Lara and Chris married in March 2022, with a Jewish ceremony on the Australian Rockery Lawn at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and dinner at InterContinental Sydney Double Bay. Lara's brief was deep romance with an Old World feeling: dark purple and blue flowers with deep greens, softened with lighter purples and cream, plus plenty of texture, candlelight and touches of gold.
Lara and Chris under the chuppah, with the harbour behind (photo: Folk & Follow)
The palette
Lara loved dahlias, so they led the mix in burgundy, lilac and cream. Around them we used purple carnations, lisianthus, scabiosa, blue thistle and tulips, with dark foliage and rust-coloured leaves for depth. Leaning the softer shades towards blue rather than pink kept the look moody without turning heavy, and it sat well against the bridesmaids' emerald green dresses.
The bridal bouquet with its velvet ribbons (photo: Folk & Follow)
Lara with her bouquet (photo: Folk & Follow), and the bouquet up close before it left the studio (photo: our team)
The wedding party in the Garden (photo: Folk & Follow)
Ceremony under the chuppah
We organised the timber chuppah, benches and jute aisle runner through Event Hire Services, and the couple's own tallit was tied across the top as the canopy. We set asymmetric clusters of dark purple, burgundy and cream on the two front corners, so the flowers framed the couple without hiding the tallit or the view behind. Our round jute rug under the chuppah, the runner and the timber benches kept the lawn simple and warm.
The chuppah with its tallit canopy (photo: Folk & Follow), and one of the corner clusters up close (photo: our team)
Chris breaking the glass, and the first kiss under the chuppah (photos: Folk & Follow)
The aisle runner and benches leading to the chuppah, and the welcome sign (photos: Folk & Follow)
Suppliers need a ranger escort on the Rockery Lawn, so setup and pack-down are timed around the ceremony. Our Royal Botanic Garden wedding flowers guide covers the lawns, access and rain plans.
Reception at InterContinental Double Bay
Lara and Chris sat with their families on one long table instead of a bridal party table. We ran low clusters of flowers down its length in gold vessels and speckled ceramic bowls, with pillar candles and tea lights in gold and clear holders between them. On the guest tables, tall arrangements on black stands alternated with low arrangements, each with its own cluster of candles, so the room had height without blocking anyone's view across the table.
Low arrangements and candlelight down the long table (photo: Folk & Follow)
A tall guest table arrangement on a black stand, and a low arrangement in a gold vessel (photos: our team)
Lara and Chris at the long table (photo: Folk & Follow)
The details that made it work
- Dark flowers need light around them: the candles did as much for the mood as the flowers did.
- Two corner clusters on the chuppah left the tallit as the centrepiece of the ceremony.
- A mix of tall and low tables gave a big room height and movement while keeping conversation easy.
- One palette from bouquet to long table tied the garden ceremony and the hotel reception together.
Lara and Chris in the Royal Botanic Garden (photos: Folk & Follow)
Suppliers
Photography: Folk & Follow. Chuppah, benches and aisle runner: Event Hire Services. Ceremony: Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Reception: InterContinental Sydney Double Bay. Flowers: Lime Tree Bower Florist.
Planning a Jewish wedding?
Our page on chuppah hire in Sydney covers where to hire the frame and how we style chuppah flowers, and you can see more couples on our real weddings page. Tell us your date, venue and the moments you'd like flowers for and we'll send a tailored range estimate: see our wedding work or start your enquiry.