Allergic to cheap champagne

On their very first date, Vijay had invited Sophia for a home-cooked feast. Once the day came around, he thought he should ask whether she had any allergies.

Sophia’s response: “Absolutely. Allergic to cheap champagne!”

And that’s how he knew they would get along just fine. Vijay mentioned this anecdote in his wedding speech and everyone just nodded in full agreement.

We knew that Sophia & Vijay were big champagne lovers from their engagement session that we shot at their home in Brisbane. Rather than discussing colour palettes or outfits, the engagement shoot prep emails between Vijay and me focused on how we would all finish up the champagnes and grazing platters after the session - our kind of people, for sure. We brought a Moët along as our wedding morning gift, which quickly found its place amongst its brothers and sisters in the fridge.

How to pronounce Moët

Also, can we please stop here for a sec and absorb the fact that ‘Moët’ is correctly pronounced as [Mo-ETT] and not [MO-ay] - that’s right. Don’t do it. I know, I know, usually the ‘-et’ ending of French words is pronounced like an [ay] but the trap here are the two dots {accent tréma} on top of the E, which signal a kinda isolated short [eh] sound… an abrupt stop rather than drifting out into any [ay] or other combined sounds. Other examples of this isolation are Noël [noh-ELL] or Chloë [cloh-EH]. It’s up to you whether you say it like that or not in the future, but at least now you know in case you’ve wondered. You’re welcome.

Bundaleer Rainforest Gardens

It was in July 2017 in Fethiye, a tiny tropical nest on Turkeys Aegean Sea close to Greece, when we first met Sophia, Vijay and their adorable pup Remy {named after the painter Rembrandt} via a Skype meeting. Since then, we’ve been looking forward to their wedding. Their venue, Bundaleer Rainforest Gardens in Brookfield is a special place for us - it’s the place where Doruk and I shot our first wedding together in April 2014 for Jess & Avon. So many memories of the first time we tried to work alongside each other.

White Henna

I arrived at Sophia & Vijay’s house and found all the ladies getting their hands adorned with white henna patterns. I didn’t know this was a thing until that day and am a fan! The more common darker henna and the long drying times for the paste to fully be absorbed by the skin usually pose such a threat to white wedding gowns, so I thought the white henna for a wedding was so clever. I also thought the patterns on the ladies’ hands were like an extension of the lace in Sophia’s Chosen By One Day wedding gown and I was looking forward to getting some shots of all their beautiful hands together later in the day.

King Proteas & Australian Native bouquets

The arrival of the wedding blooms in the morning is always a good moment to break out a little happy dance for sure. Sophia’s wedding flowers featuring King Proteas and Australian Natives were next level and made with such mastery by the legends over at Stem Design, based in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. It’s easy to tell for us whether a wedding vendor did a good versus a truly masterful job and everything about the bouquets as well as the epic floral dropping foliage garland installed at the venue showed such mastery and care for what these floral artists are doing. It honestly makes our hearts happy to work with other vendors who constantly push themselves to deliver excellence for their wedding couples every single time. If you’re not throwing yourself into it with everything you’ve got, why work in the wedding industry where there is no room for repetitions or errors. I adored these florals and salute you, Stem Design team!

Ceremony & Reception at Bundaleer

It is no secret that we enjoy it when your ceremony and reception are held at the same location, especially if it’s as beautiful as Bundaleer Rainforest Gardens - why would you go anywhere else anyways. The day flows on with more ease if your guests can all stay in the one place and you don’t lose any precious time spending your wedding day driving all over town. We really thrive when we’re just out in nature with our couples in places where can explore and settle in for the full day. Doruk and I had done a refresher scout of Bundaleer and surrounds the day before the wedding and were excited to wander around for sunset soaking up the epic surroundings, hanging out with the cows and letting things unfold naturally. We had rung up the owner of the scenic paddock across the road from Bundaleer the day before the wedding to make sure he was alright with our frolicking and to ask him whether his cows are friendly. Yes, he was and yes, they are. As adventurous as it can be to just explore and run wild, it’s a decent thing to check in with property owners before you run around on their paddocks here in Australia, especially if there are big animals and clients involved. During our golden hour shoot at sunset in the paddock, the legends from Bundaleer kept running all the way up to us with platters full of canapés - such a simple thing to do and such great service.

Wedding Ceremony Painter

Another thing we encountered for the first time at Sophia & Vijay’s wedding was a wedding painter! What a brilliant idea. At the ceremony site, Clare Cowley had her easel, canvas and paint set up and had started painting the surroundings of the ceremony scene, featuring sunny freckles of light shining down on the guests and the groom through the canopy of big trees, to later fill in the details in her painting, when the bride would arrive and when the ceremony would begin. Clare’s finished painting was showcased at the reception on its easel and will no doubt be a special heirloom for the couple over the years of their marriage.

Hamilton Band

The last aspect of the day that I HAVE to mention is Hamilton Band. Book this band. I am not saying that to be polite and the list of vendors I am praising in this journal entry simply is this exhaustive because Sophia & Vijay assembled a team of truly the best there is. I liked other wedding singers and bands before, but Hamilton Band took it to a completely new level. I follow their insta stories daily, hoping to hear snippets of their insane voices from their latest gigs. Their talent, personalities, their moves and their outfits are all so very loveable and memorable. I liked their versions of songs more than the originals and they had the dancefloor going all night. Book this band, look no further. I deeply wish I was friends with them just to hang out and be surrounded by their happy vibes.

Sophia & Vijay, thank you for all the love, the champagne moments and for introducing us to new beautiful vendors and experiences. We know you will be very happy together and we look forward to staying in touch over the years.

All our love,

xx Tina & Doruk

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WEDDING TEAM:

Wedding Photography: Lovelenscapes Photography

Wedding Ceremony & Reception Venue: Bundaleer Rainforest Gardens, Brisbane

Hair: PS I Love Hair

Bridal Hair piece: Lelet, New York

Makeup: The Powder Room

Bridal Gown: Chosen by One Day / One Day Bridal, Melbourne

Groom’s Suit: Wil Valor, Brisbane

Celebrant: Roxy Hotten

Florals: Stem Design, Fortitude Valley

Cake: Nancy Ho Bakes

Entertainment: Hamilton Band

Photobooth: The Photo Booth Collective

If you’re currently planning your wedding or if you have any questions, drop us a line via the button below. For editorials, styled shoots, collaborations and winery coverage, please email lovelenscapes@gmail.com.

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