Sarah + Adrian | Winter Blues Wedding

Sarah & Adrian are both doctors and as you'd expect they first met at work.  With such high-pressure careers they both felt they wanted to take a step back from the usual hustle of their day-to-day lives, and create a wedding day that was intimate and relaxed.

Adrian is a real foodie and wanted to treat his guests to an amazing meal.  With its stellar reputation for creative menus, and together with stunning Adelaide Hills views, the choice of Mount Lofty House for their venue was easy.  Sarah and Adrian chose a morning ceremony, followed by lunch in the Piccadilly Restaurant where the open fire would keep things warm and cosy.

Their June wedding date called for a winter theme and Sarah's brief for the design was simply that she loved blue, and ice cream (at this point, I knew I was going to love her!).  They showed me a Ben & Jerry's ice cream cup, custom designed and personalised by Adrian, in which he had popped Sarah's engagement ring before proposing.  

We presented several different blue-based designs with the bride & groom eventually deciding on Navy Blue, Blush Pink & Gold.  They fell in love with a table setting pic and we built the rest of the décor around that.  (The Ben & Jerry's cup was immediately slated for the bridal table and you'll find it in the pics below).

Flowers featured heavily in the design, to complement the natural surroundings.  Incorporated in the blush pink bouquets and table arrangements were soft, fluffy dahlias, berries and frosted leaves, all tied together with navy striped ribbon.

Sarah and Adrian allowed me to have fun adding some surprise elements to their décor, so the big reveal on the day was as much a treat for them as it was for their guests.

As a sidenote, this bride is such a rock-star she went out to her fave band's concert the night before her wedding day, rolled home late, and was up and at 'em early on her wedding morning, looking as fresh and gorgeous as if she'd gone to bed early with a hot chocolate and a face mask.  Nothing was going to stop her!

These guys were so much fun to spend time with, it was really a pleasure to be able to work on creating their perfect wedding with them.  We're wishing them a lifetime of love and happiness together xo

If you'd like to ask Sparrow to plan & style your wedding day, please fill out a Contact form on our Services page, we'd love to hear from you!

- Style Guide -
Photographer: Katherine Schultz Photography | Beauty: Vivacious Hair Styling & Makeup Artistry | Bride's Gown: Bridal on Pulteney | Cake: Heidelberg Cakes | Entertainment: STARDuo & Snap Snap Photobooth | Florals: Fleur de Lys Flowers | Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Peter Shearer Menswear | Rentals & Décor: Chaircovers Overall, Festival Hire & The Party Company | Venue: Mount Lofty House | Planning, Styling & Coordination: Sparrow Weddings & Events

Natasha + Chardon | Adelaide Destination Wedding

Natasha & Chardon had an Adelaide destination wedding on Chardon's parents property just outside of Oakbank in the Adelaide Hills.  A lovely old homestead with a carefully tended cottage garden for the ceremony, followed by a large marquee reception for one hundred guests on the rolling lawns.  They wanted their wedding to have a very easy-going vibe so they decided to forgo the formal sit-down affair in favour of food trucks for dinner and drinks.  Although there wasn't a set colour-scheme for this wedding, the bride & groom designed a rustic country style for their décor that was both simple and elegant, and fitted in perfectly with the surroundings. 

Natasha & Chardon met at work where Chardon is a pilot and Natasha a flight attendant.  I know, it's just like a classic romantic movie and I love it!  They started talking with each other so much on that first meeting that they almost missed their shift, and they've been together ever since.

As you'd expect, the location of the proposal was another destination and Chardon went down on one knee at a winery during a weekend getaway in Hobart.  I'm told Natasha had no idea that this was going to happen and had to be prompted several times before spotting her engagement ring amongst a plate of oysters.

A highlight of the wedding day included Griffin, the happy couple's labradoodle, who had flown down especially to see his Mum & Dad get married and at the ceremony he was the cutest ring-bearer you've ever seen.  Afterward, while the bridal party set out to take photos, the guests were served drinks & canapes, and were entertained with live music and lawn games including a giant game of Connect 4 that was particularly popular with the smaller guests in the crowd. 

Later on, the bridal party were announced into the marquee to much fanfare and food truck service began with a choice of wood-oven pizza or german food.  It went down very well with guests and there was a real festival atmosphere as the sun went down and strings of festoon lighting lit up the scene.

Guests were keen to hit the dance floor after dinner, and the party kicked off with a traditional Greek Zorba dance, enthusiastically led by Natasha's YiaYia who had flown from Greece to celebrate her granddaughter's marriage.

Sparrow was thrilled to Coordinate this gorgeous wedding and we wish Natasha & Chardon a lifetime of happiness together. 

If you'd like to book Sparrow to Coordinate your wedding, just send an inquiry through our Services page.

- Style Guide -
Photography: Whitewall Photography | Bride's Gown: Made with Love | Cake: The Sweet Tooth Factory | Bar & Beverage: Little Vintage Bar & Van and The People vs Coffee | Catering: Two Fat Blokes Pizza and Wienerbago | Cinema: Lightwise Cinematography | Entertainment: Adam Moffatt Music and Adelaide Professional DJ's | MC: Michael Elwood | Groom & Groomsmen's Attire: Gerry's Suit Hire | Rentals & Décor: Adelaide Hills Party Hire, Olympic Party Hire , Minty Mary Pea and Bulb Lighting | Transportation: Luv Bugs | Coordination: Sparrow Weddings & Events | Cake pic by Sparrow Weddings & Events

Catey + Mark | Classic and Elegant Wedding

Catey & Mark's wedding was truly An Occasion with all the elements of a classic, elegant, beautiful celebration.

