The Silver LiningGo wild
Posted on September 19, 2014
A little while ago, a good friend of mine who I’ve only met in recent years came over for dinner. She looked for some time at one of our wedding photos on the wall and finally said, “Who’s that?”. I hadn’t quite realised just how much we’ve changed over the last (almost) six years! Our faces haven’t changed that dramatically, but we’re certainly more sure of ourselves, more secure in each other, and of course our style has evolved too. Those old wedding photos still reflect a time that is deeply special to us, but I’ve often said that if we got married today, we’d do things very differently.
Enter Rhianna. We spied the backs of each others’ heads across a crowded room (how romantic) at a Kinfolk dinner and reconnected when Rhi asked us if we’d mind featuring in a photo shoot for her upcoming wedding collective, Wildest Weddings. Would I mind?! As if!
With Rhi’s masterful eye and her insanely talented team this photo shoot was an absolute dream to be a part of. Honestly, after seeing this result and also having the delightful experience of working with such lovely and relaxed but perfectionistic people I would let these guys plan my wedding any day. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not the kind of person to usually just go with the flow, particularly when aesthetics are involved! I am generally very particular with stuff that goes on my face and have slight trust issues (due to many mishaps, usually involving crazy eyebrows and failed curls) to the point of having had my hair and makeup for special occasions done by the same two people for many years!
Wildest Weddings are a collective of artists who aim to make your wedding planning a breeze and the momentous day itself so preciously styled and captured that you will never forget it. And neither will any of your guests, I guarantee it. They’ve got all the bases covered and offer the services of a photographer, stylist, floral artist, makeup and hair stylist, cake maker (by golly, that cake was good), and musicians! You can enlist as many of their services as you wish and they even offer complete pop up wedding styling, all you have to do is turn up on the day. Their ultimate aim is to take the busyness and stress out of wedding planning, all in one amazing yet affordable package.
Ladies and gents, get in line quicksticks! These guys are going to be high in demand…
Wildest Weddings / wildestweddings@gmail.com
Photos by Rhianna May Photography
Dress by Little Gracie
Bowties by Gentleman & Scholar
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Beloved
Posted on February 19, 2014
Attending a wedding of someone precious to you is always an absolute delight. I particularly love to study the faces of family members, almost living vicariously and feeling lifted by the emotions so clearly written in their expressions.
Noted here. A mother’s tender but intensely proud and protective stance, beaming with happiness over her daughter, the bride. The bride, a grown woman but forever a daughter, bowed in love and ultimate respect.
The hands and richly embroidered garments of three women. Mother-in-law, bride and her mother. White, universally symbolic of pureness of heart and devotion. Hands dipped and decorated to reflect the deep religious and cultural traditions that ceremonialise this marriage. They are dyed with the runes of blessings.
A groom, finally allowed to see his beloved on this special day. He bends down to kiss her gently on the forehead, face cupped exquisitely in his hands.
Excitement barely contained behind her veil.
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Henna
Posted on February 12, 2014
The intricate markings adorning the hands and feet of the beaming bride-to-be trace back to a tradition centuries old in its origin.
Other ladies belonging to the bride’s family are also decorated as such, but none as complex or beautiful as those that grace the bride.
She is the most blessed, the most joyous, the beloved.
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Happiness is…
Posted on August 16, 2013
Looking over these photos fills me with such warmth and happiness thinking about the events of the weekend in Darwin just past! The gorgeous garden ceremony surrounded by palm trees and loved ones, the golden kiss of the sunny weather, the sumptuous dinner under nature’s own canopy of stars. And, uh, did I mention they had a DIY sundae bar!?!? Future wedding planners, take note!
The lovely bride and I (another Sarah) bonded just last year over somewhat traumatic circumstances – the dreaded Paediatric exam year. Thankfully, we both emerged victorious but that also meant that Sarah returned back to Darwin and I have missed her muchly since! It was a precious weekend spent catching up with a beautiful bunch of ladies I hadn’t seen in way too long a time. The cocktails and conversation flowed freely throughout the evening, as we wasted no time finding out the latest news and showing off our grooviest dance floor moves.
Wishing the beautiful couple a love that’s everlasting, and may our next meeting be just around the corner.
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What a beautiful day
Posted on May 30, 2013
Yes, yes it was. Such a beautiful day. One of my dearest and best friends recently got married and the happiness, love and spontaneity that flowed throughout the day was just unbelievable – it felt like everyone was simply swept up in it and then ran with it! The ceremony was held in the amazing Notre-Dame de Bonne-Nouvelle cathedral in Paimpol. I had the absolute honour and pleasure of singing for the service, and to be honest I just didn’t want to stop! The acoustics were incredible and made my voice resonate and soar high above the people, almost weightless.
