A few months back, I was lucky enough to be asked to be part of the Byron Bay Bridal Showcase. I immediately jumped at the opportunity as I knew it was going to be something really special. Created by Jennifer Gifford, the event was created to steer clear of a typical expo or wedding fair format, leaving couples feeling inspired, not overwhelmed. It was an opportunity for vendors in the region, to showcase their work through three styled spaces, vintage, romantic and bohemian, set in the darling Ewingsdale Hall, Byron Bay. The result was a stunning visual feast of colour and creativity.
I was honoured to be paired with the lovely ladies from Lovebird Weddings (planners and stylists of original weddings), Beautiflora (florist and lover of botanical beauty) and Just Love to Give (supplier of and devotee of all things sweet) to create a styled space with a 'bohemian' theme.
As stylists and prop providers, it was Lovebird's job to put together the concept for the space, incorporating the rest of the team's ideas and ensuring that our work was showcased in the best way possible.Trudy and the girls were an absolute dream to work with and their ideas and creativity simply blew me away. As a team, we agreed that the space needed to be warm, free-spirited, relaxed, romantic and fun with a touch of elegance incorporating lovely textures - think leathers, velvets, soft cottons, crochet. The colour palette was based on dark, rustic woods, teamed with apricots, peaches and creams for a soft romantic feel and set off with bold shades of cranberry, red wine, burgundy, deep plum, mustard, orange and sage.
{side note} All images to follow by Ryder Evans Photography, also an excellent wedding photographer - you should pop on over and check out his work here ;-)
The focal points
An 8-seater reception table in rustic wood, custom designed by Lovebird Weddings was the centrepiece of the space, complimented by a gorgeous lighting installation from the clever chaps at North Coast Events. I highly recommend these guys - they were one of my personal favourites from the vendors involved. An abundance of mismatched amber, tarnished gold and glass vessels with flower stems, candles and votives and crocheted doilies appeared on the table. Each setting included matching plates, offset by handmade napkins in different floral fabrics, mismatched glassware, personal menus and place cards featuring guinea feathers and cotton twine. Adorning the bridal chairs were two amazing floral wreaths created by Beautiflora and like the napkins, each chair featured handmade cushions in different floral fabrics.
The dressing room corner set the scene of a bohemian bride getting ready. Upon a gorgeous wooden dresser was a beautiful bridal bouquet, groom's buttonhole and a handwritten love letter from the groom. A pair of weathered boots, old woodstock vinyls, vintage lamp and dreamcatcher, added to the homely feel of the space.
The decadence corner incorporating an old wooden kitchen hutch, featured the sweets selection from Just Love to Give and in and around were delicate floral stems. A home-made carrot cake was the feature dessert along with jam drops, turkish delight, coconut macaroons and more, each labelled with a sweet free-standing sign or label tied on with cotton twine.
The stationery suite
For the space, I produced a stationery suite incorporating a folded invitation, rsvp and additional information card, individual menus, place setting cards, and dessert table signage, which were displayed in and around the space and on a dark timber panel board on an easel. I wanted the stationery suite to feel personal and fun, with a sophisticated edge, through careful selection of typefaces, illustrated elements and decorative embellishments. On a combination of textured and smooth uncoated paper stocks, handwritten and sans serif style typefaces and graphic elements were printed in dark brown, cream, burnt orange and wine. Guinea feathers and cream cotton twine adding the finishing touch.
Other Highlights
I really could go on and on about this event as the calibre of talent was incredible, however here's just a small selection of the elements that really caught my eye...
Cakes :: The Cake That Ate Paris for Team Romantic - Bree is one seriously talented lady! The most darling ruffle cake designed to feature as a top tier of your cake was my favourite. Bree also provided samplers of her cakes and cake pops - let's just say they did not last long!
Blackboard artwork :: Blackboard Artworx for Team Romantic was a gorgeous feature within this space.
Florals :: Elyssium Blooms for Team Vintage. I just love Elyse's aesthetic - her arrangements were breathtaking.
Colour Palette :: Team Vintage - lavender and candy apple red (there were toffee apples!) was the base for this beautiful space. Unexpected yet stunning. Loved it!
Lighting :: As mentioned above, the boys from North Coast Events absolutely blew me away with each lighting installation - the light that framed the stage and vendors lounge was absolutely stunning as was the feature installation for team vintage. Bravo boys!
Matt Barwick :: The uber talented Matt Barwick was there to showcase his beautiful wedding films on a large plasma screen, complete with headphones to completely absorb the experience. I could bang-on about this guy's work for days... it's bananas! This feature film is a favourite of mine...
Attire :: Jennifer Gifford's ready made gowns did not disappoint and Wil Valor showcased the most dapper suits for the stylish groom.
Entertainment :: Some super talented musicians added to the relaxed feel of the event however the sweet vocal stylings of Eliza Dear and chilled out tunes of Tim Stokes were my personal faves.
Outdoor area :: Judi from Little Gray Station (for Team Vintage) styled a relaxed seating area outside the hall for couples wishing to stay a while - my favourite pieces were her stunning french metal chairs, the beautiful 'charlotte' french sofa and long farm-house style table custom made by her talented hubby Kris!
Coffee van :: (Grind Date Coffee ) Hello caffeine fix! Need I say more...
Flower Booth :: Couples were able to purchase hand-tied flowers via the flower booth by Imbue Weddings. Adorable!
A huge thank you to Trudy, Nadia, Joelle, Britte and Claire - you are all so very talented at what you do and I'm absolutely blessed to have met you and looking forward to working with you all again soon. To Jennifer, thank you so much for putting together such an incredible showcase. I am absolutely looking forward to doing it all again next year.
Jackie xo
