Emma Mulholland on Holiday meets Pretty In Pink.
Elle Australia: How did you two meet? EM: We were set up on a blind date ten years ago when we were both living and working in Bali—we were both moving around a lot on those days so nothing really worked out. Three years ago we found ourselves both living back in Australia and Gareth and I were able to catch up for dinner, things just seemed to click and I think we both knew it was finally the right time. Going through the last three years in and out of lockdown had its challenges so coming out of it stronger and being able to celebrate our relationship with friends and family was truly amazing. Fake Events Decor Flowers
EA: How was the proposal? EM: He planned a picnic at the park where one year before we said 'I love you' for the first time. He almost got away without me guessing anything, but given it was a pretty rainy and miserable day and he was determined to go for a picnic—I started to think something might be up! It was very sweet and special, all the dog walkers and children clapped us after they saw it happen and my good friend Byron Spencer was hiding and very shakily capturing the whole thing on a VHS camera.
EA: What was the overall 'vibe' for your wedding day? EM:We wanted our wedding to feel like a little getaway for our guests and a lot of them hadn't visited Bellingen before so it was so nice to hear about how much they loved it. We put so much care into every detail, which was painful throughout the planning process, but totally paid off in the end. I wanted it to feel like an elevated 80s prom—so the hall was perfect when we moved into dancing in the evening. Music is important to both of us, so we spent a lot selecting song for the ceremony and reception. Being able to hold the ceremony and dinner outside was amazing given how bad the weather had been to the lead up.
EA: How many guests did you have? EM: 110
EA: How did you choose the location? EM: We were married in Gleniffer Hall, The Promised Land. The hall is right next to The Never Never creek where Gareth used to swim growing up. So many wedding venues that didn't feel right to us which was really disheartening, so when we came upon it whilst visiting friends over New Years, we knew there was something special about the hall and the significance of the location. We actually didn't see inside the hall until a few months before the wedding and just went off photos!
EA: What was the ceremony like? EM: It was short and sweet, run by Linda Dalton who was based in Bellingen. We didn't have bridal parties but our family and friends were still a big part of it. My sister Sarah walked down the aisle with our dog Norbert and my Grandma which was lovely, while our other two sisters, Ashleigh and Caitlin did readings in the ceremony. The music was important to Gareth and I—I chose 'Time after Time' by Cyndi Lauper to walk down the aisle to.
EM: Our nieces and nephews were the flower girls and boys really stole the show—I made their outfits, the girls in silk dresses with my EM on Holiday happy hibiscus print and my nephew in a custom sailors top.
EA: Where was the reception held? EM: Everything was held in the one location, which worked out well as everyone could relax and enjoy the day. Straight after the ceremony we cut the cake —Gareth's favourite meal is dessert and he didn't want to wait till after the dinner! We joined everyone for cocktail hour with champagne and wine by Mercer Wines which is when Gareth and I snuck off for some photos.
The dining tables were set up in 3 long tables outside the hall—everything looked so beautiful being completely in nature, we had our lovely friends from Fiore Bakery bring up their delicious bread from Sydney which was laid out on the tables—the only problem was kookaburras and cockatoos started swooping in for it so that had to be removed till it was time to eat!
EA: How did you approach your bridal look? EM: I wanted to be involved in the whole process of creating my dress. I worked closely with Aggie Choi who assisted with the design and construction of the dress. We workshopped a few concepts, but in the end went with something quite classic, which might have surprised people! The colour pink was throughout the wedding and it's always been a part of my look and brand so the very faint pink taffeta was a perfect match. I loved the idea of a big trail on a shorter dress and the bow.
EA: What accessories did you wear? EM: My jewellery was a mix of Simone Rocha and some pieces I borrowed from my Mother, shoes were Carel Paris and my veil was made by Sydney milliner Phoebe Hyles.
EA: How did you approach your hair and makeup? EM: I just wanted to feel my best. I did a lot of preparation before the wedding to ensure my hair and skin was behaving itself and looking great with and without makeup—my hair was inspired by Patricia Aquette in my favourite movie, True Romance, so we had a nice and bouncy blow dry with some soft curls around my face. The makeup was modern '80s—I wanted a strong blue eyeshadow moment which was fun and then a really classic red Chanel lipstick. I was lucky enough to have my good friend Claire Thomson and Nina Metta from Extra Silky there to perfect the look and calm my nerves.
EA: What did your bridesmaids wear? EM: My sisters wore party dresses by Molly Goddard and Aje.
EA: How did you approach flowers? EM: Sophie from Muck Floral is a friend of mine so it was lovely to be able to work so closely with her on the flowers and event styling. There were many, many emails and discussions but everything turned out so beautiful. For the ceremony and my bouquet we went more classic with some spectacular open pink garden roses, carnations and baby's breath on the aisle. There were two large urns on white plinths filled with carnations at the end of the aisle inspired by scenes from Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette film. For the reception we went a lot more playful and colourful.
EA: What was your favourite moment? EM: Our first dance was pretty special. We had kept it a surprise that our good friend Byron Spencer would be singing 'Hopelessly Devoted to You'—which was a huge hit! Everyone gathered around the disco ball filled hall and sang along.
EM: The hall was set up like a disco with disco balls, large heart balloons and DJ decks. Guests didn't see the space until after the reception so it was so fun to move from outside into there and dance the night away to all our favourite songs.
EA: Where will you be honeymooning? EM: We're waiting until the summer in Europe next year.
Faux Peony Flowers EA: Any advice for upcoming brides? EM: Try not to worry about trends and what other brides are doing, it's so hard to not be bombarded with people telling you what you must and must not have (sometimes not giving thought to your budget or feelings), ultimately you should plan the day that you and your partner want to have which will shine through on the day and make it some much more fun for yourselves and everyone there.