Mollie and Izzy married at Sergeants Mess in Chowder Bay in January 2026, with the ceremony on the lawn above the water and the reception inside. The brief was bright and quirky: orchids, callas, banksia and pincushions in orange, pink, lilac and yellow, with no white anywhere.
Mollie and Izzy on the lawn at Sergeants Mess (photo: Jypsea)
The brief
Bright, cool and a little unexpected. Mollie wanted the flowers to feel like a mixed garden rather than a matched set, with orchids as the thread: pink and speckled phalaenopsis, yellow dancing lady orchids, and purple and orange stems through everything. We added banksia and pincushions for structure, orange calla lilies and dahlias for depth, blue delphinium for contrast, and trailing green amaranthus to soften it all.
Mollie's bouquet of phalaenopsis orchids, peach callas, delphinium and amaranthus, and Izzy's orchid buttonhole (photos: Jypsea)
Ceremony on the lawn
The lawn at Sergeants Mess runs along the sandstone edge with the harbour straight behind, so we kept the ceremony flowers to the sides and let the water be the backdrop. Eleven arrangements in terracotta and stone pots sat on the railing and on plinths either side of the couple, tall and loose so they read against the sky.
The ceremony set up on the lawn with the harbour behind (photo: Jypsea)
Guests seated for the ceremony, and a railing arrangement of orchids, callas and natives (photos: Jypsea)
Dancing lady orchids, banksia and pincushions, and delphinium and calla against the sky (photos: Jypsea)
The end of the aisle, and the first kiss (photos: Jypsea)
Reception inside
Dinner was on round tables with the harbour windows behind, and Mollie wanted big feature centrepieces rather than something low and safe. We designed fourteen in the same palette, with orchids, callas, delphinium and pincushions in low vessels so guests could still see across the table, and a long, low piece for the sweetheart table. After the ceremony the lawn arrangements came inside to the ends of the long tables and in front of the couple, so nothing was used once.
The reception room set with bright centrepieces (photos: Jypsea)
A low centrepiece up close, and the long table with the ceremony arrangements moved in (photos: Jypsea)
The bouquet on a blue velvet chair at The Albert Hotel before the ceremony (photo: Jypsea)
The details that made it work
- No white at all. Dropping white made the brights read as a palette rather than a mix, and the venue's pale interior did the lightening instead.
- Orchids in every piece tied the bouquet, buttonhole, ceremony and tables together without repeating the same arrangement.
- Terracotta and stone pots on the railing suited the sandstone and let the ceremony pieces move straight inside.
- A January ceremony on an open lawn means heat: we designed under shade and used hardy stems like orchids, callas and natives that hold up in the sun.
Suppliers
Photography: Laity Finlay, Jypsea Photography. Video: Vee Films. Celebrant: Robyn Lenehan. Candles: D+D Events. Makeup: Lauren Artistry. Venue: Sergeants Mess.
Planning your own wedding flowers?
If you're marrying at Sergeants Mess, our Sergeants Mess wedding flowers guide shows what we've set up on the lawn and inside. Tell us your date, venue and the moments you'd like flowers for and we'll send a tailored range estimate: See our work as a Sydney wedding florist or start your enquiry.
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