I truly believe that one of the keys to enjoying your wedding day and preparation is hiring vendors who you trust to do their job. Here are our behind-the-scenes stars…

Bride’s dress: Cinderella Bridal

Groom’s attire: Suit Co.

Hair & makeup: La Bella Sposa

Headpiece: Borrowed from a friend

Bride’s earrings: Kasia Blue

Bride’s shoes: Zappo’s

Groom and groomsmen’s cufflinks: Various Etsy stores

Groomsmen’s attire: Suit Co.

Bridesmaids’ attire: Various

Fans: Pink Frosting (plus DIY ribbon embellishment)

Flowers: Alyssiums

Rings: Max Langley

Cars: Friend’s vintage Mercedes

Celebrant: Megan Bonython

Ceremony music: Adelaide University Choral Society plus DIY with iPod

Reception music: DIY with iPod

Ceremony venue: The Institute Room at The State Library of South Australia

Reception venue: The Mortlock Chamber at The State Library of South Australia

Day-of coordinator: Mary & Gabrielle Events

Decorations: Various (mostly from Etsy, Ebay, secondhand stores, DIY and Mary & Gabrielle Events)

Cake: Cake Stories (no longer operating)

Catering: Epicure

Dance lessons: Ceroc Modern Jive

Stationery: Akimbo

Photography: Luke Simon Photography (that’s Luke on the right having fun with his assistant in our photo booth)

I think that covers pretty much everything but do ask in the comments if I’ve missed anything.

We simply would not have had such an amazing day without the talent and hard work of our wonderful suppliers. Thank you!

All photography by Luke Simon Photography except stationery and photo booth photos.

The Man and I fell in love with the Mortlock Chamber of the State Library of South Australia as soon as we saw photos of it. We kept researching venues because we felt we should be looking at all our options, but nothing ever lived up to the Library.

Instead of the traditional long bridal table, we opted for a table in the centre of the room with not only the bridal party but their partners as well. It was wonderful to be surrounded by our loved ones instead of feeling like we were ‘on show’.

I hate chair covers with a passsion (why reception venues can’t just buy some decent-looking chairs in the first place is beyond me). I had my heart set on some beautiful chairs but alas, I couldn’t find what I was looking for locally… which is probably just as well because it would have blown the budget. I did, however, manage to convince the venue to let me borrow some lovely antique timber chairs from another room. There weren’t enough for all 110 guests, but they were great to add a bit of interest nad differentiate the bridal table.

I had so much fun incorporating subtle literary references to suit our library theme. We also reused as many as possible of the ceremony decorations, plus as my bouquet, into the reception decor to get the most for our money.

I was so lucky to have my friends from Mary & Gabrielle Events pull everything together on the day. After planning every last detail and picturing it all in my head for months, I was completely floored when I saw it all come to life.

Instead of numbering the tables, we used scrabble tiles to name them after values that we value in our marriage. Since it’s not evident what they mean in isolation, it meant that guests were curious to walk around the room to find them all.

It was so special to have our Maid of Honour, Best Man, Ryan’s mum and my dad do some very memorable speeches. I’m not a huge fan of public speaking, but I knew that I wanted to express my own sentiments and thanks. We were also lucky to have a brilliant MC in our friend Jess, whose bubbliness and organisation made everything flow smoothly.

I forgot to include in my recount of the disaster-prone leadup to the wedding that I had managed to seriously sprain a muscle around my ribs, leaving me unable even sleep without pain let alone do some of the more involved dance moves in our first dance routine. It was touch-and-go whether we’d be able to do the fancy lift, but happily it healed up just in time.

Next week I’ll show some of the hilarious shots we captured in our photo booth.

Photography by Luke Simon Photography

After the ceremony, it was time for the official bridal party photos. We began in the stunning Circulating Library, which was the original library before the Mortlock Wing (where we had our reception) was later added. I would have actually loved to have our ceremony there but alas the room is way too small. It sure made for some atmospheric photos though.

And now in the larger but similarly beautiful Mortlock Chamber:

Our photographer Luke is such a dude. He was so friendly and funny that having our photos taken felt like hanging out with an old friend, which made us so relaxed he could capture some lovely genuine expressions.

One of my fave shots from the wedding – very formal, yes, but that staircase looks like it’s simply made for bridal party photos!

