Lilian and Shunt: A Grand New Day
Lilian and Shunt Yessayan tied the knot inside the Great Hall at The University of Sydney
Bride’s gown: Velani
Bride’s shoes: Freelance Shoes
Groom’s suit: Rembrandt
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Love Honor
Photography: Christopher George
Videographer: James Sheppard
Hair & Makeup: Nahren Hair Cheveux
Bridal Hair: Jocelyne Chidiac
Jewellery: Bond Street Jewellers
Flowers: Crazy About Flowers
Styling & Props: Mary Ronis Events
Cake: Pretty Parties
Transport: Silver Cloud Wedding Cars
Entertainment: Mel Como Entertainment, Blackbird, Stole & The Black Train Band
Honeymoon: Hawaii, New York and Vietnam
Words by Eloise Goodman
The vast stretches of green and towering trees of Sydney’s Centennial Park offer, to many, a moment of calm in a busy city, as well as a relaxing place to bask in the sun. This is the case for Lilian and Shunt who often venture to the park, picnic basket in hand, to spend some much-needed time together. Only on this occasion, Shunt gave Lilian the surprise of her life when he proposed one beautiful afternoon as he bent down on one knee pretending to take a photo.
Although having met years before, it was not until heading to the Big Day Out music festival together with friends in the summer of 2010 that the pair began dating. Five years later, they were tying the knot on a stunning spring day.
The bride spent the morning of the wedding having her hair and makeup done, while sipping on drinks. Soon, the whirlwind of the big day started around her. “Everything you have planned starts piecing together, with the flowers arriving, videographer and photographer arriving – and a lot of photos being taken,” Lillian says.
As the bride journeyed to the church, the thought of having the full attention of 310 guests on her and soon-to-be-hubby, Shunt, caused a couple of short-lived nerves to bubble within. However, as Lillian started down the aisle in her gorgeous Velani gown, she describes how ”all nerves fade away as you see each other and everything just comes together”.
Luckily, everything did come together, much to the couple’s relief. The pair admits to booking a few things last minute, which caused a lot of unnecessary stress. And the fact that both Lilian and Shunt come from very large Armenian families and have many groups of friends made deciding on the guest list a bit of a challenge. When the venue for the reception, The University of Sydney’s Great Hall, had a limit on the capacity of guests, the 310 mark was where they had to draw the line.
The Great Hall was fitting for the large number of guests attending the reception. The building, which is more than 150 years old, exudes grandeur with its incredibly high ceilings and large, stained-glass windows. “We loved the grandness of the hall,” Lillian explains, adding that they wanted to keep the grand feel, styling the room in gold and white, with a considerable amount of green foliage among the flowers.
Arriving at the reception to traditional Armenian music, the pair instantly saw how perfectly everything had come together. It’s all too easy to get wrapped up in the individual elements and stress about the colour of the napkins or whether the flowers match the decor, but “once we got to the reception and realised how perfectly it had come together, we knew we just needed to take it in as much as possible as it would soon be over,” Lilian says.
And just like that, it was over in a flash, as Lillian reflects, “It was such a great, big party with a few casual formalities. It was laughs, love, dancing and happy times all round”.
