Lissy's story intrigued and delighted me from the outset: an Australian bride-to-be, based on sandy shores of the Whitsundays, on the tropical coast of Queensland, was planning a winter elopement to Hobart, Tasmania. A second marriage for both her and her husband-to- be, Stephen, this was always going to be their day, their way; romantic, highly personal, and with carefully considered details to make their wedding meaningful and memorable.
Their venue was Pumphouse Point in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, some two and a half hours from Hobart. Built in the 1930s as a hydroelectric pumping station, it is now and now a hotel in an area of exquisite natural beauty.
Lissy shared her bridal headpiece ideas via instragram DMs, and we focused on creating a bold headpiece from reworked vintage jewellery in colours that would echo the rich tones of her bouquet as well as referring to the winter palette in the beautiful landscape. As our design discussions continued, Lissy decided that she would like to have two pieces to mark this special event: a tiara with some height, which would convey the romantic bridal feel she was seeking, and a flatter, jewelled cluster headband that she could wear to again and again. I'll tell you more about this cross-continent design process in another post, but for now, I want to revel in the tender sentiments and the natural beauty of Lissy and Stephen's beautiful elopement.
Working with this wonderful woman, so far across the world from me, yet so open and trusting, was thrilling and inspiring. A real friendship emerged during the months of the commission. I was genuinely humbled by Lissy's joyful response to the experience: 'I can never thank you enough, it has been such an exciting and wonderful experience...I feel like I have found a very talented friend.'
Lissy and Stephen's elopement was facilitated by a group of wonderful suppliers: wedding planner and florist: Bek Burrows; venue: Pumphouse Point; photographer: Nina Hamilton Photography; cinematography: lightnoisefilms; celebrant: Rachael Calvert Weddings; Hair; Jamie Anderson Bespoke Hair; Wedding Dress: Anna Dutton Couture; cake: chelseaclarecakes1;