Making It Official at Leaves & Fishes with statement orchids, rich colour and one very special celebration.
Wedding date: 26 September 2026 | Venue: Leaves & Fishes | Hunter Valley, NSW
Professional photography was captured by Ben Adams Weddings.
The Couple
I first came to know Tish and Nathan through Tish’s mum, Sharon. I have had the joy of working with Sharon many times through her work as a celebrant, so it felt especially lovely when she connected me with her own daughter.
I spoke with Tish at a Leaves & Fishes open day, where she shared how much she wanted me to be involved in their wedding. I was also lucky enough to create the flowers for Tish’s hens celebration, so by the time the wedding arrived, it felt as though I had been part of the journey for a while.
Tish was beautiful to work with. We planned through a mix of café meetings - with our little humans often joining us - emails and social messages. The vision was not decided in one conversation. We slowly worked through the ideas together until everything felt right.
The Vision
Tish was drawn to something rich, moody and a little unexpected, while still feeling romantic and at home within the rainforest setting at Leaves & Fishes.
We worked with white and ivory, deep burgundy, chocolate and sage green, with touches of black coming through in the ribbons and other styling details. Rather than using lots of greenery, the focus was on interesting shapes, beautiful textures and flowers that would create plenty of movement.
It was important that the flowers could move through the venue with the guests. The larger arrangements would begin at the Colonnades before being relocated for the reception, while the smaller pieces would appear in different places throughout the day.
In Bloom
Tish’s bouquet was always going to be a statement. White Phalaenopsis orchids cascaded through the design, alongside burgundy and chocolate cymbidium orchids, anthuriums, hydrangeas, roses, carnations and hanging amaranthus. A generous white ribbon finished it beautifully.
The bridesmaids carried simple white Phalaenopsis orchids tied with black ribbon. Nathan wore a burgundy pocket boutonnière, while the other men wore white. Hallie, the flower girl, had her own little carnation bouquet, which looked so sweet with her black dress.
At the Colonnades, three large arrangements framed the ceremony. They were full of white, ivory, burgundy and deep red flowers, with trailing details that worked beautifully against the height and structure of the space.
The palette continued through the bar flowers, wishing-well arrangement, bud vases and orchids for the cake. Tish and Sharon also supplied grapes and pearl-detailed pears, which added a very personal and slightly playful detail to the larger designs.
The Day
The night before the wedding was a late one as we pulled everything together and worked through the final details. On the day, I had help from my daughter and my cousin Olivia from By Olivia Grace, which I was incredibly grateful for.
There had been plenty of concern about rain. Dark clouds seemed to sit all around us while we worked, but somehow they kept skirting around Leaves & Fishes and everything stayed dry.
Once the ceremony was finished, the large arrangements had to be moved into their reception positions. They were incredibly heavy! Olivia helped me relocate them - in heels and all - which was no small achievement.
The bar and wishing-well arrangements also moved through the venue, allowing the flowers to be enjoyed during the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception rather than staying in one place.
The Moment
Tish was so happy when she first saw her bouquet. The tears did not come straight away, but as she stood with it and the enormity of the day began to sink in, she became quite emotional.
She asked to see some photographs of the finished ceremony space and could not believe her eyes. She told me she was feeling very emotional but was hoping to get all the tears out before the ceremony.
Behind the Scenes
After all our café meetings, messages, decisions and the flowers I had already created for her hens celebration, this moment captured by the photographer felt like such a lovely little full-circle moment.
Client Words
“I honestly can’t thank Michelle from House of Hydrangeas enough for everything she did for our wedding. From the very beginning, she was so warm, lovely and incredibly easy to work with.
Michelle completely understood my vision and went above and beyond to bring it to life. She was so patient, accommodating and creative, and made the whole process feel so easy and exciting.
Seeing everything come together on the day was honestly so special. The flowers were absolutely beautiful and made everything feel even more perfect than I had imagined.
I’m so grateful to Michelle for putting so much care into our day. She truly went above and beyond, and I couldn’t recommend her enough!
Love,
The Shields x”
Creative Team
Venue: Leaves & Fishes — @leavesandfishes
Photography: Ben Adams Weddings — @benadamsweddings
Content creation: Full Circle Branding Studio — @fullcirclebrandingstudio
Hair and makeup: Kouture Hair Bridal — @kouturehairbridal
Celebrant: Sharon Toner Celebrant — @sharontonercelebrant
Live illustrator: Ink and Snow — @ink_and_snow
Photo booth: Scene That Events — @scenethatevents
Music: Wedding Music Sydney — @weddingmusicsydney
Dresses: By Olivia Grace — @byoliviagrace.au
Floral design and styling: House of Hydrangeas — @houseofhydrangeas.au
