Category Archives: Real brides

Real wedding: Kara and Brett – Sydney – 29 March 2014

I had the absolute pleasure of being the makeup artist for Kara's wedding back in March of this year.  Kara was the sweetest young lady, and we hit it off from the moment we met.  When Kara told me she was getting married in an old dance studio, and walking to the reception with her guests I knew this wedding would be unconventional and unique.  These photographs from Lucy Leonardi really capture the rustic charm of this wedding, the beauty of this couple and the love they share.

Congratulations Kara and Brett!

Below, Kara talks about the vision for her wedding, and writes about various Sydney wedding suppliers she used, and her experiences with them.

The vision

When we begun planning our wedding, I started to wish I’d been one of those girls who had been planning my dream day since age five. I had no idea what I wanted! But it all unfolded perfectly with a feel that was just right for us. I would describe it as a modern-vintage garden soiree with a few DIY rustic touches.

Make-up

Choosing the right make-up artist was one of the most important decisions for me. Beautiful make-up can make you feel confident and amazing, but the opposite is true when you feel it’s not right. I wear a full face of make-up almost every day, but I remember forgetting to put mascara on one day when I was going to an event – instead of enjoying myself I felt really self-conscious (and it was only a bit of mascara missing!) I definitely didn’t want to feel like that on my wedding day! I also wanted to look like me – just a little more glamorous!

I am so grateful to the friend who recommended Rebekah. In great frustration I had been telling her of the first trial I had which was a less than positive experience. Meeting Rebekah put all my worries at ease. She asked questions about our wedding, about me, listened to everything and talked through some ideas so she could work my make-up to suit me. We tried a few small variations of lip colour and intensity of eye make-up so it was just right. She was patient and made me feel extremely comfortable and confident in her ability. And above all – I loved my make-up.

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On our wedding day she was exactly the kind of person you need in a room – calm, relaxed, warm-spirited. She turned up on time and absolutely professional – she’s also a perfectionist! My Mum and two bridesmaids all whispered separately to me on the day “wow, she’s really good!”

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During my trial I had explained to Rebekah that we would be walking over a kilometre from our ceremony to our reception venue and I was worried about my make-up sweating and coming off. I had nothing to worry about – it lasted to the end of the night and it still looked great.

I cannot recommend Rebekah enough – she is so talented, such a professional and a truly lovely person to be around!

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Wedding dress

For my wedding dress I wanted something romantic, feminine, a little bit vintage and a little bit elegant. After trying on a few dresses I also realised I didn’t feel comfortable in anything that sparkled too much, or was too full in the skirt – it just wasn’t me! I went for a lace, slimline gown with a chapel trail and a waist belt by Sottero & Midgley, purchased from Abbey Bridal. Not only did it suit my personality and style, it also suited the garden wedding venue. Abby Bridal an extensive collection with something for everyone at prices that won’t blow the budget – I’d recommend stopping in for a look around (although you need an appointment to try on the gowns).

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Location, location

Choosing a venue was one of our biggest challenges. I knew I wanted an outdoors element, and Brett’s only request (next to great music) was the option to select our own caterers. We really wanted the flexibility to choose food, beer and wine we liked. We also wanted somewhere fairly central and easy to get to, as a lot of our guests were flying in from interstate and overseas. The combination proved harder to find than we expected! But we came across Lion Gate Lodge in the Royal Botanic Gardens and immediately loved it. It was a blank canvas so we could do whatever we wanted style-wise, and it was surrounded by not only beautiful gardens, but also the city skyline.

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Our ceremony venue was a little unconventional – a ballroom dance studio in the St James Trust building, which we initially looked at it as an alternative to Lion Gate Lodge because I was worried about the possibility of rain. The minute we walked into the space though we were really taken by the enormous arching windows, high ceilings, lovely natural light and overall ambience, and decided we would get married there.

