Mike and Soner married on August 27th, six years to the very date they fell in love. True romantics, the couple kept their wedding day graceful and timeless- “the heart of our wedding day was all about our love for each other” Mine and Soner exchanged heartfelt vows by the Lily Pond at Centennial Parklands and celebrated by Sydney Harbour with an intimate reception at Ottoman Cuisine.
Mine’s stunning Oscar De La Renta gown

“When Soner and I were engaged, we exchanged promise rings bound by a red ribbon. This tradition continues on the wedding day. My brother and I shared a wonderful moment where he tied a red ribbon around my waist as a symbol of my love, promise and faithfulness to my groom, as in Soner is the only one that can untie that knot!”

“A Turkish wedding is meant to be a public display that a celebration of marriage is taking place. Outside my parents home we had musicians and a crowd of family and friends awaiting Soner’s arrival with his entourage to carry out the “gelin alma” tradition, literally meaning to get the bride and start the party! The bride’s family play funny games by deliberately forcing the groom to succumb to comical demands or even requests for money, otherwise he cannot enter the threshold!
Eventually Soner stumbled inside and I will never forget the ecstatic expression on his face when we finally got to see each other – I reacted with sheer excitement as soon as I saw my handsome groomy! My father walkd me out my childhood home which then triggered the dancing on the front yard.” – Mine

Mine and Soner incorporated their Turkish heritage into their wedding day with clever and unique touches; “Soner and I both grew up in Sydney however because of our Turkish heritage we wanted to implement some of our culture for a personalised touch. Our stationary included details of the Istanbul and Sydney skyline which represented our love for both cities. We had the same skyline design on our cake made by the talented artists from Cake Occasions – it was absolutely exquisite and yummy too!

A traditional Turkish band wowed our guests and kept them dancing through the night. “We had traditional drums and pipes going off at one point during the night and all our guests held one another to do the “halay” which is a traditional Turkish folk dance. It was a great moment seeing everyone with their big genuine smiles as they circled around us on the dance floor!”- Mine

Mine on the wedding venues:
“We had a lovely ceremony with our close family and friends by the Lily Pond at Centennial Parklands. It was the perfect outdoor setting I was looking for. The surroundings were gorgeous without the need for any additional decor. We exchanged heartfelt vows in Turkish based on our promise to love, respect, trust and commit to each other for the rest of our lives. At the end of the ceremony when our celebrant announced us as husband and wife, it was such a surreal and powerful moment!

We knew exactly where we wanted to have our reception, an intimate venue that had its own ambience. Ottomans Cuisine at Walsh Bay was our first and only choice for this reason. The decor is a combination of modern and old with exposed timber beams and a ceiling adorned with hanging tulip lamps. There is nothing prettier than a floor to ceiling view of the Sydney Harbour and it was lovely to be able to step outside onto the terrace with our guests.”

The Wedding Favours:
“For our favours, we had custom made copper “cezves” (Turkish coffee pot) with our names and wedding date engraved on the outer side. We added satchels of Turkish coffee, sugared almonds and instructions on how to brew the perfect cup which was a real hit with our guests!”

On the first dance:
“We had our first dance to “Yellow” by Coldplay. We interpret this song as a romantic devotion to each other as it speaks of an unconditional love of someone making you feel “yellow” on the inside – and I was absolutely glowing on the inside and outside from happiness!”

On the special moments:
“I had a teary moment when my sister shared a touching story of our parents when they said goodbye to Turkey and started a new life in Australia. It was a story of my father’s strength and my mother’s courage and spirit – I felt a great sense of pride being their daughter and to be part of such a beautiful loving family.”

Wedding surprises:
“Soner gave me the best wedding surprise by singing “You Make Me Smile” by Uncle Kracker. It was totally unexpected because whenever we’re in the car together, I am always the one rocking the radio and hitting the high notes with terrible execution. I would tease him and make a point of it that he never sings along so I was absolutely blown away and cuddled him straight after his sweet gesture!”

On the photography:
“We felt very strong about having a candid style of photography. We wanted to have beautiful romantic shots using natural light so we were confident Tealily Photography were the perfect choice to achieve this. Every beautiful moment and emotion was captured and we didn’t even know they were there! They are so highly talented and enthusiastic, we couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Mine & Soner’s Wedding Style Guide
Photographer: Tealily Photography, Sydney
Videographer: Steven Mileski
Dress: Oscar De La Renta
Brides shoes: Jimmy Choo
Venue: Ottoman Cuisine, Walsh Bay
Suits: Calibre
Bridesmaids dresses: Carla Zampatti
Stationery: Watermarx Letterpress, Brookvale
Cake: Cake Occasions, Paddington
Make up: Captivating Looks