An Opulent Wedding at The Eveleigh in Sydney

Photography by Anémotion.

Amidst provincial architecture and the imposing, ornate interiors of The Eveleigh in Sydney, Isabella and Julian wed.

Drawing from her background in fashion photography, Isabella artfully selected textures and tones that would steep the space in notions of haute couture, masterfully reflecting her vision.

For the wedding reception, rows of seemingly endless banquet tables sat dressed in vintage crystals, towering tapered candles, and spilling arrangements of grapes and amaranthus.

While shades of oxblood blooms set themselves dramatically against chrome detailing, the elegance of The Eveleigh lent an aura of timelessness, visually alchemizing the space into an inimitable moment.

The bride wore a bespoke gown by Lillian Khallouf and Jimmy Choo heels.

The wedding was artfully captured by Anémotion.

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Our Story

Names /Julian & Isabella Rinaldi

Location / Sydney, Australia

Wedding Date / March 16th, 2024

Guest Numbers / 270

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How We Met

Our love story began on a night out in Sydney City. We were both young kids out with a few friends and I had spotted Bella across the room. I worked up the courage to go over to her and say hello, offering to buy her a drink. Reluctantly, she said yes as I came back with a drink in hand. We got chatting and exchanged details, both not knowing where it would lead. After speaking throughout the week, the following weekend we met up and went to dinner. We met every single week after that, all the way up until our engagement 6 years later.

Our Engagement Story

The time had finally come when I felt it was right to propose. I had booked lunch at Catalina in Rose Bay, telling Bella that I had secured a new client and wanted to celebrate (I hadn’t…haha!) We arrived at the wharf and it was the busiest I had ever seen it. Nonetheless, I walked her to the edge of the wharf and managed to mumble a few words out. I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. We then got onto a private wooden Italian boat – where we sailed into the evening across Sydney Harbour – drinking champagne and sharing all the stories that led up to that moment, and planning the rest of our lives together, which had only just begun.

What we love most about each other…

We love how compassionate and supportive we are to each other. Always making each other feel valued and understood, no matter what life throws at us. We love each other’s sense of humour and how we can make any situation brighter by just being in each other’s presence. We’re both driven people that have come together to no longer do life alone, but together.

The Setting

Wedding Location

The reception was held at The Eveleigh, in Sydney. We worked hand in hand with Reinevoi (our stylist) in the early venue selection phase to try and select a space that would translate the vision as best as possible for the wedding. The Eveleigh is truly a venue of monumental scale, with its high atmospheric ceiling mounted with exposed structural elements, contrasting against a provincial style of architecture throughout the rest of the space. Its character spoke to us and gave us endless opportunities for our vision to flourish.

Aesthetic

Our wedding can be described as bold and unforgivable; traversing the limits of time to create

The overall aesthetic and style of the wedding was driven by our need to elevate the conventional concepts of a wedding through nuances of high-end fashion and haute couture. This concept was translated through all key aspects of the wedding; from photography and media, through to the styling and branding, and further unto the details of the event’s proceedings. Our guests wore black which enhanced the overall aesthetic and timeless style of the day.

Preparation

I kept the morning of my wedding quite traditional, with my close family and friends attending our home. Since I was a kid, I had always imagined getting ready in the home I grew up in on the morning of my wedding. Isabella got ready at Capella in Sydney City. During Isabella’s morning preparation, she was given her late grandmother’s earrings, that she had worn on her own wedding day 65 years ago. Her parents gifted her a custom tennis bracelet which she wore for the day to complement the rest of her look.

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“The stationery became the storyteller, unfolding throughout the course of the evening with every part telling a piece of our story.”

Photography

Given my background in fashion photography – I really wanted timeless photos, with nuances of haute couture. For us, there was no one else but our good friends at Anémotion Weddings for both wedding photography and videography. Not only are we obsessed with Tarek & Jade’s work, but they have become family to us over the years. Having worked with them and alongside them – they made our day all the more special as we felt so comfortable around them with their candid style of photography. When we received our photos & video, we were absolutely blown away.

We really wanted to encapsulate our Italian heritage through the photography. After some brainstorming, we decided to hire a venue for our bridal shoot — where the sandstone of the stair casing and pool were the main features inspired by the Prada Holiday 2020 Campaign.

