Bride & Groom: Ewa & Kirk
Gown: Monique Lhuillier “Serena”
Accessories: Keren Wolf earrings
Bridesmaids dresses: Jenny Packham
Venue: Sergeants’ Mess
Photography: Society Photography
Videography: Keeper Films
Floral: Bohemian Blooms
Hair & Make-up: Justyna Chapman
How did you and your husband meet?
We met online – I want to say the old fashioned way because RSVP seems old school now compared to all the dating apps! Our actual first date was coffee at the Manly Boathouse.
How did he propose?
We were on holidays in the Maldives and on our last night at sunset on the deck of our overwater bungalow, Kirk got down on one knee and proposed – it was perfect!
What was your vision for your wedding day?
I always had a wish to get married in Lake Como but planning a destination wedding with two kids was always going to be tricky so I found my own slice of Lake Como in Sydney Harbour. My only other vision was to include my favourite flower – lily of the valley – because it reminded me of my homeland Poland and it was extra special because it was the first bunch of flowers I had ever received from a man (my Dad). However, it’s a cold climate flower and only blooms in Australia during spring and only for a couple of weeks so it was always going to be a gamble to have it as my floral wedding bouquet so I was thrilled when my florist Jerin-Lei told me two days before the wedding that she was able to find these precious little blooms.
Where did you look for your wedding inspiration?
Pinterest, other weddings and my own ideas.
What drew you to your gown from Helen Rodrigues Bridal?
I wanted to incorporate the lily of the valley motif into our wedding theme and when I started searching pinterest for Lily of the Valley wedding ideas, this Monique Lhuillier gown popped up and I instantly fell in love. Only problem was that at that point I had already bought a wedding dress but once I tried on the “Serena” dress there was no question that it was my dream dress, so I promptly sold the other dress and never looked back.
What was your wedding planning journey like for you? How far out did you start planning?
Our wedding has definitely been a “journey”! We planned to get married in 2021 and like many couples had to postpone our wedding due to the pandemic. We then had to postpone our 2022 wedding for a much happier reason – a surprise pregnancy – so it was third time lucky when we finally tied the knot in 2023. It was definitely worth the wait!
What was the biggest decision you had to make?
Selling my original wedding dress in order to buy this dream dress.
What was the highlight of your wedding day for you?
Having our two kids be part of our ceremony as flower girl and page boy will be a treasured family memory for life and having my Dad overcome many health obstacles to walk me down the aisle was a true blessing. Speaking of blessings, on the way to our wedding venue my bridesmaids and I bumped into Sir Paul McCartney in the hotel lobby and he congratulated me on my wedding day – it’s not every day that you get “blessed by a Beatle” so that was definitely another highlight.
Is there anything you would do differently?
Organising a wedding as a working Mum of two little ones was next level challenging (there’s a reason couples usually get married first and then have kids!) but having said that, being able to share the day with our two kids was very special so definitely worth all the extra work!
Is there any advice you would give other #HRBride’s?
I didn’t have the picture perfect, warm spring day that I was hoping for – in fact there was rain and a southerly wind blowing that made it feel like winter – so I was massively stressed about being cold on the day and even considered buying a bolero to wear over my dress but after consulting with Helen she quite rightly pointed out that I would be filled with so much love and adrenalin (and champagne!) on the day that I wouldn’t feel the cold and she was absolutely right! I now look back on the photos (expertly taken by Lara and David at Society Photography) and I’m actually thankful for the weather because we had some incredibly dramatic backdrops to our photos and my absolutely favourite photo is the one of us kissing under the tree as little droplets of rain fell down making it look just magical.
Helen and her team are absolute pros that provide the most personalised service. Helen was like my fairy Godmother that helped me transform into a princess for a day. I had complete trust in Helen and always felt like she was being honest and gave me the best advice. No dress will ever top this one and I’ve never received so many compliments. I thought about shortening the dress and perhaps wearing it again but I can’t imagine altering it in any way and will probably hold onto it for my daughter.