carpet, and as a surprise, she gifted it to them after the wedding.

THE FIRST AND THE LAST | Mariam’s gown was the first dress she tried on. “I saw it on Instagram and knew it would be perfect. Simple, elegant and most importantly, easy to dance in!” Christopher wore a made to measure tuxedo from the Suit Shop.

FOOD & SERVICE | Mariam and Christopher had been to Three Blue Ducks several times before their wedding; “...the service had always been great, and the food is just delicious. Once we had decided on having the wedding in Sydney, we didn’t really consider any other venues. It is such a great space, that doesn’t need much styling.” The grapevine-covered courtyard meant they could host the ceremony on-site, and there wasn’t a gap between the service and the reception.

The evening was a fabulous mix of cocktails, great food and wine with guests seated at long tables with shared mains served. “It gave the dinner a lovely communal feel,” said Mariam.

LET'S DANCE | ‘My Eyes Adored You’ by Frankie Valli – the groom’s favourite song was their first dance. It did leave them wishing they had taken more than one dance lesson three days before the wedding!

Scotty Sax their DJ who plays the saxophone, bongo’s and a vocalist kept the dance floor moving all night. “He very patiently put up with everyone deciding they were experts on the bongos.”

“Our DJ and band did such an amazing job that I hardly left the dance floor all night!” The dancefloor was full with friends and family, and during spontaneous limbo competition, the Man of Honour spilt his trousers.