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Style Notes

Ceremony Décor

Our ceremony took place at All Saints’ Church, Woollahra – which naturally aligned with our vision for the day. Given the grand baroque aesthetic of the space, we had very minimal styling at the ceremony as we didn’t want to detract from the beauty of its history and intrinsic architectural characteristic.

For Styling, we engaged Reinevoi. As it turned out – and unbeknown to us at the time of their engagement, their value-add extended so much further than just styling; one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. Reinevoi did not just style our wedding, but innovated, challenged, and pioneered the multitude of ideas and concepts to truly create an event completely bespoke to us and our story, an event like no other that has ever been witnessed at The Eveleigh.

Reception Décor

Walking into our reception space was the most incredible moment of the day; seeing our vision transform from paper to life, a sea of burgundy and chrome perfectly curated to transcend the notions of post-modernism into immortality. Reinevoi curated the evening to embody the essence of haute couture; blending timeless elegance with a post-modern flair. The meticulous attention to detail enabled a perfect juxtaposition of the ornate elements against a contemporary editorial aesthetic, creating a poetic dramatisation of the evening.

For us, our styling needed to jump out of the conventional wedding realm and venture into being experimental and creating new ideas that had not yet been touched in the wedding scene. Reinevoi nailed this, both in their ideas and more importantly, in their execution. Some key highlights that stood out for us were:

The 1000 baroque silver candle holders that Reinevoi designed and custom-made; used to house 1000 taper candles bursting metres up into the air. Need I say more!? We, along with our guests, walked into an explosion of light, burning from 1000 candlelit flames.
Long banquet tables draped in rich metallic unwavering fabrics which were handcrafted internationally. These were used to create voluminous moments of sculpture, bouncing light effortlessly along the tablescapes, paired with a lining of silver chrome runners. These elements were used together to create a sophisticated reflectivity of light transcending throughout all areas of the space.
Incorporating a vast array of vintage silverware and crystalware sourced from all over Australia. Each piece carrying a unique story from a different era, creating an eclectic yet harmonious aesthetic over the tablescapes banquet setting. This added a rich historical dimension in celebration of the elegance of the Victorian, Art Deco and mid-century modern eras – an ode not only to the timeless beauty of these pieces but also a narrative that honours and celebrates past banquets, providing our guests with a unique and memorable dining experience.
Layering of rich burgundy amaranthus cascading from the ornate silverware and throughout the centre of the tablescapes, created a dynamic interplay between the traditional and modern.
Accents of burgundy fruits – some with a chromatic touch (thanks to Reinevoi’s experimental way of thinking) and some even “bedazzled” for depth and richness. These meticulous but unforgettable details were intentionally and carefully curated to embody a personal touch and elevate the overall experience.
The custom-made concrete-like structure used for our bridal table; curated by Reinevoi with minimal but refined statement pieces once again blending the elegance with post-modernism – it spoke with such volume. It was adorned with small chromatic moments and a statement 5-arm ornate white candelabra which held taper candles that extended 1 metre in the air to meet a monumental floral arrangement of deep burgundy amaranthus and hydrangeas – literal art by the incredible team at The Lillipillian.
A portraiture set up which was designed for our guests to feel the sense of being in a professional photography studio with all their family and friends. We steered away from the traditional photo booth setup and gave it an editorial feel with professional lighting and camera set up.

We can talk so much more about the styling, but a picture is worth a thousand words. So we will let the photos do the rest of the talking.

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Flowers

We wanted to achieve something minimal, creating the statement through the boldness in colour. The aim was to ensure that the floristry complimented the candlelit theme of our dinner setting. We worked alongside Tegan from The Lillipillian to get creative in how the flowers were presented.

The bridesmaid’s wedding bouquets consisted of fresh burgundy anthuriums. To maintain the bold tone, we decided to spray the stems burgundy to create one seamless hue, and wrapped them in black silk ribbon.

Isabella’s wedding bouquet was fresh Menta roses, timeless, soft and feminine in nature.