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Our two venues were on opposite sides of Hyde Park and this worked perfectly for us. We led our guests from St James Trust Building through the park and into the Gardens on one of Sydney’s most beautiful walks, with a musical procession featuring many of our musician friends. We had our ‘formal’ photos along the way!

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Catering

We wanted a cocktail style wedding to give people the freedom to move around and mingle with others rather than spend half the night in one spot at a table, but we were very conscious of making sure everyone’s bellies were full with hearty wholesome food. We were extremely lucky to work with friends of ours from the Full Circle community. Full Circle takes a really special approach to food, and believes its something that should be shared and celebrated. They source and cook with fresh in season produce from local farmers and put a great deal of passion into work. Many of their days are spent organising festive food events, secret dinners and pop-up food experiences. We explained the concept of our wedding and type of food and experience we were after, and they agreed it was a good fit. We were absolutely blown away with what they came up with, the menu was divine and received compliments from every corner. I was really grateful for Brett’s insistence and persistence in being able to self cater so we could work with these guys – they really are amazing!

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What else I loved

Next to my make-up, I absolutely loved my bouquets – Sevi from Lulu flora couldn’t have made them more perfect. To top it off they were hand delivered by her husband!

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I also loved every moment with Brett, but his speech was particularly special – I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room (and my make-up managed to withstand it!).

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We had the most wonderful, magical wedding day. I would be lying if I said planning a wedding is not crazy and stressful, but it sure is worth it! We had so much fun; and rare and special is the occasion that you get all of your most treasured friends and family in the same place at the same time; that was the greatest gift.

Suppliers:

Make-up: Makeup Artistry by Rebekah Foxe makeupbyrebekah.com.au

Hair: Sophia

Dress: Abbey Bridal (Sottero & Midgley) abbeybridal.com.au

Bridesmaid dresses: Review review-australia.com

Photography: Lucy Leonardi lucyleonardi.com

Bouquets & Boutonnieres: Lulu Flora luluflora.com.au

Ceremony venue: Step-up, St James Trust Building, Sydney http://www.stepupstudio.com.au

Reception venue: Lion Gate Lodge, Royal Botanic Gardens http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au

Catering: Full Circle fullcirclecommunity.com.au/

Wedding Cake: Miss Delish (my talented sister!)

Bomboniere – Cookie Queen Kitschn facebook.com/CookieQueenKitschn

Real wedding: Elisha and Craig – 15 March 2014

Elisha4I had the pleasure of doing the makeup for the lovely Elisha and her bridal party.  Elisha and her friends and family were such a pleasure to deal with, and I wish her and Craig all the best for their future together as husband and wife!

Elisha writes about her wedding, including her Sydney wedding suppliers:

MY FAIRYTALE WEDDING…..

Our theme and vision:
Choosing the theme for my Wedding was a little difficult. l wanted it to have some meaning that reflected who l am as a person.

l ended up choosing a 'Bling' theme, with a black and white colour theme as l thought all these three aspects would work well together. l wanted my wedding to be modern, romantic and elegant, so l went with fresh flower arrangements as the centrepieces for my tables. Along the front of the bridal table l had glass mirrored boxes filled with fresh cream and white flowers and l chose glass cylinders filled with water and floating tea light candles as my bridal backdrop, to create the romantic atmosphere l was after.

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Why l chose Rebekah to do my makeup:

l chose Rebekah to be my bridal makeup artist as her work is natural yet beautiful. l didn't want to be a bride covered in thick makeup on my wedding day.  l wanted a more natural look, which Rebekah seemed to specialise in.

Rebekah is so professional and has a lovely personality, she knew exactly what l wanted from the start. I was so happy with my makeup trial, feeling absolutely beautiful at my Bridal shower.  I knew l had picked the perfect makeup artist for my upcoming special day.

