Little tuscany in bowral
Couple
Martina & Alex
date
Summer 2025
Novare Weddings
Garden Wedding Ceremony
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Courtyard Wedding Reception
Bendooley Estate, Berrima
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Centennial Vineyards,
Bowral
LOCATIONS:
PHOTOGRAPHER:
EVENT TYPE:
Martina meets Alex
Martina and Alex met in the depths of the Covid pandemic through, out of all things, a church Facebook post recruiting for a drummer!
They bonded over a deep passion for their faith, their values and pursuits in life, and the rest is history.
Their personalities were very warm, kind, and generous. Read on to see how we reflect that in every detail of their wedding day.
An Altar in the Woods
Faith remains the heart of Alex and Martina's identity. And although they have acquired the gorgeous grounds of Bendooley Estate for their garden wedding ceremony, they requested the First Sunday team to incorporate a symbolism of the church into styling their Christian wedding.
We decided to take it a step further, and made it our brief to manifest the reverence of a place of worship in the grounds where they'll say their vows. The crucifix takes centre stage -and built to scale, Alex is a tall man! We employed a stage to be intentional with declaring the space for the ceremony, and then blend it back to the environment with tall, sculptural florals that feel like they grew from the ground. We made a site-visit several months prior to note the natural colour tones in the space, in order to make sure our floral choice and final design complements them nicely.
italian inspired
wedding
reception
The space isn't without challenges. For one, there was a massive fountain right in the middle. But worse, there were four massive trees around the space which we can neither bind nor trim (at risk of a few thousand dollars in penalties!).
If you found them inconspicuous in the photos below, then we have done our job well. We utilised spatial design principles to blend these 'obstacles' into the surrounding, particularly by the way we laid out the guests' seating arrangement. We also worked in some floral arrangements unto the fountain so that it became an intentional centrepiece, a beautiful element that belongs in the space, because there really is no hiding that!
Next comes another very fun part: styling an outdoor wedding reception in the courtyards of Centennial Vineyards in Bowral. Look at how gorgeous this outdoor wedding venue in the Southern Highlands is!
Immediately, both us and the couple could see the potential to embrace a Tuscan aesthetics in the space. The charming sandstone, heritage details, and even the dimensions of the courtyard are perfect for it.
In terms of hospitality, if you've never done a wine tasting experience at Centennial Vineyards, you definitely should. As a true extension to the delicious wine, the food and service of the CV Restaurant team were absolutely world class too. Simply put, it was a perfect garden wedding reception venue.
Colour + texture + shape. These are the fundamental elements in design that creates visual interest. In Styling this wedding reception, we had to be more conservative with 'colour' so as to not take away from the charm of the setting. And so we embraced texture and shape to elevate this wedding reception.
The floral arrangements were voluminous, sculptural, and textural. Glass candle holders, travertine and parchment in the table numbers, and soft flowing table draping are just some of the non-organic elements we employed. And here's a fun fact: we used more than 400 meters of fabric throughout this reception space just for table draping. That's almost half a kilometre long!
Textural table draping lends the space some much needed softness and created a romantic feel; crucial in visually marking this occasion as a wedding reception, as opposed to just a regular evening at the restaurant.
Strings of festoon lights across the courtyard add to the Italian 'festa' feel; much more appropriately than fairy lights would. We opted for a chequered dance floor for a more elevated European look. As the sun sets on our newlyweds' celebration, the atmosphere was warm and full of love. Food and drink were flowing, the laughter unceasing, and the dancing: out of this world!
We were over the moon when this wedding was featured by Vogue magazine, and that our Martina was officially a Vogue bride! What made it even better was what the editors said about it -it's everything we intended it to be, which proves we hit all the right notes with our work here.
Some relevant quotes:
"“First Sunday Events blended the charm of the estate’s surroundings with elevated, luxurious touches. ”
“The wedding proved the perfect ode not just to the natural beauty of the Southern Highlands, but to Martina and Alexander’s unique love story.”
“Timeless and classic.”
This wedding was published in Vogue Australia:
This Southern Highlands Garden was the Perfect Place for This Elegant Outdoor Wedding
Published 01/07/2025
Client Love:
via Google Reviews:
We honestly can’t thank Yosua & Carin enough. They were unreal, better than we could’ve ever imagined.
They didn’t just do what we asked, they went above and beyond in every single way. Carin is so, so talented. every little thing I was even thinking might be too much, she straight away said, “I can do it!” And she DID. Everything looked absolutely stunning.
Yosua was so kind and made sure nothing was missed or forgotten. He was calm, on top of everything, respected ALL our wishes and just such a genuine support on the day!
They are such a power couple! so kind, creative, and sweet. We felt so looked after and understood the whole way through.
If you’re thinking of booking them, do it. You won’t regret it. We can’t recommend them enough 🤍
-Alex & Martina
12 Micron,
Barangaroo
JESS + BEN
Pure
imagination
Jess and Ben's wedding at 12-Micron, Barangaroo, was themed to be eclectic, colourful, and personalised in the most profound way. It caught the attention of the editors at Hello May magazine and was featured in an article which placed us a one of their 'Top 25 Wedding Planners and Stylists.'
Read about another one of our recent weddings that were picked up by a publication
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Complete management and execution of your wedding day so that you can be fully in the moment
Curating an experience your family and friends won't stop talking about -without the stress
Transforming your space so that it feels refined, stunning, and deeply personal
Check Availability!
Say hi via the form below and let us know your preferred wedding date, month, or season. We’ll confirm our availability and send over our Services Guide, which includes pricing.
Complimentary high-fidelity renders
Unlimited Meetings
Exclusive Vendor Perks
chauffeured venue tours
Broad cultural understanding
Transparent service fees starting from $4,500+gst
Check AvaiLability!
Say hi via the form below and let us know your preferred wedding date, month, or season - we’ll confirm our availability and send over our Services Guide, which includes pricing.
Complimentary high-fidelity renders
Unlimited Meetings
Exclusive Vendor Perks
chauffeured venue tours
Broad cultural understanding
Transparent service fees starting from $4,500+gst
