Sami and George married at Athol Hall in Mosman in March 2025, with the ceremony under a chuppah on the lawn and dinner for 130 on three long tables in the hall. The brief was blush, white and green with pops of bolder colour: Sami's favourite deeper pink, a little blue and a touch of orange.
Sami and George on the beach below Athol Hall (photo: Alex Carlyle Photography)
The brief
Full, sculptural and a bit native. Sami liked the way we use natives and anthuriums alongside softer garden flowers, so the palette ran blush, white and green with cymbidium orchids, anthurium and amaranthus for shape, then small pops of hot pink, blue and orange through everything. Blue was kept to a minimum but it turns up in every piece, which is what ties the day together.
The bridesmaids' bouquets in blush, pink and blue, and George's buttonhole (photos: Alex Carlyle Photography)
Ceremony under the chuppah
The couple hired a timber chuppah and we dressed it with a single asymmetric cluster on one corner, so the frame stayed open to the harbour behind. Two more clusters sat on wine barrels at the start of the aisle, and guests had a basket of petals to throw. The sky threatened all afternoon, so the venue's white umbrellas went up over the chairs and the wet-weather call for the balcony never had to be made.
The chuppah with its corner cluster on the Athol Hall lawn (photo: Alex Carlyle Photography)
Dahlias, roses, delphinium and anthurium up close, and a wine barrel cluster at the start of the aisle (photos: Alex Carlyle Photography)
Sami coming down the stairs to the lawn, and the ceremony under the chuppah (photos: Alex Carlyle Photography)
The first kiss, and portraits on the lawn under an umbrella (photos: Alex Carlyle Photography)
Reception in the hall
Sami and George sat with their guests in the middle of the room rather than at a separate bridal table, so the three long banquet tables carried the whole look: eleven bud vases on each, 33 in all, in a mix of colours from the moodboard, with the couple's own candles between. Above them we hung a cluster of mainly greenery with flowers through it, under the hall's chandelier-style fairy lights. After the ceremony the chuppah cluster moved to the gazebo for drinks, and the barrel clusters went to the bar and the cake table. More in our guide to reusing your wedding flowers.
The hall set with three long tables and the hanging installation, and a bud vase up close (photos: Alex Carlyle Photography)
Dinner under the installation (photos: Alex Carlyle Photography)
Down on the beach after the ceremony (photo: Alex Carlyle Photography)
The details that made it work
- One corner cluster on the chuppah kept the harbour in every ceremony photo.
- Blue in small doses, in every piece, did more than a lot of blue in one place.
- Bud vases suited a couple sitting among their guests: no centrepiece to look past, and colour down the whole table.
- Every ceremony piece had a second job: gazebo, bar, cake table.
Suppliers
Photography: Alex Carlyle Photography. Video: Lovereel. Celebrant: Josh Gonski. Cake: Savvy Fare. Hair and makeup: Airlie and Co. Chuppah: Ahava Designs. Lighting: Elements for Hire. Venue: Athol Hall. Flowers: Lime Tree Bower Florist.
Planning your own wedding flowers?
If you're marrying at Athol Hall, our Athol Hall wedding flowers guide shows what we've set up on the lawn, in the hall and on the beams. 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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