Words by Ara. Images by Gold Hat Photography.
We met just over 7 years ago when Jorge was in Sydney for a 4-month vacation. We were pretty much inseparable ever since.
Jorge is a beautiful soul. He always sees the best in people, gives great advice and loves me unconditionally. He listens and is very thoughtful.
I initially didn’t want a wedding gown… a white dress, yes, but I didn’t know exactly what. My family convinced me to just take a look around and even try some dresses on.
I chose my dress at the first bridal fitting I went to. It was the only gown I tried on that put a smile on my face and that I felt myself in. It was a simple but elegant style, mermaid cut, with a big bow on the back which I thought was kinda quirky and reflected my personality.
We wanted our wedding day to be a celebration, rather than a formal setting. Jorge is from Peru and I wanted to infuse a South American flavour into the mix. I saw a photo of the wedding arch we had on the day which became the inspiration for everything else.
Our wedding was a very colourful, fun but elegant event. There were even alpacas! I know alpacas are becoming more and more popular to have at weddings these days, but it actually made sense for us to have them.
Walking down the aisle, seeing all the decorations come to life, our loved ones, and Jorge waiting for me at the end was one of our favourite moments. It was also a lot of fun running up and down the laneway for our send-off with the sparklers.
We got engaged on October 20, 2017, on our first trip to Europe. We arrived in Paris that day and Jorge convinced me to go to the Eiffel Tower at night – I wanted to go during the day so you could see better views! Anyway, that’s where he proposed, at the bottom, after we had just been to the top.
Surprisingly, no one was around at the time and it was very private. He asked me to take a photo of him with the entire tower in the background. I had to walk quite a fair way to capture it all and when I came closer to take another photo, that’s when he got down on one knee and popped the question.
He later told me he wanted to propose at the top but he found there were too many people and it was actually perfect as the moment was so private, just the two of us.
I designed the wedding signs which we got printed and placed into some Kmart frames which was a cheap hack. The table numbers, place cards etc were all designed by myself and printed by Moo.
We went to Peru to source Peruvian textiles for the napkins. We chose the fabrics and got them sewn down. We also purchased our small pin giveaways from the markets there.
If we could offer any advice we would say… Don’t sweat the small stuff. Of course, we want every little detail to be perfect, but at the end of the day, your guests are there for both of you and they’re going to love it all.
They’re not going to remember the small details so if something hasn’t gone quite to plan, it’s ok!
Also, try and have a theme and centre your wedding look and feel around that central theme – it can make choosing a lot easier.
wedding feature thanks to: adorn invitations / wedding invitations: myself. i am a graphic designer and designed the stationery suite and wedding signs / wedding dress: oleg cassini / makeup: alissa’s bakery / hair: sme hair / shoes: nine west / accessories: earrings from reliquia jewellery / bridesmaids dresses: keepsake the label dress altered to create new style / grooms suit: hugo boss / cake & food: the grounds of alexandria / flowers: the grounds florals by silva / photographer: gold hat photography / pre-wedding photo venue: paddington reservoir gardens / reception & ceremony venue: the grounds of alexandria / entertainment: ceremony– sydney ensemble, reception– ev entertainment and lilian yessayan / celebrant: johan the celebrant / gif/photo booth: snappy photobooths / alpacas: alpaca kisses / wedding bands: mondial pink diamond atelier and grew & co. / printer: moo
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