I just realised I haven’t introduced you to our wingmen and -women. From the left on the stairs is my dear school friend Jaime, my friend since the age of three Jo and my beautiful maid of honour Cherie,  then on our other side is Ryan’s brother and best man Dan, best mate Sam and my brother Liam. They were all brilliant and so helpful in the leadup to the day and were so fun to spend our wedding day with.

And finally, my favourite (and might I add, award-winning!) photo from our wedding.

Photography by Luke Simon Photography

I am taking some time off my regular blogging schedule during the final days before my wedding and while I’m on my honeymoon. Since you will be at home while I am having the time of my life, I have pre-posted some fun links and great guest posts to keep you entertained. Today’s post comes from our super talented wedding photographer Luke Simon. Take it away, Luke!

Weddings are forever becoming more involved and detailed. Be it the invites, table settings, dress, shoes, the venue or the photographer. There are just so many options for brides and grooms on every budget. 

I am probably not the best person to give advice on what dress to buy (although I’ve come across some great dresses!) but I may just be able to give some decent insight and suggestions on what to look for and what to ask the potential photographers you meet with when looking for your perfect wedding photographer. 

Decide what’s important to you
We wedding photographers come in all shapes, sizes and styles, from traditional to photojournalistic, offering everything from 2 to 12 hours of coverage with every or few inclusion within our packages. There are so many alternatives available with ranging flexibilities and products. Do you want a little or a lot of intervention from your photographer? This is a tricky one and finding the right balance is really important. If you opt for a more traditional style of photography there will undoubtably be more posing involved and if you are after a wedding album full of candid images then you might be a little disappointed.

Put yourself in the picture
To find the photographer whose work you can relate to, have a look at a heap of thier work (both full weddings and ‘hero shots’) and find a bunch of images you can see yourself in.

 Find a personality match
Make sure that photographer has the personality you relate to. The best compliment from any couple after their wedding is to hear that I just blended in (but directed and arranged when required) and felt like one of their mates, and of course to far exceed the couples’ expectations with imagery outcome. Yes, photographing your wedding is our job and pays the bills, but a wedding is such an amazingly special day, if your photographer connects and has a great rapport with you and your guests then you are almost guaranteed to get better images that are more special to you. Go with your gut a bit too. It rarely fails. 

Prior proper planning prevents pee poor performance
It’s a motto I refer to a lot every day. It’s important to consider all the different little chapters of your day and allocate a rough timeframe for them and the photography within them without getting too crazy. Consider the getting ready photos: will it be guys and girls at home or guys at church before ceremony all dressed and ready? Then there’s ceremony length, congrats after ceremony, family shots, maybe a quick group shot of everyone, locations before reception, reception coverage, first dance… The list goes on and I don’t want to freak you out but they are all questions you need to ask yourself and your photographer – will it fit within the timeframes the package the photographer offers? There are pros and cons to every scenario so discuss these things with your photographer. 

Prepare a list of must-have shots 
I suggest to brides and grooms that they come up with a list of shots or people they really want as this will give us a better understanding of you guys and what’s important to you and keep on guard for those people or little events within the day. Always good to run this concept past your folks too – there will probably be some shots mum and dad really want captured – a shot with their parents and siblings or a lovely candid shot of Nana on her own… whatever it may be, we can then do our best to look out for that moment. I also recommend to my clients to have a list of family photos they require and maybe someone from the family to help bring the people together so this part of the day can be run through efficiently. As a general rule I suggest to allow about 1.5 minutes for each different family setup. I aim to keep all these ‘formal’ family photo sessions to 30 minutes or less.

Look for memberships
One other really valuable step to take is to look into the photography associations in your state or country. Here in Australia we have The AIPP – Australian Institute of Professional Photography, which helps set the benchmarks for our industry and promote professional photography. You will only find professional photographers on their web directory with a bunch of years experience who work as photographers on a full-time basis.

There are so many things you can consider and I’ve only touched on a few here, but I’m pretty certain if you follow some of these things you’ll be well on your way to having for generations to come, the history of your wedding in beautiful photographs that truly reflect your day.

Luke Simon Photography is a boutique wedding photography studio on King William Road in Hyde Park, South Australia. Luke’s balanced blend of candid, quirky and contemporary wedding photography along with his easygoing professional nature sees him photographing weddings throughout Australia and Europe.

Thanks so much for sharing your helpful tips with us, Luke. I can’t wait to see our wedding pics! – Alicia