Post by Brigitte
Photography care of Michelle Kiddie
You never know where you’re going to meet a client. My special man friend was back in Perth last February, and we found ourselves with a group of his friends at the Spiegel tent on the boozier side of a Friday evening. One of the first conversations I generally have with his friends is ‘So, you’re not flying anymore… what do you do?’ and this occasion was no different. I found myself talking to the beautifully creative Sinead English, the talented Director/Buyer at the Perth based fashion store, Billie and Rose. I quickly discovered that she was planning on marrying her partner of nine years and hosting her own reception in the privacy of her home.
Home residence weddings are becoming increasingly popular, and I genuinely believe it is a good direction to be heading down. Firstly, your numbers are limited so the ‘invites out of obligation’ i.e. – third Cousin Serena and her latest boyfriend that you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting are a non-issue. You physically only have the capacity to invite your nearest and dearest. You can spend more money on quality booze and food, and more money on decorations. You don’t need to deal with third parties saying ‘this is not aligned with our policy’ when you are the owner of the venue. It’s all wins in my world, and I’m not just saying that because from a professional point of view, I see them as a blank canvas worthy of my creativity.
I’m not going to lie to you all, a few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc goes a long way for my confidence level, and I found myself exchanging business cards with Sinead and saying ‘Bridal Creations can do anything, we’re rainmakers.’ Low and behold two weeks later I found myself in talks (and knee deep in alcoholic grape products yet again) in the showroom as we began to design her space together. Sinead had seen a photo on Net-A-Porter (don’t get me started on how much I love and my Visa card can’t handle this website) and we based her theme around this: - all shades of Pink and Gold.The orignial design is from a UK Based Decorator, a talented gent by the name of Mark Niemierko.
I’m not going to say that this wedding design was easy, or cost effective, and while in the end the venue looked beautiful and all parties were happy, it was not without adversity. What I can say is Sinead is a woman of taste, and for her I sourced Gold Cutlery, Bohemian Crystal Wine Glasses and Tumblers, Vintage Crockery and Champagne Saucers, Antique Italian Florentine Trays and gold tea light holders: - just to name a few. At this point I was getting a little scared about how much this was going to cost to turn my Bride’s vision into reality. As a bride, you have to come to a realisation quite early on in the piece that if you want High End Product – you’re going to be faced with an invoice that reflects this. Luckily for me, my bride was aware that her needs came at a cost. Moreover, the logistics of hosting a Backyard Wedding can be a difficult task. Sinead wanted a single long table to seat her guests for the eve, and that would have been fine for her original intended 35 guests, but her numbers ballooned to 42 so with a tight squeeze we still were able to seat everyone on 2.2m rounds. I’m not going to bore you with all logistical nightmares of this particular wedding, but what I will say is that I’m so proud to be part of such an innovative team, that truly can solve most problems rationally and within the time allocated.
The ceremony and reception looked exceptional and telling by the photos courtesy of Michelle Kiddie, the couple in question and their guests had a truly memorable evening. A big congratulations to Sinead and Aaron from the whole team at Bridal Creations, it was truly a pleasure.
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