Bride & Groom: Krystle McWilliams & Nicholas Honey
Planning & Styling: Kashaya (styling)
Gown: Monique Lhullier “Willow” & Suzanne Neville “Pandora”
Hair: Madame Tulle custom pearl veil & Jennifer Behr pearl bow, Shoes: Manolo Blahnik & Stuart Weitzman
Bridesmaids dresses: Shona Joy
Venue: Kincoppal (ceremony), Vaucluse House (pre-reception drinks) & Estate Vaucluse House (reception)
Photography: Blumenthal Photography
Videography: Soda Films
Floral: Kashaya
MU: Kelly Bowman
Hair: Lily & Co
How did you and your husband meet?
Through mutual friends at a house party in London where we were both living at the time. It took us a couple years of being friends to realise there was something more between us and have pretty much been inseparable since, moving back home to Sydney together not long after we started dating.
How did he propose?
Nick booked a weekend away in the Southern Highlands at the stunning Osborne House. He had managed to keep me blissfully unaware as it had been my 30th birthday two weeks before, so he told me it was one of the many celebrations he had organised. Little did I know that he had an even more memorable weekend waiting for me!
What was your vision for your wedding day?
Romantic, clean and classic.
Where did you look for your wedding inspiration?
Primarily Instagram – I highly recommend The Lane.
What drew you to your gown from Helen Rodrigues Bridal?
After 5 appointments elsewhere, finding some dresses I liked but didn’t necessarily see myself wearing on my own wedding day and still not getting the butterflies I expected to get when trying on wedding dresses – I found myself at Helen’s.
After trying on a few dresses, the Monique Lhuillier fit the brief for my first gown – off the shoulder, romantic, yet classic, a beautiful shape, and I fell in love! It was also perfectly suited for our afternoon church ceremony. I found my Suzanne Neville gown in the same appointment, and it was exactly what I’d been searching for in a second dress – something simple, yet stunning and comfortable so I could dance all night long in it!
I finally got that wave of emotion that I’d been searching for in all my previous appointments when trying on both dresses, and just knew I had to leave with both of them!
What was your wedding planning journey like for you? How far out did you start planning?
We started planning as soon as we got engaged, which ended up being 15 months before our wedding day. The journey was mostly smooth sailing and I found having over 12 months lead time an advantage to booking the suppliers we had our eyes on. Nick trusted my vision – we are generally very aligned on taste so luckily we didn’t butt heads too much!
What was the biggest decision you had to make?
Apart from the obvious ones like venues, dresses and choosing the champagne, whether or not to book in a marquee as a wet weather back up was something we went back and forth on as we would have to pay the full fee whether we used it or not – we ended up with a completely clear forecast so didn’t end up booking it and were lucky enough to have perfect weather for our black tie affair! (That being said, if there was even a glimmer of rain on the forecast two weeks out, we agreed that we would be happy to book the marquee and even if it meant forfeiting the cost if it ended up being a beautiful day).
What was the highlight of your wedding day for you?
Gosh – can I say all of it?
If I had to pick one highlight, it would probably be the first look. We did it before the ceremony to lessen the number of photos we took in between the ceremony and reception, so that we could spend as much time as possible with our nearest and dearest, but it also meant that we had nearly an hour of time just spent with the two of us (+ the photographers and the videographer) chatting and walking around, before we drove up to the ceremony together. It was invaluable one-on-one time!
The dancefloor was packed from beginning to end so that was also another highlight!
Is there anything you would do differently?
Honestly – nothing!
Is there any advice you would give other #HRBride’s?
Try to maximise the time you spend with your guests – whether at pre-dinner drinks or on the dancefloor, while also making sure that you get some one-on-one time with your partner to take each other in and digest the day!
Also – I’m sure this goes without saying but – let go and enjoy the day! What is meant to be will be and you don’t want to look back on your wedding day thinking about how much you stressed about this or that!
“Helen and her team were an absolute dream to work with! Not only does she carry the most stunning dresses, which includes a wide range to cater to different vibes, but the entire customer experience, including the fittings process, was perfect! Helen knows the best way to tweak the fit of the dress here and there to give you exactly what you’re after while also staying true to the design of the dress!”