Don’t you love how there seems to be a castle or manor just about on every corner in France? Well, the beautiful ceremony was followed up by a righteous shindig at the Manoir de la Noe Verte, where we partied on down til the early hours of the morning. The reception was a great mix of Chinese and French cultures. Once the champagne was flowing and the dance floor warmed up, there took place a number of quaint French folk dances amidst a lot of raucous yuuuuuum-SENGing! For those of you who are not familiar with it, “Yum seng!” essentially means “Cheers!”, and the aim of the game is for your table to yell it for longer and louder than any of the other tables. It has something to do with more prosperity, longevity and fertility for the bride and groom, and of course the pride and glory of being the all-conquering winner. Asians love anything to do with competition.
Other highlights? The real-life croquembouche wedding cake that arrived via paddle boat (I kid you not), Danielle and Yann’s steamy salsa wedding dance, and the impromptu crazy karaoke which deteriorated so much that a certain wedding guest may or may not have lost all his clothing by the end of it!
It was the wedding of the century! A beautiful bride and groom, great food, great company, dancing galore, all in the presence of beloved family and friends.
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Malaysia photo diary…aka Food Safari!
Posted on January 7, 2013
So we were recently in Malaysia for a whirlwind trip to finally wind up the month long festivities that was Jinn’s little sister’s wedding! Crazy hey? But between dinners and meet-and-greets (Jinn’s parents both have massive extended families) we managed to fit in a spot of shopping, sight-seeing and as you can see – a whole stack of food! Malaysia is well-known for its culinary delights and boy oh boy I tried my bestest to sample them all!
Top 10 things to eat in Malaysia:
- Char kway teow – flat rice noodles stir-fried with delicious whatnots like Chinese sausage and scrambled egg
- Wonton mee or its East Malaysian sister kolo mee – thin egg noodles that are cooked just al dente served with a delectable soy-based sauce and little pork dumplings
- Roti canai – Indian flat bread that is just oh so fluffy accompanied by curries-of-the-day (Great for breakfast! Really!)
- Teh tarik – another delicious Indian concoction, black tea sweetened with condensed milk
- Laksa – which differs in taste depending which region it comes from – Sarawak, Penang, or curry laksa – they’re all good!
- Chee cheong fan – so simple yet oh so mindbendingly awesome, rolls of thick flat rice noodles served with plum-based and chilli sauces and a sprinkling of sesame seeds
- Ice kacang and ice chendol – icy desserts in a coconutty sauce, perfect for the hot humid weather
- Poh piah – simmered local turnip wrapped with chilli sauce in a thin rice flour skin
- Muah chee – sticky rice dumpling filled with crunchy peanuts mixed with white sugar and sesame seeds, one of my personal faves!
- Nasi lemak – coconut rice, spicy tiny deep fried fish accompanied with a curry
- Satay – self-explanatory and universally worshiped by all
- Bah kut teh – juicy pieces of pork spare rib cooked in a herbal soup and served with a bowl of steaming white rice
- And don’t forget to sample the local tropical fruits – jackfruit, rambutan, longan, mangosteen…and if you’re brave – durian!
Huh? Did I say top 10? Well, there’s just that much amazing food to eat, I’m sure there’s still some that I’ve missed. What are your must-eat foods that you would travel the world for? 
***Street art in Penang by Ernest Zacharevic
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Bits and bobs…Happy 4th anniversary!
Posted on December 14, 2012
This day four years ago, Jinn and I got married! We both can’t believe it’s gone that quickly – I suppose that’s a good sign right? Time flies when you’re having fun, and all that? Well, I can’t disagree with that, it certainly has been fun! We’ve had some great times – travelling to places like Japan, Spain, and the latest trip to America, and enjoying our favourite pastimes such as cups of coffee on lazy Sunday afternoons, decorating our house in what you could best describe as a cross between Scandinavian mid-century retro goodness, egging each other on whilst online shopping, and of course our favourite one of all time, singing “We Built This City” really loudly in “perfect” harmony. It’s been pretty awesome – here’s to more years and crazy singing to come!
And this is us now…! ♥
***Wedding photos by Craig Cooper at Cooper Studio
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Wedding bonanza extravaganza!
Posted on December 6, 2012
Wedding photos as promised!
Over the weekend, Jinn’s little sister got married! After some oddly cold days preceding, the weather truly delivered on Sunday, showing off the blue blue skies that Perth is so famed for. The day’s festivities began with a traditional Chinese tea ceremony during which the betrothed couple serve tea to their respective new families as a symbol of respect and acceptance. After an exercise in quick change the white wedding finally took place! A lovely heartfelt ceremony (punctuated by appropriately timed loud cheers from the Australia vs South Africa cricket match nearby) saw tears flow from both the bride and groom’s eyes as well as many of the close friends and family gathered.
It was a beautiful day topped off by many a rug being cut on that dance floor late into the night!
***And as always, what I’m wearing – burgundy silk and lace dress by Lover, black suede heels by Robert Robert (kind of like the almost ankle boot feel of these), diamond and semiprecious stone earrings swiped from Mumsy’s stash of bling (mine all mine!)
***Hair by Jane Cooper and Tracey Brown from Toni & Guy Subiaco (these guys did my hair for MY wedding!), makeup by Lisa Chester
The Silver Lining 