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Stationery

Wedding stationery, graphic design and the overall branding of our wedding were all key elements for us. We partnered up with Studio Jorge to explore how far we can push the envelope (no-pun intended)! They truly delivered on all aspects of the wedding stationery, both prior to, and on the day of our wedding. There is no denying, the brand that Studio Jorge created for us really became the DNA behind our wedding theme.

Our Save The Dates were an ode to minimalism, with very little text blind pressed onto a textured paper; short, sharp, and straight to the point. The wedding invite cleverly played off the theme of the Save The Date. The idea was to reinvent a scroll as intended for a royal wedding. Studio Jorge put a post modern twist to this notion, designing an elongated accordion-style invite that folded into itself and slotted into a sleek black pocket sleeve envelope. Again, the use of minimal text with multiple printing techniques of blind embossing and debossing enveloped the invitation suite. The invite really was the first element that sparked the notions of timelessness with the haute couture fashion-like vibe we wanted to achieve for our wedding day.

Our on the day stationery was by far the standout element that pioneered our special day into a new category of wedding culture. We always knew we wanted to draw focus on the creation of graphic elements, but we never imagined its contribution to the overall styling and experience for the evening. The stationery became the storyteller, unfolding throughout the course of the evening with each element creating a perfect nod to us to help tell our story. Some key highlights for us, included:

Bespoke booklet menus with burgundy leather cover and backing, personalized with each individual guest’s name to create a personalized and welcoming dining experience.
A 3 metre hanging banner suspended from the ceiling trusses and graced with a spot of light on “THE RINALDI’S”, becoming the central focal point of the wedding.
A reflective chrome seating chart with guest names overlayed into our embossed monogram
And lastly, (and most importantly) a haute couture catalogue that held a multi-functional purpose. Five edits of the catalogues were created. These served as a placemat on the tablescape telling the love story of us to our guests during the dinner celebration, a bespoke prop for our portraiture set as well as throughout the night for photo-taking.

Cake

Our wedding cake was baked by The Eveleigh. The wedding cake was 3 tiers, with vintage piping — styled with chrome-glazed cherries. The flavour consisted of Lemon and Vanilla sponge, which was served to our guests towards the end of the evening.

Food & Beverages

On arrival, we chose to have cocktails and canapes served to our guests prior to entering our reception. Guests were served the chef’s selection of hot and cold canapés.

Throughout the course of the night, we chose to have a sit down menu inclusive of entree’s, mains and dessert — situated amongst 4 main king tables.

Favors & Bonbonniere

Our bonbonniere were special to the both of us, a sentimental gift from us to each of our loved ones. We served homemade limoncello. Hours of preparation and love went in from Isabella’s family in making the limoncello for all 260 of our guests. The recipe for this limoncello was actually very sentimental to us — as it was the recipe of Bella’s late grandmother.

The next step for us was figuring out how we take 260 little bottles of yellow limoncello and make them fit aesthetically with our theme and colour scheme of the night. Reinevoi worked with Studio Jo-rge to come up with a custom gift box to house each little limoncello bottle. To align to our styling, the limoncello boxes were branded as high-end perfume boxes, with a play on words that stated “Eau De Limoncello”, paying homage to the fashion and haute couture theme we aspired to achieve.

“We were driven by our desire to elevate the conventional concepts of a wedding through nuances of high-end fashion and haute couture.”

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Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress & Shoes

Isabella’s dress was custom designed and crafted by none other than Lillian Khallouf. From the initial meeting to the final fitting, crafting my wedding gown with Lillian was an unforgettable journey. Lillian notes “collaborating with Isabella on this bespoke gown was a testament to the art of couture. The dress, made from Italian duchess satin, features hand-gathered pleats that envelope a sculpted corset. It featured drapery that flowed seamlessly into a voluminous skirt, punctuated by a daring side slit. The pièce de résistance lies in the off-the-shoulder sleeves, adorned with an intricately crafted crisscross tie-up detail, which adds an unexpected edge to the gown”.

The culmination of this process is not just a dress, but a testament to dedication, creativity, and the artistry of bespoke couture.

