Event Wrap-Up :: Byron Bay Bridal Showcase

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

Be Inspired :: 'For the Love of Retro' Theme

This month's theme was the inspiration behind our featured design, 'She Said Yes'. This theme is a whole lot of fun with a vintage vibe {in a cool retro 50s way}.

Set the mood :: Experiment with vintage typefaces, bold and bright block colours, repurposed wood and chippy paint, mismatched frames, soda pop and striped straws, full skirts, bold red lips, chalkboards, typewriters and other vintage finds, retro cool.

Colour palette :: Red, ivory, mustard and violet.



Featured wedding stationery:
1. 'She Said Yes' RSVP postcard
Also in this scene:
2. Vintage Number Labels by Present & Correct | 3. Image via In Spaces Between | 4. Image via 100 Layer Cake | 5. Image via Ever So Lovely | 6. Image via Green Wedding Shoes | 7. Image via Snippet & Ink | 8. Image via Parcel Post | 9. Image via 100 Layer Cake | 10. Image via Green Wedding Shoes | 11. Image via Bouquet Bouquet

Jackie xo

Real Wedding :: Kyrie + Rob

Hello there my lovelies, do I have a treat for you today! I've been bursting to share this stunning wedding with you all for quite some time now and after playing catch-ups, it's finally here! So without further ado, meet Kyrie + Rob. This lovely couple were married in June last year and as you will see from the fabulous images captured by Focus Films, the day was absolutely beautiful - Kyrie is flawless!

Kyrie + Rob :: Saturday 25 June 2011
Mt Cotton, Brisbane, Queensland

Kyrie first met Rob when a company she worked for paid for personal training sessions for their staff - Rob was one of the trainers. "I started doing 4 sessions a week with him and the 3 days I didn't get to see him, I was really sad! After a few months we randomly bumped into each other whilst out one night and we've been together ever since!"

The proposal took place a week after Kyrie's birthday. Kyrie reminisces, "Rob surprised me with a picnic at New Farm Park, which is also where we had our first date. He got down on one knee, I cried, he cried. It was very sweet and romantic."









Theme :: "Classic with a hint of vintage."

Ceremony Location :: Kyrie + Rob's ceremony took place by the Laguna at Sirromet Winery, Mt Cotton, Brisbane. "It was a beautiful winter's day, surrounded by all the poeple we love. I walked down the aisle to our favourite song, Come Away with Me by Norah Jones. My family are Mormon, so we had a Morman Bishop marry us. He is actually a long time family friend and has known me since I was a baby, so it was very special."









Reception Venue :: The reception was held at Restaurant Lurleen's also at Sirromet Winery. "The staff were amazing, the food was incredible, the whole night was unbelievable."

Wedding Gown :: Kyrie was breaktaking in an ivory ball gown from Darb Bridal Couture. "It was probably the 10th dress I tried on and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was the one! It fit perfectly with our theme of classic, with a hint of vintage. I felt amazing in it, just like you should on your wedding day!" Kyrie sourced the bridesmaids dresses from Country Road."I had bought the dress for myself, a few months prior to the engagement and it was only until after Rob and I got engaged, I thought how well it would translate to bridesmaids dresses and the girls agreed. We were also really lucky to find matching shoes at Nine West!"







Groom's Attire :: "I actually didn't see their suits until I was walking down the aisle on our wedding day! Rob surprised me and picked the boys suits himself. It was a little nerve-racking considering he didn't know what my dress was like either! But they all looked really handsome and it worked out well!" Nice work boys - very dapper!

Photographer :: Focus Films did an outstanding job of documenting Kyrie + Rob's day. "They captured the moments, rather than created the moments and we have had endless comments on how amazing our photos are. They also captured our day on video, which is so special to watch, it's like a mini movie. They went above and beyond for us by providing two videographers on the day and by actually listening to what we wanted!"

Florist:: The stunning floral arrangements, bouquets and buttonholes were from The Lily Bean. "We are lucky enough to have an amazing friend who is a florist. She is just incredible, such an artistic and creative genius. She did everything from the bridal bouquets to the button holes and wishing well to the abundance of flowers on our reception tables."







Other recommended suppliers :: As favours for their guests, Kyrie sourced lavender and coconut macarons from Chouquette. Heidi from The Powder Room, who was the makeup artist for the bridal party was "AMAZING" and Kyrie also highly recommends Valerie from Raven Hair (phone 07 3831 6003).

Tips and advice for other brides :: "Keep perspective – remember it's about the two of you! And make a budget AND stick to it!"

Most treasured moment of the day :: "The 50 minute car ride out to Sirromet with my Dad. It was just us two and was very special! " The car ride home from the reception with her new husband was equally memorable, giving them quality time together to take in the events of the day. Kyrie mentions that "seeing Rob in his suit for the first time on the day" was also a beautiful moment, as was "watching our niece cry during the ceremony as she recited a poem about love." Kyrie also enjoyed the speeches at the reception, Rob's in particular. "Rob's went for about 20 mins and wasn't written down. We were told it was the best groom's speech any of our guests have ever heard to this day!" Too sweet.





Creative/Personal Touches :: As a way of including Kyrie's younger brother, "We had a life size cardboard cut out at the wedding as he was over in Germany at the time serving a mission and could not be there."A lovely touch which I'm sure would have entertained the guests!

The Details

Stationery chosen :: The couple chose our 'Love Is...' design, which was printed on 100% environmentally friendly paper stock using colour swatches 'lavender' & 'lilac' from our colour chart. Kyrie + Rob preferred a smaller size invitation/thank you card over our standard DL size so we altered the design to fit within these size requirements. We also sourced natural brown kraft paper envelopes to finish. We produced double-sided folded invitations personalised with guest names and customised double-sided accommodation and transport information cards. For the reception, we designed a table seating chart (which Kyrie placed in a gorgeous custom made frame), tent-folded personalised place cards and double-sided table number cards. Finally we produced double-sided thank you cards with the printed message. "Having our stationery professionally made saved a lot of time and energy and you could tell the designs were very professionally and uniquely done."







"From start to finish, Jackie was attentive, helpful and has such amazing attention to detail! The stationery suite went perfectly with our theme and the look and feel our our day. Rob and I received so many positive comments - I would recommend Jackie's designs and services to everyone and can't wait to work with her again in the near future."

Thank you for sharing your beautiful story Kyrie + Rob - we too look forward to working with you again soon! ;-)