With a gorgeous Victorian-era mansion as a backdrop, located on a leafy street in one of Adelaide's oldest suburbs, this wedding was infused with history and tradition from the first.

At our first meeting Catey told me she wasn't sure what colours she wanted to go with yet, but she knew she wanted the whole design to fit in with the Victorian setting.  She also told me that she loved fairy lights, flowers, greenery, lace, and simplicity overall.  A little further into the design process we decided on neutrals, white/ivory/cream with a touch of blush pink, which suited both the venue and Catey's own personal style. 

Following the church ceremony, guests arrived at the venue to be greeted with champagne in the ballroom where a musician was playing classical music on the grand piano.  Guests were then invited to move outside to the gardens where there was a clear marquee, lined with thousands of fairy lights, urns full of flowers, and a seven-piece band playing jazz and swing music.  Fairy lights in the trees, a hanging floral installation and French provincial furniture for lounging on when your dancing feet got tired completed the picture.

From there, the night was just about perfect, filled with amazing cocktail food, heartfelt speeches, so much dancing, and free-flowing drinks from the silver pressed-metal bar.  A spectacular start to Catey & Mark's married life, we're wishing them all the very best for their future together. 

- Style Guide -
Photography: Katherine Schultz Photography | Ceremony: All Souls St Peters | Bar & Beverage: Are You Being Served | Beauty: Vivacious Hair Styling | Bride's Gown: Grace Loves Lace | Cake: Heidelberg Cakes | Catering: Indulgence Food Design | Entertainment: Baker Boys Band | Florals: Fleur de Lys | Rentals & Décor: Festival Hire, Old Refinery, Olympic Party Hire | Styling, Planning & Coordination: Sparrow Weddings & Events

Seasons of Love | How to Choose Your Wedding Date

Lots of things come into play when you’re deciding on your wedding date, but today we’re talking seasons and how the time of year may affect your decision.  The seasons here in Adelaide are really lovely and there’s a definite change from one time of year to another, offering lots of amazing photo opportunities and wedding styles.  Here’s a few of the pros and cons that may help you make up your mind…

Winter -
From a practical point of view the winter can be a great time to get married if you’re looking to make the most of your budget.  While not guaranteed, many vendors offer discounts due to it being the ‘off-season’ for weddings and that could mean money left over to upgrade your honeymoon plans.  Some may think that winter is too cold for your ceremony but I think it’s an opportunity to really go to town with the styling details – add a fur stole (faux of course!) to your wedding gown, decorate indoor trees with sparkling silver frosty lights and serve warming cider pre-ceremony.  Don’t choose an outdoor wedding venue in the winter time unless there is some sort of solid flooring installed throughout.  Guests do not want to tramp even a short distance through the mud to get to your venue, and a horse and carriage is not ideal transport in that situation either.  The other thing is that the available hours of sunlight throughout the day is shorter at this time of year so you’ll be running on a tighter schedule to get outdoor venues set up and have photos taken in the best light.

Spring -
The most traditional time to marry and certainly one of the prettiest with its abundance of flowers.  Spring conjures up dreamy images of floating tulle and pastel colours with the season’s natural beauty being the ideal backdrop.  There are no weather restrictions to think of when choosing your gown, the weather will more than likely be mild and sunny so whether it’s short or long sleeves you prefer, you’ll be comfortable on the day.  With spring being the most popular choice however comes a few logistical issues.  You may not always get your first choice of wedding vendor as they are super-busy and often booked out 12-18 months in advance.  It can also be more difficult to secure a date that works for all the most important guests on your list as they’ll probably be attending several weddings during that time.

Summer -
Outdoor weddings are fantastic on a summer evening.  A late afternoon ceremony, followed by a cocktail bar set up by the pool and chinese lanterns hanging from trees over the dance floor, and there’s generally going to be an amazing party vibe going on.  A good photographer will be able to get some fabulous shots on an evening like that one.  One of the seemingly obvious choices in the summer is a beach wedding, but do remember that there is no shade on the beach and the weather regularly tops forty degrees at this time.  A better time for the beach is at the change of season from Spring to Summer, the end of November or perhaps beginning of December, and even then I’d recommend a fairly short ceremony, just in case.

Autumn -
My fave time of year to get married!  The weather is mild, and those autumn colours in your photographs are going to be to-die-for.  The first half of autumn generally finds us with a hint of summer still lingering, so an outdoor venue is still a pretty safe bet.  If a rustic theme is your choice then this time of year is perfect, with many natural settings providing all the décor you need.  It’s a good idea to choose a flexible venue with a back-up plan for rain, and these are not always easy to get so you’ll need a good 12-18 months again to get this one right.  Also, it might not be such a good season to choose if you have lots of guests travelling in from out of town.  They’ve often used up their annual leave over the recent Christmas period and won’t be able to get the time off they need. 

There you have it folks, hope you’ve enjoyed this walk through the year and it’s made your choice of date a little bit easier.