Josh & Ella’s Coastal Backyard Wedding

Words by Hannah Pronesti / Images by Gui George
September 5, 2016

When you’ve got a ruggedly beautiful coastal backdrop in your own backyard, you’d be crazy not to utilise it for your wedding. That’s exactly what Ella and Josh did and we are so glad they saw the light. Post-Palm Beach Golf Club ceremony, the pair and and their 165 guests (including the always incredible photog Gui Jorge) headed to their cliffside home overlooking the ocean at Avalon, for the ultimate after-party.

“I was really struggling to find a venue that ticked all the boxes,” Ella tells us. “We were sitting around the backyard fire with family when we realised the gem we were sitting on and spent the remainder of the evening dreaming up what getting married in our backyard would be like!” Once the decision had been made, these two didn’t waste any time – they locked in a date just four months away and the wedding planning began!

A wedding at home usually means some major DIY and Ella and Josh had all hands on deck. “We had about 25 people at our place on the Thursday and Friday leading up to the big day, getting everything organised!” Their efforts included signage mirrors (Ella’s tattoo-artist sister worked her magic with a chalk pen), over 100 tea-light candles in jars (collected thanks to Josh’s peanut butter habit) plus the complete transformation of their garage.

It may sound like a lot of work but the pair made a conscious effort to enjoy every aspect of their wedding and they suggest others do the same. “This gets said SO often, and I was sick of hearing it by the time the wedding rolled around, but it’s SO true.,” Ella shares. “Enjoy every moment. And that includes the planning. Try to enjoy the day you are creating for you and your fiancé.”

Coastal backyard wedding in Palm Beach NSW - photography by Gui Jorge floral and foliage garlands floral and foliage garland
Having talented friends always helps on your wedding day and it was Ella's good friend Shelley from That Flower Place who put together those gorgeous foliage and daisy arrangements. “She went above and beyond!” says Ella. “When I saw what she’d done I cried because she had created exactly what I wanted.”
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Cute rompers from Piyama were the perfect getting ready outfits for Ella's bridesmaids!
Coastal backyard wedding in Palm Beach NSW - photography by Gui Jorge Palm Beach Golf Club wedding - photography by Gui Jorge Palm Beach Golf Club wedding - photography by Gui Jorge bridesmaids in white Zimmermann dresses and baby's breath flower crowns Palm Beach Golf Club wedding - photography by Gui Jorge Coastal backyard wedding in Palm Beach NSW - photography by Gui Jorge Coastal backyard wedding in Palm Beach NSW - photography by Gui Jorge
Ocean-side vows are always a fave of ours so we loved Josh and Ella’s choice of venue just as much as they did. “Once I saw the view and location (at Palm Beach Golf Club) I knew it was perfect. They also had a great back up weather option, should it bucket down - luckily we didn’t need it but it was so relaxing knowing the backup was there.”
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Ella had her heart set on Anna Campbell’s intricately beaded Coco gown from the get-go, but when her local stockists didn’t have it, she tried on a variety of AC designs at The Babushka Ballerina then took the ultimate plunge - she ordered the Coco dress. “It was a slight risk as I’d never even seen it in real life, let alone tried on! But it all worked perfectly, the gown is more that I could have ever dreamed of!”
bridesmaids in white Zimmermann dresses and baby's breath flower crowns bridesmaids in white Zimmermann dresses and baby's breath flower crowns
In complimentary white Zimmermann dresses, Ella's gorgeous bridesmaids finished their look with baby's breath crowns and green and white bouquets.
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Gui Jorge was just amazing,” Ella tells us of their photographer. “It wasn’t about posed shots, it was about telling the story of our day in the people, the moments and the details. He is also just a genuinely kind and lovely man.”
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Credits

Images Gui George | Bride's Dress Anna Campbell | Bridesmaid's Dresses Zimmermann | Groom's Suit Roger David | Hair The Salon Alternative | Ceremony Venue Palm Beach Golf Club | Celebrant Bronwyn Hixson | Flowers That Flower Place | Catering Corella Catering | Entertainment Duan and Only | Stationery/Invitations INKKprint | Transport Northern Beaches Limousines | Prop Hire Dream.Hire.Design | Marquee/Teepee AVA Party Hire | Flowers Gloucester Flowers | Bridal Party Robes Piyama | Cake Gumnut Patisserie |


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