Real weddings: Matt and Stephanie

Posted on 8 February, 2017

Stephanie and Matt’s spring wedding at the National Gallery of Australia embraced the lush surrounds of the venue with a stunning outdoor ceremony and an intimate reception. We asked the lovely bride to take us through the big day…

The dress 

Choosing the dress was actually much easier than I thought it would be! After trying on a few options and finding some that I was interested in, the lovely ladies at the store (Nouveau Riche in Queanbeyan) told me to try on a dress they thought would suit me even though it wasn’t actually the style I was originally looking at. That was the dress I ended up getting!

The venue  

There were a few reasons for us choosing the NGA for our wedding. It has been a tradition in Matt’s family to be married by the lake. We looked at a few places around Canberra, but fell in love with the modern style and the beautiful setting at the NGA.

Right from the start the NGA was always just an email away and willing to help with our preparation in any way possible. Natasha from the NGA met with us many times throughout our planning and always let us know when there was an upcoming ceremony or reception set up for us to admire and find inspiration from.

Our tasting was a real highlight of the planning process: along with other couples preparing for their wedding, we were wined and dined and able to talk to all of the NGA staff involved along with the executive chef.

The ceremony

The day was everything we had hoped for and more. Right from the beginning of our ceremony, the set up and atmosphere was just as we had imagined it. Having our ceremony in the Sculpture Gardens by the lake meant that we had many beautiful locations to choose from for our photos and didn’t have to travel far!

The reception

Being able to use the Sculpture Gardens for our ceremony and then essentially going straight into our reception made the day flow very smoothly. The catering at the NGA was absolutely excellent! There was always someone there to help us and our guests with anything that was needed.

The reception styling was important to Matt, as he handmade our centerpieces as well as our bottle stand favours. Everyone commented on the atmosphere and the fact that even though there were many different groups of family and friends, everyone interacted.

The majority of people managed to make it onto the dance floor – our band The Baker Boys were a big hit! There were also so many comments on the food and venue.

The little details

Ceremony venue: Sculpture Gardens, National Gallery of Australia

Reception venue: Gandel Hall, National Gallery of Australia

Photographer: Keepsakephoto by the Keeffes 

Celebrant: Gina Callan, Licensed to Wed

Dress: Nouveau Riche

Bridesmaids’ dresses: Zimmermann

Groom and groomsmen’s suits: InStitchU

Bride’s hair: Sapphire Hair and Makeup

Bride’s shoes: Stuart Weitzman

Bridesmaids’ hair: Sapphire Hair and Makeup

Makeup: Sapphire Hair and Makeup

Ceremony set-up and styling: dream.hire.design 

Flowers: Orchid and Vine Florist (Caroline)

Cars: 1937 Ford Sedan

Cake: Cheryl’s Signature Cakes

Band: Baker Boys

First dance song: Feels Like Home – Chantal Kreviazuk

This is a sponsored post but all opinions are the author’s own. For more information on our sponsored post policy, click here.