Rebekah takes her time and doesn't make you feel rushed or hurried. She is very hygienic, which l think is very important. My mother and bridesmaids were just as happy with Rebekah as l was.  You could really tell Rebekah enjoys her job, and is so experienced in what she does.

l was truly blown away with my wedding makeup and felt like an absolute princess, just like I had dreamed of.
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Why l chose the venue:

My ceremony and wedding reception was at Doltone House- Jones Bay Wharf in the loft http://www.doltonehouse.com.au/doltone-house/choose-your-venue/jones-bay-wharf, which is a two story reception room.  The dance floor and bar are located downstairs, and the formal dining area is upstairs. Choosing the wedding venue was a very challenging task as we looked at so many beautiful places, but we wanted to have a wedding reception venue that was a little different and unique. When we saw our room at Doltone House for the first time, we looked at each other with a big smile and knew this was the room. The loft had a beautiful outdoor balcony with views of the Sydney harbour bridge in the background. We just fell in love with this venue !

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Decorating/flowers/bouquets/wedding cake/candy buffet:

l had only one supplier for all of this and that was "Bling Events" www.blingevents.com.au.

One thing l didn't want was to have to deal with lots of different suppliers.  Rather,  l wanted to deal with the one person, who knew my theme and taste and knew exactly what l wanted.

My bouquet featured white roses, phalenopsis orchids, and dusty miller, with a diamonte handle and bling sticks scattered in the bouquet.

For my centrepiece's l had preston bailey vases with real white floral arrangements on a mirrored plate with two tea light candles.

Dealing with Bling Events took the stress out of planning my big day without breaking the bank!!
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List of our suppliers:
Makeup: Makeup Artistry By Rebekah www.makeupbyrebekah.com.au
Hair: Anastasia's Hair Design
Photography: Paeonia Wedding Photography and Filming www.paeonia.com.au
Venue: Doltone House- Jones Bay Wharf (Loft) http://www.doltonehouse.com.au/
Wedding dress: Two Birds Bridal www.twobirdsbridal.com.au
Flowers: Bling Events www.blingevents.com.au
Wedding Cake: Bling Events www.blingevents.com.au
Bridesmaid dresses: Peter Trends Bridal www.petertrends.com.au
Wedding Cars: Pure Limousines (Chrysler 300c) www.purelimo.com.au
Bridal Jewellery: Peep Toe
Photobooth: Bright Box Photo Booths www.brightboxphotobooths.com.au

 

Real Wedding: The wedding of Caroline and Emmanuel – 14 March 2014

Meet the beautiful Caroline, who married Emmanuel on 14 March 2014 in Sydney.

Caroline is an absolute sweetheart, who booked me in to do the makeup for herself, her bridesmaid, and mother.  Our mutual love for makeup made the whole experience so enjoyable. I wish Caroline and Emmanuel all the best in their lives together as wife and husband!

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Caroline talks about her wedding suppliers – including myself.

Why did you choose Rebekah to do your makeup?

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My makeup trial with Make-up Artistry by Rebekah was my fourth. It was a very frustrating process for me because I wasn't happy with any of my previous trials and they were costing me way too much money. I remember on the day I had my trial with Rebekah, I didn't even want to go because I was so discouraged and was convinced that once again, I wasn't going to be happy. But I'm so happy I forced myself to go!

Rebekah had me at hello. Her professionalism is the first thing I noticed as I walked into her home studio. She was ready for me – all her make-up was beautifully laid out, professional lighting was up, there was soft background music playing, a glass of water for me, and beautiful flowers in the room. She made me feel very special and I knew right away that she takes her job very seriously. Rebekah is super friendly and made me feel very at ease.

Although I didn't see my makeup until she completed my trial, my decision was already made. Rebekah takes her time, she makes sure she has the right colours to match your skin tone, her techniques and precision are very impressive and I love how hygienic she is. Her brushes are all fully cleaned and she never takes products out from the packaging and straight onto your skin. Instead she pours the products onto an immaculate, fully sanitised tile that she uses as her mixing palette. She also uses very high quality products.

