Peter and Jess organised their wedding at their newly bought home, overlooking the national park at Engadine. They’d thrown themselves into the deep end. Buying and doing some internal renovations, and then concentrating on making the garden wedding-ready. And that took months of work.
They were hoping for a good weather day, so everything planned could take place outside. They got that in spades.
Jess got ready at the very beautiful, and wonderfully located, Simpson Cottage in Bundeena. It’s a fantastic sandstone building, with a really well-looked-after garden and lawn area, that faces Port Hacking and Bundeena Bay. One word – idyllic.
Jess, her Mum, sister and her friend, had gathered at the cottages and were quietly getting ready. Hair and make-up was taking place in the little cabana outside, looking out over the bay, the bush and the waters. And no, unfortunately, it can’t be used for weddings. But what a great start.
After putting in some final work at home, Peter and his New Zealand connections arrived at the cottage, to get ready separately.
Peter and Jess were going to have a first look and have some formal photographs so that the rest of the afternoon and evening back at their Engagdine home could go on without delay. They wanted to be present for all that time with their family and friends.
Their backyard rises steeply above the roofline, which shows those distant westerly views. An arbour was set up, and decorated beautifully, with a few wooden benches placed in front. The guests made their way up to the top of the property.
Now we’d talked about wet weather plans and what might need to happen, but that was completely unnecessary, It turned out to be quite the opposite day. The afternoon temperature, humidity and stillness didn’t let up, but Peter and Jess had thought about that. There were non-stop drinks available, lots of sunscreen provided, and then ice blocks immediately after the ceremony. They provided the go-to template for handling the heat.
The sixty to seventy guests waited with Peter at the top, listening to the music, accompanied by the loudest cicada chorus. With a small garden area and seemingly only one way to get up to the top, it surprised a few guests when Jess unexpectedly emerged, a reverse picnic-at-Hanging-Rock style, from between the rocks.
Their Engadine wedding day simply flowed from there with a friendly, happy, carefree style.
Food came out with mains being a couple of big paellas, and for those that wanted more, it showed up including some excellent cakes and cannolis. Peter and Jess had specifically gone and sought the food, the vendors, and the drinks that they wanted to share with everyone. And it’s those extra steps that couples make that personalise their day.
The sun had set, the colours of the sky deepened, and that meant time for speeches that were heartfelt, honest and very funny. Always a good combination. Later, again under the cover of darkness, there was dancing to end a fabulous day – a wedding at home.
Wishing for a backyard bush wedding filled with love, family, friends and laughter like Jess and Peter’s Engadine wedding, then please get in touch with us, we would love to hear from you.
Contact Us / info@davidhenryphotography.com.au / Phone: 0411 137 747
