Wedding | Christina & Alex

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We’ve been lifelong family friends, with a friendship tracing all the way back to our great grandparents. 

Much to our friends’ and families' delight after a decade long of “will-they/won’t-they” we finally got together at the start of 2023 and got engaged just 6 months later.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We had our ceremony at our local church in the Adelaide CBD. It’s where both of our parents got married and is the church that we grew up in. It was important to us to be married in a church that holds such significance in both of our lives. 

The Adelaide Botanic Gardens ticked a lot of boxes as it accommodated our guest list, was close to the ceremony and had a good reputation for food! After visiting the year prior, we feel in love with the Rose Garden Pavilion. We loved the fact that it felt alfresco but avoided the headache of an outdoor reception. 

How many guests did you have?

We had just over 200 guests. I know a lot of couples are moving towards smaller, more intimate or destination weddings, but to us that just didn’t make sense. We’re both very social people who are part of a big community, so we wanted to try to have as many of our loved ones as possible at the celebrations.

What was your budget?

We didn’t really have a budget per se. We were realistic in knowing how much weddings cost these days and accepted it is what it is. We’ve both been fortunate to go to many beautiful weddings in our time and saw it as our opportunity to host a once in a lifetime party for guests

Tell us about your outfits.

Alex’s tuxedo was custom made by Oscar Hunt under the direction of Josh. Alex went for a classic black-tie tuxedo with a few bespoke details such as the wider lapel and cummerbund which echoed his love for the 60’s.

I had a difficult time choosing just one dress but landed on a gorgeous Katherine Tash crepe silk gown from Sphere Bridal Gallery. This was the dress that had originally brought me to Sydney and was the unanimous choice amongst my Mum and two cousins. The dress was quite timeless and was true to my personal style, making me feel the most like myself.

I paired the gown with a 3.5 metre lace trimmed cathedral veil, to add a little bit of drama. For shoes, I opted for Gucci horsebit slingback pumps to have something sentimental to wear for many years to come. 

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

We were very intentional in planning a wedding that considered our guests, whilst also staying true to who we are and what we valued as a couple. We had a mix of younger and older guests, so we wanted to strike a balance between a more formal dinner and a big party. We’re so happy with how the night unfolded, everyone was in such good spirits and you could really feel the love in the air.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

We both come from similar cultures, so we made sure to include some traditions that we love and are accustomed to. For example, we spent the night before apart with a few close friends, got ready at our childhood homes, had our extended family over before the ceremony, and then had the day after party at my parents’ house – which was catered by our favourite pizza bar Brascos. Similar to the idea of a destination wedding with multiple events, we saw it as a way to draw out the celebrations and make it a weekend to remember.

We also tied in a few extra touches that paid homage to our Italian heritage, like homemade biscotti after the ceremony, our favourite Rum Baba and Sicilian Cannoli for dessert, sugared almond confetti and the custom Briscola card bonbonnieres.

Any tips for couples getting married?

If you can, schedule in some alone time together throughout the day. Alex and I drove off in his brother’s Mustang after the ceremony. With a day surrounded by people, it was really special to have a little private moment for just the two of us.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Matt and Laura from Good Day Dwyer. We chose them for their beautiful analogue work, we really wanted to use Super8 and film photography to capture a sense of nostalgia that reflected the deep history of our love story. They made us feel so comfortable and were such a joy to spend the day with. 

Evebud, our florist, who really took the brief and ran with it! The flowers were stunning, and her and the team went above and beyond on the day helping the event staff with a few last minute hiccups.

We are so grateful for our incredibly talented and generous family and friends who arranged and performed our ceremony music. We’ll never forget walking out of the church to everyone on their feet, singing along to ‘Oh Happy Day’.

Photographer & Videographer: Good Day Dwyer @gooddaydwyer | Flora: Evebud @evebud | Ceremony Location: Life Christian Centre @lifechristiancentre | Reception Location: Adelaide Botanic Gardens @blancoweddings_adl/ | Celebrant: Pastor Joe Leone @lifechristiancentre | Hire: White Marquee @whitemarquee | Makeup Artist: Alisha B @_alisha_makeup & Alicia Ngov @makeupbyaliciangov | Catering & Beverages: Blanco Horner @blancohorner_adl & Seafood Works @seafoodworksnewton | Cake: Heidelberg Cakes @heidelbergcakes | Stationery: Designed by Bride, printed by Hunter Brothers | Entertainment: Him & Hers Music (Jazz Band) @himandhermusic Audio Goods (DJ & Sound) @audiogoods | Draping: Venue Productions @venue.productions | Dress: Katherine Tash @katherinetash from Sphere Bridal Gallery @spherebridalgallery | Suit: Oscar Hunt @oscarhunttailors | Veil: Sphere Bridal Gallery @spherebridalgallery | Other Outfit Details: Louella Bride @louella.bride | Engagement Ring: Andrew Mazzone@andrewmazzonedesignjeweller | Wedding Rings: Class A Jewellers @classajewellers | Shoes: Gucci @gucci | Wedding Party Attire: Jenny &  Gerry’s @gerryssuithireandsales