My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Sydney edition)

3 June

Rosie and Lindsay Morgan
3rd June 2022

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that’s definitely what we believe at By Adrienne Monteverde. Afterall, that’s exactly what her work as an artist is based on - taking a beautiful moment in her client’s life and transforming it into a watercolour masterpiece.

But what’s more special is the story behind the piece - behind every artwork is a collection of moments, big and small, which brought our subjects here.

So, we introduce you to our new series, ‘Behind the Piece’, where we take a look into the incredible stories of the clients that come through Adrienne’s studio.

Bride and groom wedding portrait photography by Margan Photography, real australian wedding blog, newlyweds, wedding photography, wedding stories, greek wedding tips, wedding portrait, wedding painting, custom wedding anniversary gift painting — Image Credit: Margan Photography

We’re beginning with this beautiful image of newlyweds Rosie and Lindsay. Their love story is one straight from the movies - My Big Fat Greek Wedding, to be exact.

If you’ve seen that classic (and, of course you have…because, who hasn’t?!), you’ll know it’s about a Greek-American woman falling in love with a non-Greek man and the fun and games they have integrating into each other’s lives.

Cue Rosie! Our lovely Greek-Australian Bride, who lived with her protective father and four older (and also very protective) brothers at the time she met Linsday who, as Rosie puts it, was very much not used to a traditional European family. She said she saved his sanity by meeting him outside the house and the rest was history. Within 12 months Lindsay had moved in with Rosie and her family and joined the Greek fun! They worked and studied, finished their degrees while planning their wedding, bought a house of their own, found out they were expecting their beautiful daughter, Ana, and got hitched - the most amazing whirlwind we’ve ever heard, that’s for sure!

We loved chatting to Rosie and hearing all about her
wedding planning journey and the wedding itself.
Check it all out below!

Where did you start your wedding planning journey?

I personally started writing my vows in 2018, a few months into dating. But plans technically began in November 2020 when Lindsay proposed. We found our wedding venue, Sergeants Mess, and plans began to fall into place.

I was never too picky with vendors, I had a basic vision of what I wanted but our vendors took control and brought everything to life. I chose vendors that I felt comfortable with and that were easy to talk to - our florist, Sue, was one of the first and she calmed a lot of the nerves that I was feeling about the wedding in general.

It wasn’t until late 2021 that we found our celebrant Alex, she was the missing piece of the puzzle and when we first spoke I could finally envision Lindsay and I standing on the water with our perfect third wheel.

Supportive vendors truly make a world of difference when you have zero experience in wedding planning. It was such a daunting experience and although you have no idea where to start, there are thousands of options to choose from.

Bride and groom wedding portrait photography Margan Photography, real australian wedding blog, newlyweds, wedding photography, wedding stories, greek wedding tips, wedding portrait, wedding painting, custom wedding anniversary gift painting jean fox — Image Credit: Margan Photography

How would you describe your wedding day?

The Lead Up
I didn’t know what to expect for the actual day as the month leading up to the wedding was such an intense experience. Silence falls when you book all of your vendors 2 years before the day and then they all appear in your inbox a few weeks out and your stress goes through the roof!

Luckily, our wedding day was absolutely perfect.

I stayed with my bridesmaids in Mosman the night before (Cremorne Point Manor) and Lindsay stayed with his groomsman. We watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding (something I always thought I would do) and I finished writing our wedding speech.

The Morning Of

The morning was seamless, our bridal hair/make up arrived early and did a fantastic job. I had arranged for a grazing box to come to the room so we could eat throughout the morning (three of us were pregnant so this was a must).

Our photographers and videographers came on time and were just perfect, they knew what shots they needed and worked their magic.

We drove to the venue early and Lindsay and I did a first look as the sun set shortly after our ceremony. It was amazing to have that stress-free time prior to guests arriving where we could walk around together and get some amazing photos to remember the day.

