Elizabeth & Yoshi's Romantic Winter Wedding

Elizabeth and Yoshi’s romantic winter wedding held at Sergeant’s Mess in Sydney will always hold a special place in our hearts. From the moment we met these incredibly kind and gentle souls, we knew their day would be very heartfelt and intimate and just couldn’t wait to witness and document their union!

This extraordinarily sweet pair’s story goes way back to high school, where they met, however it wasn’t until uni days, when the same degree and shared commute really brought them close. Elizabeth recalls how it all started with them holding hands on their train rides home, because they just couldn't resist each other. Fast forward 9 years from that (during which their relationship blossomed and endured a two year long-distance stretch) to a beautiful day in the Botanic Gardens, where Yoshi got down on one knee and popped the question (fighting off mosquitoes). He proposed with a stunning ring he designed himself – a diamond set with claws that have orchid motifs, because orchids were the first flowers that he ever gave to Elizabeth. Needless to say, tears were flowing and of course she said ‘YES’!

A year later, their special day had finally arrived! The rain had cleared just in time and they were married in a heart-warming ceremony at Sergeant’s Mess overlooking the ocean (with a few kookaburras coming to visit), filled with lots of laughter and personal touches on a perfect winter’s day.

Celebrating with their beloved family and friends was most special to them and we were so overjoyed to see them surrounded by so much love. Elizabeth recalls that her favourite moment was walking down the aisle and seeing Yoshi for the first time, as she was very nervous that morning getting ready, but as soon as she saw him, all of that disappeared and she couldn't stop smiling, as she realised they would soon be married – how sweet is that!

The deep-coloured, lush, romantic florals added warmth to the day (Elizabeth’s bouquet is still one of our most favourite of all time and one that future brides always comment on), with burgundy and navy colour scheme perfectly coming together and being complemented by gorgeous vintage touches, including Elizabeth’s long-sleeved lace gown and vintage fonts used for invitations, place cards and menus. Huge lovers of tea, they chose delectable loose-leaf tea test tubes for the bombonieres and a scrumptious Earl Grey flavoured cake.

After being fare welled with a traditional archway from their joyous lunch-time reception, filled with emotional speeches, warm hugs and fun times with all their nearest and dearest, we ventured out for some rainy-day portraits around George’s Heights and Bradley’s Head. It was then that we saw their deep, gentle and quiet love and tenderness for one another really shine!

It was truly a perfect day, confirmed by the appearance of a rainbow, and we felt so privileged to document Elizabeth and Yoshi’s once in a lifetime kind of love!