Glam Garden Party Wedding: Emily + Ed – Part 2

bride and groom

In case you missed the first part of this glamorous wedding, be sure to check that out first! After the romantic ceremony, the guests mulled around the garden and soaked up the sun, chatting with one another and making new friends. A delicious lunch was prepared and everyone dinned on long tables under beautiful hanging floral arrangements dreamt up by Emily and created by Sticks and Wicks. Such a perfect day!

bride and groom

yellow bow tie groom

bride and groom

wedding party

wedding party


Love the stylish groomsmen!

grooms collage

lace collar wedding dress

long sleeve lace wedding dress

bride and groom


I styled the reception. We kept it simple and very glamourous. I was careful not to make it to “girly” or “kitsch” so I ran all my ideas by Ed and only went ahead with them when I got his tick of approval. The vintage crockery was mismatched and the guest’s ate with shiny silver cutlery. Lacey, vintage napkins accomapied the crockery and cutlery. White table clothes and regular glasswear kept the whole look of the table not to ‘kitch’. The table was full of platters of food and piles of root vegetables for table props. The flower arrangements were hung from the roof. I like that rustic feel, like I’d just run into a field of flowers and picked a bunch to hang – that was the brief I gave the boys at Sticks and Wicks, so there was lots of twine and hesin, daisies and ferns.

garden party reception

hanging garden

hanging garden

flower plate

hanging flower pots


Ed and I always wanted our wedding to be like Christmas day lunch but on a larger scale. Great food, delicious wine and above all wonderful company. I loved the idea of long tables where the guests can talk to one another and share food and wine. To realize this idea we decided to go with a banquet style lunch so everyone’s tummies were full. The booze was bought from our mates that own a bar in Sydney. All the wine and beer was delicious!! Having yummy food and good wine was VERY important to us. Theres nothing worst than walking away from an event with a rumbling tummy!!

vegetable centerpieces

fig and berry covered cake

fig and berry covered cake

vegetable centerpieces

garden party

tea cups

hanging flower pots

garden party reception


I am blown away with how amazing the photos are. We choose Lara Hotz as out wedding photographer because her photos capture the feel of the day. I looked through the images of the other weddings Lara has done and I felt like I was there. I could see the joy on the faces of the bridal party and their friends. I like that the majority of Lara’s shots are candid. Lara and her team are professionals and when you hire them for your wedding or event you can rest assured you will get the photos you desire and much more.

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

If you decide to make your wedding dress, don’t leave it till the last minute! Ha.

Ed and I are not going on a honeymoon straight away, so one of our friends mum’s gave a valuable piece of advice. “Come home to a clean house, its as good as a honeymoon” So, we hired a cleaner on the Friday afternoon and came home to a spotless house. It was awesome!

photography: Lara Hotz // venue name: The Lion Gate Lodge, The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney // event design: (bride) Emily Sarks // planning: (bride) Emily Sarks // wedding dress: Emily Sarks (Yes I made my own dress!!) // hairpiece: bride: Sticks and Wicks // bride's shoes: Something Bleu by BHLDN // bridesmaid dresses: Rachel Gilbert hired from Dressed Up // hair stylist: Annette Twemlow // makeup artist: Annette Twemlow // groom attire: Steel & May // paper goods: Emily Sarks // catering: Piquant Catering // cake: Jenny Sarks (Mother of the Bride) // floral design: Sticks and Wicks // invitations: Emily Sarks // crockery: the vintage kitchen // cutlery: the vintage kitchen // napkins: the vintage kitchen // favors: Cam's Jams

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