The Ceremony

The ceremony was perfect, I had my dad walk me down the aisle followed by my four brothers, something I always dreamt of and didn’t actually expect to happen. One of my brothers lives in Spain and flew in the night before the wedding and flew out the next morning as he was expecting his first child at the same time, something I will always be so thankful for. Those few minutes before we all walked down the aisle were the most special of the day.

Our ceremony and reception were so amazing, I remember thinking to myself “this has actually been the best day of my life!”, which I thought people just said as a throw away comment but there is something so special having a get together with only the people you love and getting to celebrate such an amazing time in your lives.

Were there any cultural wedding traditions you incorporated into your day?

As with any Pappas wedding, my brother Daniel led the wedding party into an evening of Greek dancing and Ouzo shots. I still have guests telling me how much fun they had on the night as it is something they had never experienced!

What was your inspiration or vision when planning your big day? Did you have any must haves or non negotiables?

My only real vision was to have water around which we ticked off with the venue very early on.

In terms of must haves, I wanted it to be very family orientated which we had relayed to our photographers/videographers.

We couldn’t facilitate a child free wedding but we did have our nieces and nephews for the ceremony and dinner which was very important to us.

I wanted my brothers to be involved in the ceremony and also to give the father of the bride speech together as my dad is not one for public speaking which they happily did for me.

What were your stand-out moments from the day?

Getting ready with my bridesmaids and having my brother and niece Stevie come by so I could get her ready in her big ball gown. She looked like such a beautiful princess.

Wearing my Aunt’s veil which my own mum wore on her wedding day. My mum passed when I was 13, so although she wasn’t able to be there in person it was so amazing having that piece with me on the day. My sister in law and bridesmaid Abby had a charm made for my bouquet so I was able to have her close by.

The first look and photos with Lindsay, our vows and first dance.

The amazing speeches.

The father/daughter dance.

The Greek dancing.

Finding out my maid of honour was pregnant the morning of the wedding!

Was there anything you planned into your big day that you recommend other couples consider for their own?

I think the first look was a really special addition to the day, it didn’t take away from the aisle reveal either. It’s nice to get some nerves out of the way, laugh and talk about your mornings and just prepare for the fun chaos that is about to fly by.

It also means you don’t need fancy cars because no one will see you arrive if you do it at the same location, save some money!

And on her experience with Adrienne, Rosie said…

I found Adrienne’s Instagram prior to getting engaged and I knew that it was something I wanted to do when the time came and I told Lindsay about it over and over again! I was in awe that these were real people captured so perfectly and knew that I needed to see us in that light one day.

I didn’t have to think too hard about our photo choice - this picture reminds me of the peaceful time of the day when it was just the two of us. The added bonus was that my dress, flowers and veil were perfectly placed!

”Adrienne was an absolute dream to work with, from sliding into her DMs years ago to ask some little questions to finally arranging the actual commission, there were no hurdles at all. The whole process was so simple and easy to navigate. It is something that makes me smile every single day and I can’t wait for the day that we can tell our daughter that is actually a prettier version of her mum and dad on the wall.

custom wedding portrait by australian watercolour artist adrienne monteverde, bride and groom painting, illustration, first wedding anniversary gift ideas — Custom Wedding Painting by Adrienne Monteverde

A Note From The Artist:

Rosie contacted me just 2 weeks after her wedding, the wedding feels were still incredibly high and she was so excited to create a custom piece. Her wedding photos weren’t ready just yet, so we placed her on pre-order for later in the year and awaited her professional photos.

As soon as Rosie submitted her favourite photos it was very easy to choose which one I felt would work best for the painting. We went with the beautiful side profile shot that allowed us to incorporate her wedding bouquet front and center. I always recommend side-profile shots to all of my clients - this is because my illustration style is more stylised and focuses on the beautiful detailing of the couple’s outfits rather than a portrait style painting that focuses on the couple’s faces. I also find side profile shots give a much more candid and natural feeling, as it usually shows the couple sharing an intimate moment, which makes the paintings feel so much more personal which we love.