A high school party, an exchange of mobile numbers, and a summer spent together was all it took for RUSSH’s beauty editor, Emily Algar, to know that she was “totally obsessed” with her now-husband, Andrew Morello. The pair met when they were just 15, in their hometown of Port Stephens. They lived one street away from each other and both took the same bus from the same stop – as far as fairytales go, their story is about as perfect as it gets.
But despite being together for now almost 15 years, marriage was never a priority for the couple. “I was never dying to be a bride,” Emily shared. “We’d had some conversations about it, but nothing overly serious about a wedding or a ring.” To her surprise, Andrew had his own plans, turning their September 2022 trip to Sicily (where his family are from) into an unforgettable memory.
“WE WERE STAYING AT A VILLA IN THE HILLS OF MOUNT ETNA. ONE MORNING BEFORE BREAKFAST, HE GOT DOWN ON ONE KNEE AND PRO- POSED. NO ONE WAS AROUND – IT WAS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.”
“I’d known for years that I wanted to marry Em, but wanted the proposal to be really memorable and somewhere that had meaning to both of us,” shared Andrew. “Anyone who knows me knows I am super particular about the weather, and there was a little cloud that was hanging around, so I waited until our third day in Mount Etna when the skies finally cleared.”
“Even after all these years, I was still so nervous – so much so that I even opened the ring box upside down! Em was speechless, it was priceless. She couldn’t believe I had organised it all without her input.”
THE LOCATION... A BIG SUMMER DINNER PARTY AT KRINKLEWOOD ESTATE
With the memory of their proposal in mind, the pair initially wanted to host their wedding celebrations overseas but didn’t want close friends and family who were unable to travel to miss out. The solution was to bring the energy of the European summer that followed their engagement to Australia, resulting in a luxurious, big summer dinner party that transformed the grounds of Krinklewood Estate in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley into a Tuscan dream.
“We wanted to transport everyone somewhere else for the night through food, music, scents, feeling...” shared Emily. “The Hunter Valley wasn’t really on my radar, but when we visited Krinklewood, we both instantly fell in love. We didn’t look at any other venues.”
“Not only is it beautiful, but it’s very close to where we both grew up and they produce some of our favourite natural wines. They had two summer weekends left for 2024, so we picked the earliest date and made it happen in just five months.”
“WE STARTED WITH A LATE AFTERNOON CEREMONY, FOLLOWED BY AN APERITIVO HOUR BEFORE MOVING ONTO DINNER, SPEECHES AND THEN DANCING. THE ENTIRE NIGHT WAS PLANNED OUTSIDE AND THE WEATHER WAS PERFECT.”
A self-professed amateur when it comes to admin, Emily chose to work with Brooke from The State of Studio to bring her and Andrew’s vision to life. Sentimental as ever, the pair drew inspiration for the day from restaurants and hotels across the world that they love; avoiding anything that felt too feminine or overly styled.
“I wanted all the styling to feel as if it had always been there. We used a lot of vintage lace that was crocheted by our late Nannas, and the tablecloth we used on our signing table was made by Andrew’s Great Grandmother,” shared Emily.
“The mix of silver, pewter and crystal vessels for the flowers also helped to give the styling the lived-in feel we were after; nothing was too uniform and the florals that Simone from Rosa Rosa created were
so organic in shape, wild and green. It felt as if they had been clipped straight from the garden.”
Scattered amidst the silver candelabras that lined the banquet-style tables in the courtyard, keepsake matchbooks – hand- drawn by Emily – encouraged guests to keep the flames alight as the afternoon set into dusk. Served family style, a delicious alfresco dinner, courtesy of Fennel & Co Catering, featured endless antipasti, followed by a spread that included slow cooked lamb shoulder, twice roasted potatoes and paired with Krinklewood’s own wine. Emily’s favourite? “Their Orange served with ice is the best summer drink.”
“UP UNTIL THE DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING, WE HAD NO CAKE (I FORGOT TO PICK IT UP). SO, MY SISTER SOURCED A CHEESECAKE LAST MINUTE THAT WE TOPPED WITH RASPBERRIES. A FRIEND OF ANDREW’S EVEN MADE US A CUSTOM DESSERT KNIFE, WITH THE WORDS ‘I’LL NEVER DESSERT YOU’, ENGRAVED.”
From the cake to the venue, fate was an underlying theme throughout the entire wedding process for Emily and Andrew – and finding her wedding dress was no different. “I happened to be in New York with my Mum the same week that we had locked in our venue. Having always admired Danielle Frankel’s contemporary approach to bridal, I booked a showroom appointment,” shared Emily.
“Initially, I felt this urge to choose something unexpected, but in the end I settled on the style that felt the most me.
It was the first dress I tried on. I paired it with my late Nanna’s veil – a cathedral- length with a scalloped edge – and kept my accessories simple.”
“I wore a pair of Olivia Bond diamond huggies (a birthday gift from Andrew), my engagement ring, a sapphire ring that belonged to my Nanna as my ‘Something Blue’, and a white boxy purse I picked up from a vintage store in London. My mum also gifted me a very sweet Cartier bracelet the morning of, which was the perfect, unexpected addition.”
“I ALSO GOT READY IN A WHITE LACE SLIP AND SILK SKIRT FROM MAISON ESSENTIELE. THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR IS A DEAR FRIEND OF MINE, SO TO BE ABLE TO START SUCH A MEMORABLE DAY WEARING HER PIECES WAS VERY SPECIAL.”
Following dinner, Emily slipped into a vintage black YSL dress she bought from ReSEE in Paris during her recent travels – a natural transition from her ivory gown as she “wears black almost exclusively in real life”. Styled with a pair of Aquazzura stilettos she already had in her wardrobe, her second look was the perfect accompaniment to Andrew’s custom suit by P. Johnson Tailors.
THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT FROM THE DAY...
“It’s an obvious one but reading our own vows. I’d marry Andrew 100times over just to relive that moment. They were so honest and heartfelt; I can’t believe they were spoken to me.”
