The Great Hall, Sydney University, NEW SOUTH WALES

Photography by Jimmy Raper

HAPPY TRAVELS Meeting on a sail boat whilst they were both travelling throgh Croatia, Marie and Dean kept in touch once their adventure was over. “Dean was living in London at the time, and I was on holidays with friends. We kept in touch while he was living overseas and once he returned to Melbourne he took me on our first date. The rest is history!”

SURPRISE CHRISTMAS BOXES Unwrapping presents on Christmas Day, Marie and Dean had promised to only exchange small gifts as they were travelling to Mexico on holiday a few weeks later. “To my surprise though I had two presents,” laughed Marie. “I started unwrapping the smaller one and saw a ring box. I was trying not to get ahead of myself (telling myself it could be earrings), but then Dean was on one knee!”

CREATIVE STYLING Despite some stressful moments, Marie enjoyed seeing all the creative theming come together for the wedding. “Coming from big Italian and Maltese families it was stressful at times trying to accommodate all the families’ needs! But I loved the creative elements – the styling, invitations, music, flowers! The best part was seeing all the hard work come together in the end – it was such a fairytale on the day!”

ONE PERFECT DAY Looking back on their wedding day, Marie remembers that it was just perfect. “There was so much love and happiness! There is no greater feeling then being surrounded by the ones you love to celebrate your love. There were so many highlights, from seeing each other when I first walked down the aisle, saying “I do”, walking into our magical reception and seeing it for the first time, speeches, dancing and even ordering room service and debriefing back in the hotel! It was one of the best days ever!”

A MAGICAL VENUE. Marie and Dean wanted for a venue that offerred something a little different – but could still accommodate all their guests.

“We had seen some images online of The Great Hall, and as soon as we went to see it we knew it was the one. It was truly breathtaking, and being Harry Potter fans we felt it would suit us well!”

ROMANTIC DETAILS Marie’s styling brief focused on classic romance – with a dark and moody tone. “Our styling was done by the amazing Bohemian Blooms! As soon as I spoke to Jerin on the phone, I knew she was going to create magic!. The colours were predominately maroons, pinks and reds to match our theme. Receiving my bouquets and walking into the reception was such a highlight. Jerin created the most breathtaking space! It was amazing to see the magical space she created. Everything was stunning.”

TIME FOR TEA Reflecting Dean’s love for tea, wedding favours were test tubes filled with Earl Grey tea. Guest name tags by Paper Botanist were attached with beautiful soft pink ribbon.

UNIQUE DETAILS Marie and Dean also included many thoughtful details to add to the classic romance theme including their favourite poem by E.E Cummings whch was printed in the the church booklets and the creation of a little nook at the back of the Hall which was styled with velvet lounges, floral arrangements and couple’s own neon sign. “This also doubled up as photobooth opportunity so guests could take polaroid pictues and leave them in our guest book,” said Marie.

LOVE ACTUALLY

Marie’s mum also organised a special surprise for the newlyweds after the ceremony. “I have always loved the movie ‘Love Actually’ and Mum and I always joked that we should reinact the scene where Keria Knighlty is married and the choir and band pop up in the church singing ‘All You Need Is Love’. Mum, together with the amazing Emma at JC Entertainment did just that as we left the church. It was so amazing! Such a beautiful and touching experience.”

HEARTFELT TRADITIONS. Marie wore her great grandmother’s wedding ring on the day and remembers the special moment when her grandmother threw rice and recited a prayer as she left her parent’s house for the church.

CLASSIC ROMANCE “My gown was designed by Steven Khalil. “I sat down with him and showed him some inspiration pictures, still not 100% on the direction I wanted with my gown (I am pretty indecisive)! Steven just began to draw and the result was exactly what I wanted without even knowing it. The picture alone had Mum and I in tears. He is a very talented man!”

A SPECIAL GIFT Marie and Dean chose a wishing well for their guests, but they did receive one very special gift on the day. “A friend of Dean’s, who I met on the same Croatia Sail trip, had kept the key to one of the cabins on the sail boat without us knowing. All these years later she had this framed and gifted it to us on the day. It was so special and such a touching moment for us!”

THE FIRST DANCE Marie and Dean’s first dance was to ‘Northern Wind’ by City and Colour. “They are Dean’s favourite band, and I arranged to go to the concert when they came to Sydney very early on in our relationship. We both won’t forget Dallas Green playing this song live - it has been our song ever since. JC Entertainment brought it to life…. we had a mix of solo acoustic artists, DJ and a saxaphone player. JC created the best vibes from start to finish and our dancefloor was always pumping!”

SWEET ROMANCE Marie and Dean’s beautiful wedidng cake included shades of white and gold with delicate gold roses as a decorative finishing touch. “We loved it”, said Marie, “and the flavours were delicious!”

ELEGANT STATIONERY

Kate from Paper Botantist designed the couple’s romantic invitations and stationery. “Kate was truly incredible – she hand drew The Great Hall for the invitation and framed this for us to keep. I might be biased but I have never seen invitations so beautiful - the texture of the paper, the colours and the beautiful soft pink ribbon! Kate also designed our very own wax seal which included our initials and a sailboat to commemorate how we met. The invitations were the starting piece of what was to follow with the theme of the day, and every detail was carefully thought through.”