GEORGIA + ALEX

THE CHARM OF THE NSW SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS INSPIRES A COUPLE TO CREATE THEIR PERFECT CELEBRATION.

A stylist and a chef celebrate with friends and family in the NSW Southern Highlands.

AN WANTED “WE Y ECEREMON INTIMAT ECEPTION .” R ANDAFUN

IT TOOK MONTHS of sitting alone — waiting, hoping — in each other’s favourite Vietnamese restaurants before Sydney couple Georgia Ashdown and Alex Watts were finally able to act on their mutual attraction. Initially introduced by friends, the couple — Georgia, 38, a stylist, Alex, 40, a chef and owner of Runcible Spoon cafe in Camperdown — share a love of food, and their wedding, proved the perfect opportunity to launch the catering and events arm of their popular foodie blog, Dish-pig. “We wanted an intimate ceremony and a fun reception,” Georgia says of their NSW Southern Highlands wedding, which started with a ceremony with family in the rambling gardens of Red Cow Farm in Sutton Forest, and ended with friends at a buffet-style reception at the Glenquarry Peace Memorial Hall. Dinner was served in a marquee on the back lawn: “The food was great,” says Georgia. “Alex spent months preparing the menu.” A bar and rockabilly band added to the atmosphere. Georgia’s styling for the day was inspired by the country setting and the cotton-linen napkins she had made as bomboniere. These feature prints from textile designer and friend Emilie Cacace of Andéol, and have “a bit of a whimsical, Australiana feel to them,” says Georgia. The napkins also became a reference for florist Selena Murray, who created arrangements with a handpicked feel. The couple’s two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Gigi, and Alex’s children, Noah, seven, and Arthur, six, played an important part, as did the long list of friends and family who helped create a day Georgia and Alex call “magical”.