Love in bloom
Story MICHELLE TESORIERO Images PICTUREMAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Leanne Kristallis met Damien Alexiou at a party they both almost avoided for fear of not knowing anyone. Damien says he spotted Leanne across the room and approached her at the buffet. It was love at first bite, say the couple who have been together ever since.
Leanne was a bit suspicious when Damien took her to the botanical gardens to see the Sydney in Bloom exhibition only to discover the exhibition did not start for another week. Deciding to nevertheless take a stroll, Leanne says her suspicions were heightened when Damien - blaming a sore knee that he had recently had surgery on - insisted on having a rest in one of the garden’s rotundas. Once in the rotunda, Damien knelt down on his good knee, and proposed. They celebrated over a champagne-infused lunch at Wildfire where two dozen roses were waiting.
But celebrations were soon displaced by organisation. "I never realised how much organisation is involved in preparing for a wedding,” Leanne exclaims. She was grateful that her two brothers and a number of friends had recently tied the knot and were able to pass on some valuable wedding tips. Even so, Leanne says every day she had off work was spent on the road with her mum organising her day. “It was fun but very tiring."
Leanne and Damien had a traditional Greek ceremony at St George Greek Orthodox Church in Rose Bay. They were delighted the priest that married them had also christened them and married Leanne’s parents.
Leanne looked gorgeous in a gown from Velani by Nicky. It featured a sheer hand-sewn French lace bodice and a soft silk and tulle skirt. She wore shoes from Alan Pinkus. Her bridesmaids wore soft, flowing champagne chiffon gowns and carried bouquets bursting with sweet peas, roses and camellias, which were arranged by Flowers on Norton. Equally well dressed were Damien and his groomsmen who wore suits from Peppers in Double Bay.
The wedding reception was held at The Stamford Plaza in Double Bay and looked breathtaking. At the centre of each table was a 1m towering vase of white Singapore orchids surrounded by burning votive candles. Guests were well sated with a feast of salmon, prawns, barramundi and beef medallion. Between dances, Leanne and Damien cut their wedding cake, which was two-tiered and adorned with sugared champagne-coloured orchids.
Leanne says Damien’s speech caused quite a stir. “It left all the women in the room crying - including myself - and it left the men angry because their wives were upset they didn’t get such a speech at their weddings!”
Pictureman Photography captured the day and Leanne and Damien were delighted with their album, which includes shots taken at Nilson Park and at the lighthouse in Vaucluse.
After the frenetic experience of organising a wedding, the couple were looking forward to relaxing on their honeymoon. They spent a few days at Silky Oaks tree top cabins in the Daintree Rainforest before taking a helicopter to Heron Island for some scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. "Australia is beautiful," Leanne sighs.
Images: Pictureman Photography