Tell us a little about yourselves!
Hi, we’re the newly wed Hammonds and have been together for 5 years. I, Asako, am a fashion business owner of Mura Boutique and my husband Blair owns a finance brokerage business called Buddii Finance. We’re both a very driven and independent individuals who connected on similar career goals, family values and general interests in life. I’m a creative, instinctive, fiery go-getter and Blair is a level headed, highly organised, detail oriented and logical and level headed kinda guy. We are Yin and Yang where we’re so different yet so complimentary and just grateful to have found each other and finally become husband and wife.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Blair was actually meant to propose to me on the Amalfi Coast in 2020, but due to the pandemic, his next best option was Byron Bay. In Feb 2021, he proposed to me on a hot air balloon on the most picturesque morning. After that Byron became a special part of our lives and we knew that it was the perfect place for us to say I do. We wanted something typical Byron with Hinterland open views, relaxed chic glamour that's effortless and turn the wedding into a mini holiday for our guests to enjoy coming out of Covid. Earth House was nothing short of perfection.
How many guests did you have?
Just over 100!
Tell us about your outfits.
The dress I had in mind ended up being completely opposite to the one I wore on our wedding day. I guess you don't know what will suit you until you try it on. And when I put my Elizabeth Fillmore dress on, it just felt like me. It was simple yet classic and timeless. I wanted to look effortless and I can’t even really describe it but when I put it on, I knew it was the dress.
Blair chose his go-to tailor, Mitchell Ogilvie to create his custom hand made Italian Brioni tux and his groomsmens wore Canali suits all suited up by his dear friend Aung Lynn from Mitchell Ogilvie. They are luxe, clean and also timeless and the boys just looked 10/10, well, Blair gets a 12/10!
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Honestly for me, it was for the guests to have the best time. And I think to do that, it’s about good music, good food and a great flow of drinks and an epic dance floor! I knew that with my incredible stylist and planner Kiera from Creative Weddings Byron Bay and my vision, the wedding was going to be stunning. But I didn't want to get lost in purely that element. Every wedding is beautiful, that’s just expected. But I think people forget that it’s the guests that really make the wedding meaningful and create the love and energy that is unforgettable. So if they’re having an incredible time with us celebrating our love and our day, that was the most important thing to us!
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
For me, it was to make sure that our ceremony was meaningful, emotional and loving. I don’t like just the boring old ceremony where guests can’t wait for it to end and find the nearest drink! I wanted our ceremony to share our love story, the funny parts, the awkward parts and the parts that make you shed a tear. And to honour each other, share the deepest most vulnerable part of yourselves and to also honour your loved ones who got you to where you are today.
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
My best friend gave me the best piece of advice that I cannot recommend enough. That’s to “enjoy the entire process”. Sometimes I would call her up and stress over stupid little things like guests not RSVPing or stressing over our song choices. And whenever I would get stressed she would tell me “Asako, this is part of the entire wedding process. The actual day is going to be over in a blink of an eye. So the planning process is also the whole experience. You need to enjoy it, not stress about it. Its such an exciting and loving and fun experience together as a couple!” And when she told me that, all my stresses were gone and I proactively chose to enjoy it, not stress over it! At the end of the day, the guests really don't care about the font you chose on your menu or the gold coloured cutlery you chose. They care about you as a couple, the love in the room, the drinks that flow, the deliciousness of the food and the music that makes them enjoy each others company even more. So just enjoy it. Enjoy it all. Cause the special day is going to come around so quickly and you’ll never have the chance to go through planning a wedding ever again- well, if you’re lucky!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Honestly, I think I got blessed by angels with our vendors. I am obsessed with my entire wedding team. They felt like family. From Manu at the Earth House who is so gentle and humble, to Kiera from Creative Weddings Byron Bay, my wedding best friend who just got me, my style and is just an absolute gun, to Estell from French Petal who truly is a floral genius to my beautiful photographer Lauren Young who just captured our day and moments to perfection, I am obsessed with the, all.. Choose your vendors wisely. Make sure they match your aesthetic and you vibe well with them. Once you choose wisely, then trust them! They are experts in their field, we aren’t! That's why we hired them right? They know what they’re doing and what they're talking about. They became my wedding family and I am truly grateful to every single one of them. The day wouldn't have been the magic that it was without every single one of them and as I reflect and look back, they are some of the most incredibly talented, hard working and kind people I’ve ever met. Pure love and respect for them all.
Photographer : Lauren Young @laurenyoung.weddings | Videographer : Allumé Weddings
@allumeweddings | Ceremony + Reception Location : Earth House
@theearthhouse | Celebrant : Cara Gallagher @modern_love_celebrant | Entertainment : Tom Francis @tomfrancismusic + DJ Scradley @scradleybeats | Styling : Creative Weddings Byron Bay
@creativeweddingsbyronbay | Planner : Kiera at Creative Weddings Byron Bay
@creativeweddingsbyronbay | Hire : Hampton Event Hire @hamptoneventhire + The Wedding Shed @theweddingshed | Flora : French Petal @thefrenchpetal | Makeup : Janice Chan @jdolls | Hair : Alarna Taylor @alarnataylor_hair_mua + Edwards + Co @edwardsandco | Catering + Beverages : Fig Tree Restaurant @figtreerestaurant | Cake : Marina Machado Cakes @marinamachadocakes | Photo Booth : Photo Booth Guys @photoboothguys | Spray Tan : Forever Sunkissed @foreversunkissed.byronbay | Dress : Elizabeth Fillmore @efbridal from Sphere Collective @spherebridalgallery | Engagement + Wedding Rings + Necklace : By Baby @_bybaby | Shoes : Christian Louboutin @laboutinworld | Groomsmen : Mitchell Ogilvie @mitchell_ogilvie | Bridesmaids : Shona Joy @shonajoy
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