Today's celebration is an absolute stunner, Mary and Mark wanted a venue that was a little non-traditional, so they chose the Bar at the End of the Wharf at the Sydney Theatre Company - quite a long name, but wait till you see this seriously cool and eclectic venue, with it's mis-matched furniture, an ocean view and funky decor, perfect for this laid back pair. The couple kept the vibe relaxed for the day with Nina Claire Photograhpy on hand to work her magic and capture they colourful day...

By

We're having such a fun morning dreaming of weddings in Australia! Half the country is there already, so why don't we join them for a while with today's real wedding. Today's celebration is an absolute stunner, Mary and Mark wanted a venue that was a little non-traditional, so they chose the Bar at the End of the Wharf at the Sydney Theatre Company - quite a long name, but wait till you see this seriously cool and eclectic venue, with it's mis-matched furniture, an ocean view and funky decor - perfect for this laid back pair. The couple kept the vibe relaxed for the day with Nina Claire Photograhpy on hand to work her magic and capture their colourful day...

Mary and Mark chose the Bar a the End of the Wharf for their wedding venue, which is part of the Sydney Theatre Company. It suited the vibe of their wedding to a tee and it was a easy choice for the couple... I'd been there for work drinks and fell in love with the place, it had just the right feel to it. Eclectic and not too wedding-like for me. The fact it had no white table cloths and that none of the furniture really matches convinced me it was the one. Oh, and it made Mark so happy he could see the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the water!

Mary and Mark wanted to stay away from the traditional wedding style in all the elements of the day and that included Mary's dress! It was simply perfect for the style of Mark and Mary's wedding and the colourful piping adds such a fun detail. You won't believe Mary found it off the rack for only €200... Strangely it was so easy. I dreamed of purchasing something so much more extravagant. I picked up the dress over 6 months prior to the wedding and whilst I still looked around it fitted perfectly and more so to the type of wedding I wanted. I loved the open back, it was a fab little twist to what was a rather demure front. I could sit in it, dance in it and feel a-OK about the fact it was rather trashed by the end of the night!

We love that Mary chose to go with a veil that was a little more avante garde and unstructured. She made it herself from an old piece of tea-stained netting.

Love this venue already, check out the vintage suitcases used as a wall display!

Once the venue was picked everything else fell into place. Mark and Mary wanted to make sure their day was extra special for their guests. While they had to get legally married beforehand, they put a lot of thought into the ceremony... We wanted the ceremony to have a story-telling vibe about Mark and I and give our guests - whom came from all over the world - a better understanding as to why they were there that day. On the day we had asked our close friend Julia to be our celebrant-of-sorts. I can't begin to tell you what a difference it made. We laughed, I cried, it really made my day having Julia there and taking such an important role. Nina Claire Mark and Mary 21

And there is that view that Mark was so thrilled about - and who can blame him! A perfect backdrop for a first newlywed kiss!

Smiles all around for the happy couple!

After the ceremony the couple stole a few moments alone to take some intimate photographs with Nina Claire using some seriously colourful backdrops. In these photos, you can really see how wonderful Mary’s dress is. We typically see peplum paired with short skirts, but this long flared skirt makes it that bit fancier for a bridal look. Meanwhile, Mark looks absolutely dapper in his blue suit!

The reception venue had an open space industrial interior, which was complimented with the mis-matched furniture, large glass windows (with that must have view of Sydney Harbour) and long tables.

Mary got hands on when it came to the wedding reception, she even made the stationery...

Mary used images from the couple's engagement shoot, which took place at the same location with the talented Nina Claire, as the table numbers. Printed on double sided card, they added a great height element to the centre pieces.

The choice of florals looked great against the industrial feel of the room. White, yellow and glimpes of pink with lots of foliage worked really well together, don't you think?

There are those mis-matched chairs Mary was so keen on - they work perfectly in this funky space.

Nina Claire managed to get an excellent vantage point for this photo of the couple cutting the cake! Nina shared her experience shooting this fabulous wedding with us... Mary and Mark's wedding on the harbour was so great to photograph. The Bar at the End of the Wharf at The Sydney Theatre Company has just the right amount of down to earth grunge to balance the glamour of the glistening harbour and the amazing backdrop of the Harbour Bridge. The gorgeous sunny day meant that we had some wonderful light for the photography. Mary and Mark made the whole shoot a total pleasure with their laid back easy going approach. All in all, it sounds like a blast for all parties involved!

The band that played on the night was called Lucky Luke and his Shooting Stars. Now is that a great name for a band or what?!

Now this is one fun way to end a wedding - on a boat! We suspect they had slightly better weather than we could expect in Ireland though. Night caps and more dancing for the newlyweds as the sailed away!

Mary had straight forward advice for brides planning their own big day... Don't sweat the small stuff. You won't notice it on the day, trust me. Oh, and a good champagne selection is a must. Couldn't have said it better myself!

Congratulations to Mary and Mark and thank you for letting us have a peek at your wonderful wedding! Of course a big thank you to Nina Claire Photograhpy for sharing her work with us at One Fab Day! To see more of Nina Claire Photograhpy pop on over to ninaclairephotography.com.

The Wedding Details: