Tayla and Hamish married in April 2026 with a ceremony at a family home on the water at Church Point, then dinner under the pergola at Dunes in Palm Beach. The brief was autumn: rambling foliage in reds and maroons, antique roses and dahlias, and burgundy amaranthus trailing out of everything.
Tayla and Hamish after the ceremony (photo: Heartlands Studio)
The brief
Moody and seasonal rather than pretty. Tayla wanted the flowers to feel like late autumn on the northern beaches: weeping magnolia, Chinese elm and maple foliage, antique and dusty pink dahlias, green and antique hydrangea, a pale calla or two, and both green and burgundy amaranthus for movement. No lilies. The bouquet picked up the same palette in a lighter mix, with blush roses, white dahlias, phalaenopsis orchids and a trail of burgundy amaranthus.
The bouquet: blush roses, white dahlias, pink callas, orchids and trailing amaranthus (photos: Heartlands Studio)
A peach rose buttonhole with autumn foliage (photo: Heartlands Studio)
Ceremony at home, Church Point
The ceremony was on the deck of a family home looking over Pittwater, so there was no venue structure to work with and no need for one. We built two tall floral pillars, mainly greenery and autumn foliage with roses and dahlias set into it, and stood them either side of where the couple would stand. They framed the view without blocking it, and they were built to travel.
The two pillars either side of the ceremony on the deck (photo: Heartlands Studio)
The ceremony at Church Point (photos: Heartlands Studio)
Antique roses, maple and amaranthus up close (photos: Heartlands Studio)
Reception at Dunes, Palm Beach
While guests moved up to Palm Beach we drove the pillars to Dunes and set them at the entrance, so the ceremony flowers greeted everyone a second time. Under the pergola, the long tables carried 24 bud vases of the same autumn stems between amber candle holders, low enough to talk across and loose enough to feel like the garden outside.
The pillars moved to the entrance at Dunes (photos: Heartlands Studio)
Long tables under the pergola at Dunes (photos: Heartlands Studio)
Bud vases of dahlias, roses and amaranthus with amber candle holders (photos: Heartlands Studio)
The details that made it work
- Two freestanding pillars did the job of an arch at a home ceremony with nothing to attach to, and moved to the reception in the van. More in our guide to reusing your wedding flowers.
- Autumn foliage carried the look, so the flowers could stay loose and seasonal rather than dense.
- Bud vases rather than centrepieces kept the long tables open under the pergola.
- One delivery of bouquet and buttonholes to the house, one setup there, one at Dunes: a simple day for a two-location wedding.
Suppliers
Photography: Heartlands Studio. Celebrant: Karl Bonner. Hair and makeup: Pip Begg. Music: The Vintage Stylus. Venue: Dunes, Palm Beach. Flowers: Lime Tree Bower Florist.
Planning your own wedding flowers?
If you're marrying at Dunes, our Dunes wedding flowers guide shows what works under the pergola and for ceremonies nearby. 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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