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Inside the wedding of Sydney-based vintage collector, Grace Corby

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEY WILLIS FROM JOEY AND JASE

WORDS BY CAIT EMMA BURKE

“Eventually, I found my incredible 1940s champagne silk gown with its dramatic ruching. I’d not seen anything remotely like it. I loved the texture and the way light and shadow played on the drapery.”

Here at Fashion Journal, we make no secret of our style crush on Grace Corby (see here for proof). A vintage collector and the founder of online store Art Garments, she has a true eye for fashion and impeccable taste in pretty much everything. So it’s no surprise that her recent wedding was a visual delight.

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As soon as our team saw it on our Instagram feed, we knew we wanted to feature it. While we’re not known for our wedding content per se, we couldn’t help but be eager to learn more about the ins and outs of Grace’s wedding, particularly when it came to sourcing her breathtaking vintage dress. Below, she gives us an intimate glimpse into her big day.

How did you meet your partner?

My partner and I met in high school and began dating in grade 10. We’ve been together for 17 years in August.

What venue did you choose for your wedding, and why?

My parents and brother moved to the Northern Rivers a few years ago so we spend a lot of time up there. We checked out a few venues around Byron and Tweed but didn’t want something prepackaged. Naively I wanted to build it all myself to ensure every detail was special. My brother Matt kindly offered us his beautiful property in Rainbow Valley.

Being the namesake of one of his albums, his home when he first moved north and now where he has built a studio to record in, it is somewhere very special to him and to us, nestled in a remote pocket with established tropical grounds. It is a magical place that has to be seen to be believed with multiple clearings throughout which we staged various segments of the day.

Where was your dress from, and what was the process of sourcing it like?

Being a vintage collector and curator by trade it obviously HAD to be vintage! I searched tirelessly and joylessly. It was stressful. I was across 10 different online markets with saved searches I would check daily for new listings. Eventually, I found my incredible 1940s champagne silk gown with its dramatic ruching. I’d not seen anything remotely like it. I loved the texture and the way light and shadow played on the drapery.

I was inspired by the sculptural, surrealist offerings at Danielle Frankel and the playful opulence of Vivienne Westwood. It originally had a higher neckline and short sleeves that I had altered into a spaghetti strap. It is a heavy, quality, hand-crafted vintage treasure.

It made all the joyless searching worth it. For the reception, I changed into a 1980s monochromatic contrast gown by Michael Casey and vintage Roger Vivier platforms. Much more suitable for disco!

What about the groom?

Josh’s suit was from Belance Tailors in Paddington. It was the most luxurious silk/linen blend. A double-breasted bespoke tuxedo with silk bow tie and vintage Dior Homme shoes I sourced for him. He looked so handsome.

In terms of beauty, tell us about the look you went for on the day, and what your inspiration for it was. Did you do your own makeup or use a makeup artist?

I waded through hundreds of beauty looks and found myself gravitating toward looks with a flawless base, strong lip and nude eye. Something striking and minimal and romantic. A far-improved version of my everyday face. I toyed with the idea of having my curls natural on the day but went with the slick bun to match the formality and elegance of the dress.

My makeup artist was Candice September who has recently relocated from Melbourne to the Northern Rivers [and is] very skilled in editorial work. She did an amazing job on my bridesmaids and me.

How about your shoes and accessories?

I sourced a lot of vintage options and brought them all along on the day. On the morning I was supposed to give the girls a ‘fashion show’ of various earring/shoe/tulle combinations but we ran out of time. With about 10 minutes [until the] ceremony, I was having a tense meeting with my bridesmaids about how to place my tulle, which of the 15 pairs of vintage earrings would go best, and which shoes would work with the dress and on the terrain.

I went with a simple pair of matte gold clip-on earrings and black fabric heels, placing the tulle across my shoulders and around my neck for the ceremony and attaching it to my bun afterwards.

Did you choose the bridesmaid’s dresses, or did they select their own?

We worked together! I had been set on chocolate since 2019 and we sourced two Albus Lumen silk gowns that were the perfect shade. Liz and Leisa lightly customised them to make them their own. Lydia wore an ’09 Alexander Wang silk velvet gown and Laura an absolutely fabulous 1980s Victor Costa one-shoulder ruffle dress I tracked down for her.

They all wore vintage earrings I sourced. Their bouquets were simple calla lillies tied with organza ribbon that Leisa made. The girls looked so beautiful.

What type of cake and food did you have on the day?

For food, we had an Italian share feast of plentiful grazing, entrees and three pastas for mains. It was done beautifully by Anise Catering. For cake, we had 150 Portuguese tarts from Baker & Daughters in Mullumbimby. They were much more massive than we were expecting so thankfully [we] had lots of leftovers to keep us sustained throughout the neverending pack-down over the following days.

This article was originally published on May 24, 2022.

You can keep up with Grace here.

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