A Garden Wedding for Glenn and Honi

The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney have long been a familiar and loved site for Sydneysiders and visitors.  In earlier times, the head gardener and his family occupied a rather lovely stone cottage in the grounds, which is now known as the Lion Gate Lodge, because of the statues of lions just outside the gateway into the grounds of this cottage.

These days the cottage and its lovely garden may be hired for a wedding ceremony and the cottage used for the reception.  I think it's a great choice - a bit like having a lovely home and garden to hold your wedding in.  This is where a delightful couple, Honi and Glenn chose to have their ceremony and reception.  Here's the link for a better look at this venue.
 Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, ceremony and reception venues

The lawn area before the ceremony

I was delighted when they asked me to be their celebrant and we worked on an individual ceremony which was true to them.  There were many family and friends there, and all so happy to be a part of this truly beautiful wedding day. Jasmine Kooper of Jazzy Photograhy took their gorgeous happy and romantic shots.

Lion Gate Lodge

Honi's sisters were her bridesmaids - I loved the elegant simplicity of her gown and their lovely floral frocks - just perfect for a garden wedding.

I love this shot of Honi and Glenn - soulmates, lovers, husband and wife!

Beautiful Mountain Gardens Wedding

When I first met Tamara and Josh, they told me they had fallen in love with Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens in the Blue Mountains, near Bilpin and wanted to make their vows there, followed by a reception at home. Their wedding was held on a perfect spring day and was the prettiest wedding you could imagine.  The wedding party was a picture, with Tamara in white with pink and white flowers, and her bridesmaids in soft pink.

They chose a reading A Lovely Love Story  from the whimsical writings of Edward Monkton.  The first few paragraphs are;
"The fierce Dinosaur was trapped inside his cage of ice. Although it was cold he was happy in there.  It was, after all, his cage. Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur.  The Lovely Other Dinosaur melted the Dinosaur's cage with kind words and loving thoughts. I like this Dinosaur, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. Although he is fierce he is also tender and he is funny. He is also quite clever although I will not tell him this for now. I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the Dinosaur. She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice.  She is also a free spirit which is a quality I much admire in a Dinosaur."......................

Tamara's mother escorted her

Husband and Wife - sealed with a kiss!

First stroll as husband and wife.

Josh's two brothers were his groomsmen - it was a bit hard to pick them apart!

Here's a note I received from Tamara and Josh after they returned from their honeymoon.

"Hi Elaine,

Our honeymoon was great fun and an experience to remember. So many places and all so different to one another.

Thank you so much for your services. You were fantastic and everything we wanted for our celebrant. We were so lucky to have found you. 

Thank you for thinking our wedding was beautiful, we thought so too, we loved the gardens and the weather was perfect. It couldn't have been any better and our reception was fantastic as well. The day went too quickly. 

We have also received our marriage certificate. 

Thanks again you really helped make our day special. 

Kind Regards

Tamara and Josh

Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens, 11^th October, 2014"

A pretty garden wedding in Hornsby

As long time residents of Hornsby, Rachel and Jolyon chose to marry in Hornsby's hidden treasure,  Lisgar Gardens. (booked through Hornsby Council)
The gardens were looking at their best with colourful spring flowers.  Rachel didn't want a traditional white wedding dress, but chose a medieval style gown in red, with a cloak and circlet of flowers on her head.  You will agree that she looked very pretty indeed.
They chose to have their reception at Hornsby RSL Club  which is quite close to Lisgar Gardens.

Handfasting ceremony

Rachel and the gardens were a riot of spring colours - isnt she lovely!

Husband and Wife!

Eden Gardens for a magical wedding setting

Amy and Owen chose this beautiful garden setting for their spring wedding at Eden Gardens.
It was a fun-filled afternoon of love and family joy.  I wish them every happiness for their life together.

Amy was escorted by her Dad who gave his blessing to their marriage

Lovely little flower girl and page boy who were so pleased to be included

Amy and Owen had a wine sharing ceremony as they shared their first drink as husband and wife.

 

Husband and Wife! They were so happy to be married.

In the art of Marriage the little things are the big things –

It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say ‘I love you.’ at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.

It is standing together to face the world.

It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is finding room for the things of the spirit. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is not only marrying the right partner –

It is being the right partner.

By Wilfred A. Peterson

This was the reading they chose for their ceremony - some lovely words of wisdom!

Go to my website for information and ideas about your wedding Elaine Searle Marriage Celebrant

Secret Garden Wedding which was lots of fun and love and laughter

Debra and Andrew married in Wendy's Secret Garden in Lavender Bay, near North Sydney.  It is a magical oasis of calm beauty, tucked away to the side of Clark Park, and beautifully private with many lovely plants, flowers and trees.  Deb and Andrew were a very light-hearted couple and we all enjoyed their wedding ceremony surrounded by the love and joy of family and friends.  I wish them every happiness together. Elaine Searle - your friendly, professional celebrant.

I love this pic by Creek Street Photography of the father of the bride!

A guest took this pic which captured a magical light as Deb and her Dad entered

A good laugh during the ring exchange.

Their first walk as husband and wife.

A note from the bride and groom -

"Hi Elaine,
Thank you so much for being our celebrant!  The ceremony was actually our favourite part of the day - it turned out so lovely and we loved that it wasn't too overly formal, it was nice and casual and relaxed with a lot of laughs!
We received our certificate of marriage the other day!  It came quite quickly!  Thank you for arranging everything for us, it definitely took the stress out of it all knowing that you had it all under control :) And that is good to hear that we were easy to work with - we didn’t really know much about what to do in the beginning (and maybe even right up to the rehearsal - which was very helpful btw!) so you were definitely our helping hand and taught us lots of new things!
Thank you again from both Andrew & I, and we will be sure to recommend to you any friends getting married in the future :)
Cheers,Deb and Andrew
Wendy’s Secret Garden, Lavender Bay, 14^th September, 2013"

And a charming note from the bride's father - 

"Hi Elaine, a big "thank you" for the lovely ceremony last Saturday afternoon at the Secret Garden Lavender Bay. I am father of the bride, Debra McArthur who married Andrew Henderson. You brought dignity as well as humour to our special day and your being in photos means we have a lasting memory of the "official" side of the ceremony, if I may put it that way! Also having a rehearsal on the Friday was commendable, it allowed us to relax when the real ceremony took place. Good luck in your future, if possible we shall recommend you to others.
Regards, Barrie McArthur. (father of the bride) Wendy’s Garden, Lavender Bay, 14 September, 2013"