Some couples come to their wedding with a rulebook. Kylie and Luke came with years together, two kids and one very good reason to throw a party.

Their celebration at Peregrin in Merewether was relaxed and chic. It was full of personality and full of their favourite people. For us, it was a first in two ways. It was our first wedding alongside Gabriella of A Tavola. It was also the debut of a new piece we had been quietly holding onto, waiting for the right couple.

Kylie and Luke were exactly that couple.

A lunch that started it all

Gabriella and I met earlier this year in a thoroughly modern way. She was searching for a luxury wedding stationer in Newcastle. An AI search sent her in our direction.

We met for lunch at Equium Social and connected right away. We share a love of detail. We share a love of texture. We both believe the smallest touches are the ones guests feel first.

Over that lunch I told her about some new products I was itching to launch. I wanted to wait for a couple with the confidence to carry them. Those pieces deserved a wedding with real personality behind it.

A few months later, Gabriella introduced me to Kylie and Luke.

The couple behind the party

Kylie came to A Tavola with a venue and plenty still to figure out. Over three months, Gabriella got to know them both. Together they found the vision and brought it to life through planning, styling and on-the-day coordination.

The result was a cocktail-style celebration with an easy warmth to it. Guests moved between conversations, drinks and dishes as the night unfolded. Everyone in the room was someone the couple genuinely wanted there.

Gabriella summed them up perfectly. The loveliest couple. So much trust. One hell of a party.

That trust matters more than most people realise. When a couple lets their team take a creative leap, something special happens. Kylie and Luke let us leap.

Introducing our hard cover bistro menus

This wedding marked the launch of our hard cover bistro-style menus. They are designed to be held, opened and admired.

For Kylie and Luke, each menu was wrapped in a rich burgundy velvet. A gold monogram sat on the cover. A frosty blue tassel added a cool flash of colour against the rich red. Inside, the menu was printed on luxury card.

A cocktail-style reception has no formal place settings to anchor a menu. So we let them roam. The menus were scattered through the space, resting on tables for guests to discover. People picked them up, flicked through them and passed them along.

That is the joy of a bound menu and all luxury wedding stationery for that matter. It invites touch. The velvet softens the hand. The weight of the cover tells guests this evening has been carefully considered.

It feels like your favourite upmarket bistro. Only this one knows your name and has your monogram on the front.

A drinks list worth reading

A party this good needed a bar menu to match. We paired the bistro menus with oversized drinks menus that listed every single drink on offer at the bar. Then came the cocktail list. It was longer than Kylie and Luke’s road to the altar and every bit as worth the wait.

Peregrin took care of the food and bar beautifully. Our role was to make the offering feel as opulent on paper as it was in the glass. Oversized menus do that perfectly. They make a statement from across the room and give guests something to linger over while they decide.

The little things that made it

The menus led the way, but the details carried the night.

Custom monogrammed cocktail napkins sat beside the drinks. Doily drink coasters added a vintage softness to the tables. A welcome sign greeted guests on arrival and set the tone before a single glass was poured.

For the guest book, we skipped the traditional pages. Instead we created custom playing cards for Kylie and Luke. Guests left their messages across the deck, giving the couple a keepsake they can shuffle through for years or frame as a keepsake. It suited a party with a live magician Liam Power, working the room.

Then there were the espresso martinis. We designed a custom cocktail stencil so each one arrived with a dusted design across the top. It is a tiny detail. It is also the one guests reach for their phones to photograph.

Flowers and the martini tower

The florals by Botanicals by B were divine. Sculptural pieces in the richest colours gave the room depth and drama.

A Tavola created the most luxurious martini tower. Silky burgundy drapery pooled around it, finished with blush and mauve rosettes. It anchored the bar and became the backdrop to countless photos.

Every element spoke to the next. Burgundy velvet on the menus. Burgundy silk on the tower. Rich blooms, soft blush tones and that frosty blue tassel threading a cooler note through it all. The palette held together from the welcome sign to the last espresso martini.

A first worth celebrating

Kylie and Luke gave us the perfect stage for something new. Working alongside Gabriella for the first time felt easy, as if we had done it many times before. The collaboration was every bit as joyful as that first lunch promised.

Our hard cover bistro menus are now available for weddings and events. Choose your fabric, your finish and your monogram. Velvet // linen // leather. Tassel // ribbon // monogram.

Somewhere, a velvet menu now sits on a bookshelf. A deck of playing cards waits for a quiet night in. That is what we love most about this work. The details outlast the evening and keep the story going.

The team

• Planning, styling and coordination: A Tavola @atavolanewcastle
• Florist: Botanicals by B @botanicalsbyb
• Venue, food and bar: Peregrin Merewether @peregrinmerewether
• Celebrant: Hungry Hearts Co @hungryhearts_co
• Photographer: Alex Jack Photography @alexjack.photography
• Content creator: Aniella Batten Content @aniellabatten_content
• Stationery and signage: Wish Boutique Stationery @wishboutiquestationery
• Tiramisu: Tiramisu Newcastle @tiramisu.newcastle
• Live magician: Liam Power Magic @liampowermagic
• DJ and saxophonist: Silent Shout Entertainment @silentshoutent
• Dresses: Grace Loves Lace @grace_loves_lace
• Suit: Rundle Tailoring @rundletailoring