Wedding | Rahlee & David

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Dave and I (Rahlee) met at an AFL game through a mutual friend, and it both took us off guard how quickly we fell for one another. Dave is a Tech CEO of his own company, and father to 3 amazing kids aged 8, 12, and 15. I am an Interior Designer, and have set up a hospitality company which is opening it’s first bar in the Sydney CBD, so stay tuned! Dave is originally from Ireland and has been in Australia for 20 years, and I grew up in Tokyo and Singapore. We adore wine and food, traveling together, hosting feasts for family and friends, and hibernating with a blanket and 90s thriller movies.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

I (Rahlee) had been to the Orpheum Theatre to see a string quartet play a tribute to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers in a sea of candles, and it was glorious. As a couple we are drawn to both traditional and contemporary styles of art, architecture and design, and the Orpheum main auditorium styled with candles, text projection on the red velvet cinema curtain, and all guests in matte black attire became a representation of this. The seats are also really comfortable, the guests deserve to be comfy.

For lunch at Shell House, Dave and I loved the wine list (which is important as our theme was wine), food, interior design of the restaurant, as well as the inner city location.  The interior has a fantastic layered neutral palette in the main dining room, balanced by the dark red of the Clocktower Bar and majestic as heck red staircase!

We loaded everyone who was game on to a train to go two stops over the Harbour Bridge at sunset (which was so special and very Sydney), then ended with a huge party at Four Hundred Mexican Bar & Kitchen, because we all deserved margaritas and quesadillas on the dancefloor after such a huge day.

How many guests did you have?

100ish including Dave and I and our 3 kids. Shell House had a limit on numbers.

We extended the invitation to more people for the third venue for the first dance and party portion. 

What was your budget? 

Let’s just say it came in a little higher than expected, double actually! Though we didn’t want to compromise on our vision, as the wedding was a celebration of our union, and also a thank you to all the friends and family that had been on the journey with us to get to this point. It’s been a rollercoaster!

Tell us about your outfits.

The dresses were both by the Chinese designer, Huishan Zhang, and we took our mums to London to get them. For the ceremony, I had always wanted a pink gown that I’d be able to wear again, one that made me feel like a sexy ethereal faerie creature. The veil popped up on Pinterest, in the designers’ look book photos. The model held the veil showing huge bold text running vertically, and Rebecca Anne Designs custom made it for me in a burgundy yarn, even though it was a peculiar request. My shoes were a wine Saint Laurent mule I could barely walk in, so I ballet strapped them to my feet with a black velvet ribbon. It was pretty wild going on the train at peak hour in the whole outfit!

Dave made me so proud when he got his suit custom tailored at Brent Wilson in the Strand Arcade. He went straight for a nude toned pink velvet to complement my dress. Brent showed Dave Daniel Craig in his Tom Ford Pink tuxedo jacket as inspiration, so they opted for all velvet buttons and lapel in the block colour. To complement the velvet, he wore a white shirt, black vest and pants, with patent black laced dress shoes. The jacket came off at the Mexican restaurant party portion of the event. 

All our guests were required to wear matte black, and at the third venue, I had wanted a shorter party dress that had the ‘bride white’. I opted for a Huishan Zhang matte black structured sort of Tudor style gown with white lace overlay (and pockets!), a pearl headband, and slightly easier to walk in black velvet Prada sandals. Large fluffy pink faux fur coat with giant red hearts got me home warm. 

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

For me it was the venue selection, and then the coordination of the styling and overall aesthetic theme of the day. We had to make sure the design was cohesive across an Art Deco era theatre, an inner city contemporary Australian restaurant, and a Mexican Bar.

For Dave, it was the smooth and timely ordering and assembling of the styling and gift items we provided ourselves. We chose to buy 450 wax LED candles instead of hiring them, as I can use them in the bar we are building. We also provided a miniature ‘roadie’ of whiskey, tequila, or Ribena to guests for the train. 

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

Since a lot of Daves friends and family were back in Ireland on the day, I found a local celebrant called Mary from Marry us Mary, who is Irish to marry us.  We also had a handfasting ritual as part of the ceremony, with a chord each to represent our families, and a third chord to represent those loved ones we have lost.  

Any tips for couples getting married?

The logistics were way more hectic than we expected, and emotions can run pretty high in the lead up to the day, so if you can find vendors who can manage others, that will help enormously. 

Take time on the day to do something just for the two of you, a little private time to breathe and absorb the “wow we just got married” feeling.

Eat the food! 

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

We were thrilled with BoujeeHaus, our stylist/florist and logistics queen. As I am a designer trained as a florist, she indulged me every step of the way, even spending 4 hours finalising every single styling detail, which was then executed beautifully on the day. Her liaising with venues and managing other vendors was also invaluable. 

We also love how our photos have turned out. Damien Milan managed to capture the feeling of each moment of the day, in such a fun candid way. The photos of Dave and I are romantic, but if you know us, are also playful and full of cheeky joy. 

Photographer: Damien Milan @damienmilan_photographer | Design Concept & Planning: The Weekender Group @the.weekendergroup | Styling & Flora: BoujeeHaus @boujeehaus_ | Videographer: Bonnie Lass Films @bonnielassfilms | Socials Content Creator:  Unseen @unseenonfilm | Ceremony Location: The Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace @haydenorpheumpicturepalace | Reception Lunch Location: Shell House @shellhousesydney | Reception Party Location: Four Hundred Mexican Bar & Kitchen @fourhundred.syd | Celebrant: Marry Us Mary @marryusmaryvevers | Bus Rental: Urban Legends @urbanlegendstourco | Limo Rental: Astra Chauffeur Drive Australia @astra_limousines | Ceremony Space: Main Auditorium @haydenorpheumpicturepalace | Makeup: Danh Doan Makeup Artist @danhdoanmua @danhdoanbridal | Hair: Josh Stewart from Toni & Guy @joshstewart_toniandguy | Cake: The Artisan Cheese Room @theartisancheeseroom | Stationery: Maison Paper @maison.paper | Entertainment: SydneySide Collective @sydneysidecollective| Ceremony, Reception & Party Dress: Huishan Zhang @huishanzhang | Suit: Brent Wilson @brentwilsonfashion | Veil: Rebecca Anne Designs @rebeccaannedesigns | Engagement Ring: GS Diamonds @gsdiamonds & R&C McCormack Celtic Jewellers | Wedding Rings: Faith Jewels @faithjewelsmaison | Shoes: (Ceremony) Saint Laurent

 @ysl & (Party) Prada @prada | Hair clip: Dior @dior | Vintage Earrings: Dirty Janes @dirtyjanes_bowral

| Balloons: The Balloon Crew @the_balloon_crew | Photo Booth: Adept Photo Booths  @adeptphotobooths | Bridesmaids Veil: Morgan & Taylor @morganandtaylor