Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met on the dancefloor at a mutual friend’s party in 2018. Sam is a winemaker and owns Mallaluka Wines and Laura is a lawyer.
We couldn’t be more different in terms of how we think (and plan!) but we had a very similar idea of what we wanted our wedding to look and feel like.
We love food, wine and hosting our friends for dinner, so we wanted our wedding day to feel like just that – a dinner party with close friends, great food and wine.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We chose Wylie’s Baths because we wanted a venue that was both casual and close to the pacific ocean. Laura’s family was coming from Canada, whereas my family and friends were mostly in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. We wanted somewhere beautiful and easy for guests to travel to.
We’d both been swimming at Wylie's Baths a number of times before, and when we realised it was available for weddings, we both knew to look no further! I don’t think you can beat Wylie’s Baths when it comes to the open air and ocean views.
How many guests did you have?
65.
What was your budget?
We didn’t start out with a budget as such. We had an idea of what we thought we would spend and went over that number a fair bit…No regrets though!
Tell us about your outfits.
We both have a love for the not so traditional which we discovered quite quickly when looking for outfits.
Sam, whose everyday uniform is a white t-shirt, jeans and a field hat wanted something that felt like ‘him’ - down to earth and country. He sourced his shirt from Bode and his hat and belt are both from Mexico.
I tried on a few wedding dresses, but nothing felt quite right. In fact they all felt very very wrong. I wear suits to work so was initially sceptical about wearing one to my wedding but once I tried on the Aritzia suit with the Oroton top, I knew it was the right outfit for me.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Authenticity. We really wanted the day to feel like ‘us’ and not be cheesy. This meant steering away from tradition for most elements of our wedding.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
A small wedding with great music, food and wine were key. The oysters and champagne after the ceremony were definitely a highlight for everyone.
Our ceremony was the most difficult part of the day for us to plan. We didn’t really want a celebrant we didn’t know marrying us. In fact, we didn’t know if we wanted to have a ceremony at all! We did in the end and we are so glad as it was a highlight of the day for us. What made it work for us was having Sam’s brother conduct the ceremony using our words with a little help from our friend Jess, an astrologer, who contributed a Taurus-Aries love compatibility for us. It was a light-hearted approach to a normally serious part of a wedding which suited us.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Try not to listen to what tradition or family and friends tell you, you ‘should’ do. Instead, follow your gut and make the day into what feels comfortable and authentic to you. I think we often get caught up in wedding planning thinking about the elements we feel are a requirement on the day, but really, anything goes.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Our friends deserve a massive shout out. We had so many beautiful, creative friends help us out on the day from our friend Lean going above and beyond sourcing and arranging our flowers, to Katie who flew over from California and immediately got to work making 14 pies for our wedding dessert, to our friend Vin spinning records all night and Josh and Maud for their help with the ceremony, sound, menus and everything on the day. We are very lucky. We also couldn’t recommend our photographer, Lei Lei Clavey, and our caterer, Laissez Faire, more for their guru planning guidance leading up to the day. They were both so patient and knowledgeable. We feel very lucky to have found them.
Photographer : Lei Lei Clavey Photography @leileiclaveyphotography | Ceremony + Reception Location : Wylie's Baths @ wyliesbaths | Celebrant : A friend | Entertainment : A friend | Hire : Simply Seated @simply.seated | Flora : Supplied by Jonima Flowers and arranged by a friend @jonimaflowers | Makeup : Makeup by Samantha @makeup_bysamantha | Hair : Nick Tuck at Edwards and Co. @Nicktuck_edwardsandco | Catering + Beverages : Laissez Faire Catering @laissez_faire_catering + Mallaluka Wines @mallaluka_wines | Pies : A friend | Stationery : A friend | Bride's Outfit : Aritzia @aritzia suit + Oroton @oroton top | Groom : Bode @bode top + vintage pants | Engagement Ring : Laura Miers @lauramiersjewellerey | Shoes : Scanlan Theodore @scanlantheodore + RM Williams @rmwilliams | Sam’s Hat + Belt : from Mexico | Laura’s Earrings : Lucy Folk @lucy_folk | Laura’s Bag : borrowed from her best friend’s Grandmother