I was blown away by the end result. Rebekah highlighted my best features and the make-up lasted the entire day. On the wedding day, Rebekah gave me the lipstick I ordered from her for touch-ups, but along with the lipstick were some mints, blotting papers, tissues, pins, all neatly packaged into a small organza pouch.  Her attention to detail is just out of this world!

I couldn't have chosen a better make up artist for one of the most important days of my life. It's not hard to tell how truly passionate Rebekah is about her job.

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What was the theme and vision for your wedding?

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When I chose a theme for my wedding, I wanted it to have some meaning behind it.  I chose the theme of the peacock and my theme colours were green teal and gold.

The peacock is a beautiful representation of loyalty, mercy, good fortune, and undying love. Peacocks are believed to be pure of heart, loyal and faithful to their partners. It symbolises eternal love. The male peacock goes to great lengths to attract its heart's desire. It is said that the peacock dies of grief if it loses its loved one. I chose the peacock to represent my marriage and the love that Emmanuel and I have for each other.

Although I had a theme, I didn't want to go too hard with it. Instead I wanted the peacock theme to be rather subtle and not too in-your-face. We used peacock feathers for the buttonholes, favours, wedding invites and the wishing well, that's it. I felt too many peacock feathers everywhere would look tacky.

I wanted my wedding to be classy, romantic and elegant.  There were beautiful fresh flowers and tall candle stands at the reception. The tables were beautifully set with flowers and tea light candles as centrepieces.

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Tell us a little about your wedding dress?

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My wedding dress is by Jean Fox. It's a gorgeous and elegant lace, mermaid style dress. I bought it off the rack from Spurling Parramatta (http://www.spurling.com.au/bridal/).  It needed some minor alterations but it was the perfect dress for me. The style of the dress really suited my figure and was in line with the vision I had for my wedding.

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Why did you choose the venue?

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My wedding reception was at Wolfies Bar & Grill at The Rocks, Sydney.  When choosing the venue, there were two main things I was looking for:

1. The size of the room. I only had 30 people at my wedding, so I needed a rather small room. I didn't want a big room to look bare with only 30 people in it.

2. I wanted my venue to be very Sydney-ish, meaning it had to somehow include the Opera house and/or the Harbour Bridge. I had family travelling from Mauritius to attend the wedding and I wanted that strong "Sydney-feel" to be present in my wedding.

We had two rooms at Wolfies Bar and Grill and both had amazing views of the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the harbour. One room was for the seated dinner and the room right next to it had the dance floor and wedding cake table. It was the perfect location, the perfect size for what I was after. And all within my budget!

(http://docksidegroup.com.au/restaurants/wolfies)

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What about your flowers?

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For my wedding flowers, I used the services of 'Wedding Flowers by Jody'. Jody McCure is based in Blacktown. She makes really beautiful flower arrangements and posies at a very reasonable price.

For the bridal posy, she used a mix of different seasonal flowers. It was mostly white, with some very pale pink flowers and sea foam green leaves. The centrepieces were also very beautiful and in line with the elegant/romantic feel I was going for.

(http://weddingflowersbyjody.com.au)

What about your photographer?

I was on a rather tight budget for my wedding but one thing I was ready to pay for, was my photos! I want to be able to look back at my wedding photos in 20 years time and still be extremely happy with them and have these memories forever.

When I did some research online, I came across Bless Photography (http://www.blessphotography.com.au) and there was something about the photos on their website that I found very genuine.  You can almost feel all the emotions of the subjects in the photographs. That's exactly what I wanted for my wedding photos.

When I met with Tamar and Matt Porter, I was immediately sold, not just because they take amazing shots, but also because they are a lovely and genuine couple. Tamar is the photographer and Matt is the videographer. I ended up hiring both for my wedding and I'm very happy I did. I felt so comfortable with them, and they work really well as a team, paying attention to every detail.  They listened to what we wanted, but also guided us when necessary.  The process was 'hassle-free' and they were discreet and professional the entire day.  Nobody could really feel their presence and I got those spontaneous and natural shots I was after.

