Wedding photographer, Sayher Heffernan, and writer, Amelia Chia, held their intimate, heartfelt solemnisation in front of 150 guests at Gardens House at the Royal Botanical Gardens in September. With the venue already blooming with beautiful flowers, the couple kept the decor minimal — blackboard signs with calligraphy by a bridesmaid who's an illustrator, wooden chairs had pretty rosemary wreaths, made by Sayher's older sister, and seven giant white balloons from Spotlight were placed at the front.
The bride wore a beautiful, hand-beaded long-sleeved gown with a low-back paired and an embroidered headpiece by Australian label Bo & Luca, while the groom looked dapper in a slim-fit suit by Jack London. "I scouted online and in stores for ages and this was the only dress I could see myself wearing once I saw it. It's elegant, slightly bohemian and looked different from any of the dresses I'd seen. I ordered it online when I was still living in Singapore and gave them my measurements. I flew to their studio in Brisbane two months before the wedding to get fitted, and it did, perfectly. Sayher took all of 10 minutes to buy his suit off the rack!" recalls Amelia.
The newlyweds held their classy reception at the Substation in Newport — a raw, industrial space featuring high ceilings with brick walls and huge glass panes. Three long tables seating 50 guests each were set out with a large hanging tulip feature as the centrepiece. For cocktails and dessert after dinner, guests enjoyed a spread of Australian and European cheeses from a friend's cheese store. The cheese table was styled with flowers and above that was the 'Be Mine' neon sign that Sayher proposed with a year before. Dinner was an Asian fusion menu catered by the couple's friend, who owns a food store. To show their Aussie friends and family what a typical gatecrashing is like, the bridesmaids came up with two fun games in an abbreviated version. The couple then had their first dance after and everyone joined them on the dance floor for some serious partying.
Almost everything was DIY by the couple or their friends, including the invites, calligraphy, menu, and place settings. The most important thing for the couple was for guests to feel special and welcome (almost half flew in from Singapore, UK, Canada, and Japan), so they gave a handwritten 'Thank you' note as well as a candle made by Sayher's younger sister for wedding favours.
