A Celebration en Blanc

Photography by Lara Hotz for Jaimi & Avner

Delicate clouds of baby breath were intricately placed around the traditional Jewish Chuppah and a light floral embroidered linen provided some shade above, billowing in the wind. This was the perfect focal point for Jaimi and Avner’s all white, beachside celebration in Sydney.

The bride was sophisticated chic in a strapless gown with exaggerated sleeve details and a touch of elevated bohemia. The monochrome palette was perfectly complemented by the natural location and whitewashed florals, beautifully curated by Lane favorite, Styled by Her.

The party ensued at the newly renovated Dunes Palm Beach, with an overflowing tablescape of shared platters, thoughtfully placed ceramic vessels, and rich, layered blooms. The open-plan space and neutral aesthetic echoed the summery, light feel of the day perfectly.

The all-white affair was faultlessly captured by Lara Hotz Photography.

Our Story

Names / Jaimi & Avner

Wedding Date / 2nd February 2020

Guest Numbers / 200

How We Met

We met at an event in Sydney through mutual friends.

Our Engagement Story

Avner is French. We planned a trip to Europe (Paris and Nice) for Avner to introduce me to his family. My parents happened to be in Europe too so they came to meet the family with us. This was July 2019. Avner proposed to me during a dinner with our immediate family around us. After dinner Avner’s best friend had us join him at La Petite Maison where the whole restaurant sang to us whilst waisters brought out a box of strawberries and sparklers. We had a beautiful weekend celebrating with both our families. Dinners, beach clubs, lots of sun and excitement.

Marriage to us Means

Doing life as a team.

The Details

Wedding Location

We had Avner’s family travel from France to Australia for the wedding so we wanted to make a weekend out of it. We chose Palm Beach in February as it wasn’t too far from Sydney. Guests could stay the weekend or drive up for the day. We chose a late lunch reception at Dunes Palm Beach, they had just renovated their venue. We loved the clean white aesthetic of their renovation. It was all open plan. Really summery, light, and the perfect location for a casual cocktail day party style wedding.

Preparation

My parents, two sisters and their husbands along with my two nieces stayed at a beautiful house called Palm Beach Villa. The morning of the wedding my bridesmaids came over for breakfast, hair and makeup, etc. I bought them all summer dresses from Deiji Studios which they and myself, along with my mum and mother in law, wore while we got ready that morning. I have a large group of male friends who I also wanted to have around the morning of. They came past the house an hour before the ceremony just in time for my dress reveal and to have a celebratory drink with us.

Event Aesthetic & Inspiration

We went with a white wedding. Everyone wore white and myself included. The groom and groomsmen wore beige linen and my bridesmaids and guests wore white too. It looked beautiful and went beautifully with the decor.

Ceremony Decor

We went with Styled by Her who often works with Dunes. She has the most beautiful neutral color palette which went perfectly with our white wedding theme and outdoor lunchtime vibe.

Reception Decor

Both ceremony and reception had that same neutral beachy feeling to the decor.

Wedding Planner / Wedding Stylist

Stylist – Styled by Her. Planner – we had Nat from EventZen help us with the six weeks leading up to the wedding as well as on the day. I did a lot of planning and liaising with suppliers myself. I wanted to keep things as laid back as possible.

Photography

Lara Hotz Photography. She is just the most brilliant photographer. We have actually known each other since we were very young. I couldn’t have imagined anyone else capturing my day better than she did. I love the candid nature of Lara’s photography. Not too staged or posey. She just captures live moments in time. She surpassed my expectations tenfold. The photos were exceptional.

Fashion Notes

Bride’s Dress

I wore two dresses, both designed by Velani. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted for both dresses. My main wedding dress was inspired by Vivienne Westwood. The structure and draping was a focal point. I chose to go with a sleeve which then became more of a cape. It was really bold and I think it made that dress. The cape was removable, I took it off to make my speech.