I was blown away by my pictures and I particularly love how the happiness, love and joy that everyone felt on the day came across so vividly in the photographs as well as in the highlight film. I couldn't be happier with Bless Photography!

List of Suppliers:

Real wedding story – Natalie and Daniel

Natalie and Daniel wed in November of 2013 at The Sebel Resort and Spa in Hawkesbury Valley.  The minute I met Natalie at her trial, I could see what a caring, calm and sweet person she was.  When I saw her walk out of the bedroom in her wedding gown on her wedding day, she looked absolutely radiant, and so happy.  She truly was the perfect bride!!

(Photographs courtesy of Peter Davis, photographer)

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I asked Natalie a few important questions about her big day.

Natalie writes a little about the theme and vision for her wedding:

When l began planning my wedding l was pretty sure of what l wanted. I wanted to keep the styling classic so when l looked back on my wedding photos in years to come l would not cringe at my choices.  Most importantly l wanted to look like me. While l did not follow all traditions l did follow the something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.  I have always wanted to wear my Nan’s 50 year old veil that was discovered only a few years ago in the original box! My nan was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago so it was my way of incorporating her into my wedding day. Plus the veil was just too beautiful not to wear!

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What made you choose your wedding dress?:

My dress was also chosen to match the style of the veil: Vintage & classic. I chose a strapless sweetheart gown covered in lace with just a little bit of crystal detail. It was the only gown that made my mum and aunty cry when l walked out of the change room.  It also took my breath away when l saw myself in it!

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Why did you choose the Sebel Resort and Spa Hawkesbury Valley as your wedding venue?  http://www.sebelhawkesbury.com.au/

I always wanted a venue that suited my husband and l. I have always wanted a garden ceremony on beautiful grounds with a reception to also follow at the same venue. The Sebel Hawkesbury valley provided all of this. After our meeting with the wedding planner on site l knew instantly it was the place l wanted to get married.

On the day while the weather had other ideas about my garden ceremony, l was still able to have my photos taken outside which is something l will cherish.

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Why did you choose your flowers?

With choosing my flowers it was the only area that l was completely clueless with. The only flower l was set on having was Peonies – lots of them!

After visiting a few florists and almost falling over with how much a simple bouquet would cost l met Dee from Awesome blooms  http://www.awesomeblooms.com.au/ . She was able to go through with me what style l wanted and what colour my maids were wearing. From just simple questions she was able to create the most beautiful bouquets with my beloved peonies and a few different varieties of blooms.  When l saw them on the day, I did not want to part with them – so much in fact that l have had my bouquet freeze dried so l can look at them forever.

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Why did you choose your hair stylist and makeup artist?

For my hair and make up, l wanted natural, classic and simple.

My hair was simple as l chose a beautiful Catherine Middleton design.   The hair was done by the amazing Tanya Degaetano.

Make-up seemed trickier.  I did a lot of research through google of make up artists in the area.  I did not want to have make up caked on so thick that l didn’t look like me.  To my horror so many pictures in their portfolio’s were of brides with so much make-up it looked thick even in the professional photos.

I then came across Rebekah’s website http://makeupbyrebekah.com.au/ . All of her photos had brides looking natural yet just beautiful. I also loved how she had a blog on tips and secrets of the trade. I booked Rebekah without even having a trial as l did not need to look anywhere else. When it came to my trial l was having issues with blemishes that were stressing me out. Rebekah was so helpful & supportive, she was able to show me that even if the pesky blemishes were to stay around on my day that they could be covered completely.  Even l could not see them! I left the trial feeling amazing and of course my stress fell away and the blemishes cleared up in no time. On my wedding day l received so many compliments on not only my make up but also that of my bridesmaids and mum. 

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Thank you, Natalie, for including me on your special day.  It was such an honour to do your makeup.  May you and Daniel live happily ever after, as you deserve.

 

Rebekah Foxe

Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist, Sydney

Makeup Artistry by Rebekah

www.makeupbyrebekah.com.au

 

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