Isabella’s bridesmaids dresses were made to order by Effie Kats. The ‘Verona’ gown is evocative of ’90s glamour. Made from luxurious stretch-crepe, it has the decade’s defining high neckline and simplistic silhouette, featuring a low back detail and split at the back of the dress. Paired with gold statement earrings mimicking a drop of water in motion and simple black, open toe strappy sandals to compliment. Of course in alignment with our dress code, my bridesmaids’ dresses remained black and accentuated the rich burgundy anthurium flowers they held.

Wedding Rings, Jewelry & Accessories

Isabella’s engagement ring was custom designed and created by Daniele Jewellers, whilst our wedding bands were from Cartier. Isabella’s engagement ring consists of a round brilliant diamond, situated on a smooth gold band. For our wedding bands, we chose the Cartier Fede Love rings.

Hair & Makeup

Isabella and her bridesmaid’s hair was by Domenic Pelli (Dompelli) and make up by Tania Chiha. Bella has always loved their work and having worked alongside both of them on many weddings, I knew how incredible they both are.

Bella wore her hair in a sleek, classic french roll with framing fringe pieces. Her bridal make up reflected timeless, soft glam that enhanced her natural features, staying true to feeling really authentic and feeling like herself.

Groom’s Attire

My suit was a custom BELANCĒ tuxedo made from a wool and mohair blended tuxedo fabric sourced from Loro Piana in Italy. The tux had a single button, double breasted front closure and low shawl lapel. I worked with BELANCĒ to feature a wide silk satin waistband and single pleats. I have loved Oscar and Theo’s work at Belancē for years, so they were always going to be my go to. They have become good friends of mine over the years and made the whole tailoring process for me so enjoyable for me.

For my shoes, I chose the Timeless Scarpa Derby Dior’s.

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The Details

Transport

We were lucky enough to use my best mates Vintage Alpha Romeo which was in pristine condition. We drove the car around Sydney, creating some of our most memorable moments together in the convertible as a newly married couple.

Honeymoon

We’re currently on our honeymoon in Europe! Traveling to England, France, Italy, Spain and Greece. We have too many favourites so far to pick, but I think Italy takes the cake… we could be biased… haha!

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Wedding Songs

Ceremony Song: Lovely – Violinia Zhanna Stelmakh

After Ceremony Song: Something Just Like This – Chainsmokers, ColdPlay

First Dance: Unconditional – Sinead Harnett

Entertainment

Scotty Sax brought the entertainment for our wedding night and wow – he did not disappoint. We also asked Scotty to include his bongo’s which brought so much fun to our dancefloor. Scotty also played to songs by our DJ – DJ Master J.

Celebrant

Our celebrant was Marcelo Morbelli, who is the minister at All Saints Church in Woollahra. Marcelo was so good to us prior to the wedding and on the wedding day. We met with him multiple times leading up to our special day, to prepare as an engaged couple for what marriage should be. Throughout the whole process, we felt so comfortable with Marcelo and he made our day all the more special with his sermon in our ceremony.

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Our Advice

A memorable moment…

One of our most memorable moments of our wedding day was when we had finished the ceremony. We had some time to spend with our loved ones at the church where people were congratulating us. Then jumping into the Vintage Alpha Romeo together as a married couple, our family and friends were cheering us on as we left the church. We drove around the city together alone, where we were reflecting on what just happened on the biggest day of our lives. Smiles on our faces, we laughed, we cried, we stared at our rings. We will never forget this.

One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…

As a creative in the industry, my advice would be to trust your vendors when it comes to their respective art, and believe that they are the best at what they do. We had such incredible vendors leading up to our special day, who had spent hours with us making sure that all our details were in check – that when it came to the big day, we were so stress free because everything was beyond our expectations. Choosing vendors that actually aligned to our style, which was a big deal for us. We drew inspiration, then discussed it with our vendors, allowing them to have their own flavour on our inspiration – and to let them do what they do best.

Sources of inspiration…

We drew quite a lot of inspiration from various fashion references, as well as some of the classical styles from the 1950’s in Italy. Really – our main inspiration was drawn from Reinevoi and their ability to innovate absolutely everything.

For the location shoot, we were inspired by the Prada 2020 Holiday Campaign at Villa Gnutti in Italy. We loved the classicism and futurism of the editorial. It was quite fitting given our heritage in Italy, with Isabella being from Calabria and myself from Sicily.

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