My second dress was a bit of fun, something I could dance all day in. I was inspired by a Giambattista Valli gown I once saw. I loved both dresses!

Bridesmaids Dresses

My bridesmaids are all beautiful girls with great personal style. I gave them the opportunity to choose their own dresses. Whatever they loved and felt great in is what I wanted them to wear. Of course, the only requirement was that it be white.

Flowergirls

My nieces wore jumpsuits from Zara along with flower crowns made by Styled by Her.

Wedding Rings

My husband designed my engagement ring from a style he knew I loved. The ring was made by his family in New York and arrived in Nice, France, a few days after he proposed to me. The day he proposed he sent his mum to buy a stand-in as the engagement ring didn’t arrive in time. I chose a simple white gold band as my wedding ring.

Jewelry / Accessories

I wore two pairs of earrings. With my first dress, I wore earrings from Dinosaur Designs and with my second dress, I also wore a pearl earring from Dinosaur Designs.

I wore my mum’s Canturi Ring as well.

Groomsmen Attire

The groomsmen wore MJ Bale beige linen suit pants with a white linen shirt untucked. Very relaxed, with white runners. The Groom wore the same suit pants as a full suit.

Hair

Bryoni’s Hair did my hair and all the bridesmaids hair. Bryoni is my sister and knows me very well. I don’t wear my hair out. We went for a middle part, slick back, and a full bun. The veil I wore had flowers embroidered through it which was taken from my mum’s wedding dress. It was a really nice way to wear something borrowed/old and new. My younger sister had worn the veil to her wedding the year before. It was really special to have a part of my mum’s wedding dress with me on the day.

Makeup

Joanna Luhrs did my makeup. I wanted fresh, glowing skin. I don’t like to wear a lot of foundation. With light browns/golds to brighten the eyes. I was so happy with my makeup on the day. She always does the best job!

Style Notes

Stationery / Invitations

We went with appy couples for our invites.

Flowers & Bouquets

Floral was all Styled by Her. She did our ceremony, reception and bouquets along with flower crowns for my flower girls. She also did the pocket florals for the groomsmen.

Food & Beverages

We went with a cocktail style wedding. Passarounds and food stations. Smaller style canopies were passed around and larger more substantial food was located at self-service stations. We also had a large grazing table for when guests arrived. Dessert stations at the end. Aperol spritz on arrival and an ice cream carte later in the afternoon. The food was all by Dunes and it was exceptional.

Honeymoon

We wanted to have a relaxing two weeks in Bali soon after, but unfortunately, due to Coronavirus, we didn’t get to go on our honeymoon. Europe was planned for July 2020 which we also had to put on hold.

Gift Registry

We used The Hint registry.

Wedding Songs

Avner’s best friend sang ‘La Vie en Rose’ for our wedding song and dance. It was really special to have him sing it. I’m not a huge one for a wedding dance, but Avner wanted one so we compromised and came to a happy medium of an unchoreographed very relaxed unplanned few minutes together which ended up being great.

Entertainment

We used the band 33 Degrees. They were great!! I felt like we danced all day long. They created the perfect day party vibe, such great energy.

Celebrant

We had a Jewish wedding. Rabbi Gastetner from Coogee Synagogue married us.

Sources of Inspiration

A traditional wedding is never something I wanted. Something laid back like a party is how I envisioned celebrating our marriage. My initial idea was a restaurant wedding, but due to our 200 guest list, we needed to venture out a bit. My husband loves the beach so I went along with it, and it couldn’t have suited us more. It was perfect.

A Memorable Moment

We had a sparkler exit. The sun had gone down and the rain came as we entered the car to drive off after the wedding, it was perfect timing. We also had a beautiful recovery breakfast at Dunes. We had around 100 guests stay over in Palm Beach for the weekend. The restaurant was full of tables so people sat where they chose and had trays of eggs, avo, salmon, hash browns served with champagne and orange juice. It was a beautiful end to the weekend.