Stylist Clare Byrne Wore Not One, but Two Area Dresses at Her Wedding in Australia
Alexandra Macon
Stylist Clare Byrne Wore Not One, But Two AREA Dresses at Her Wedding in Australia
My friends Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg design the brand AREA, and I have been working with them since their launch, so it seemed natural that they would make my dress. The whole process only took about 2 months. We are used to working within much shorter timelines so that almost felt like a luxury. This was taken at my first fitting of the ceremony gown. It was exactly what I wanted and felt really personal. For the reception dress, I wanted something that I could dance in. We used the same shape as my ceremony dress but changed the upper and length.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
We worked together on the design. I had seen a Charles James dress from the 70s that I loved and Piotrek sketched options based on that body shape—we landed on this as the final design. The fabric was a big part of the design process and something we actually decided on before the dress. We sourced options and landed on a hammered silk that had a good amount of weight—not too light and the texture was a nice detail. We used the same fabric for both dresses.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
My dad walking me down the aisle. I chose to wear pearl earrings from Céline and simple pumps from Dries Van Noten. I chose a tonal bouquet with some native flowers mixed in.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
I had wanted long sleeves for my dress since it was fall in Australia, but instead of being the cooler day we anticipated, it was almost 100 degrees—nice for our visitors but not ideal for an outdoor ceremony.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
My bridesmaids wore simple dresses from The Row and shoes from Manolo Blahnik. Michael’s groomsmen wore custom suits with Charvet shirts and ties.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Here is one of Michael’s nieces, Eve, just following the ceremony.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
This photo was taken at the drinks that followed the reception. We had cocktails and oysters outside the reception venue.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Hannah and Thomas, both visiting from New York.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Piotrek (one half of Area), Kareem, and Matt.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Guests mingling.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
The venue overlooked the Hawkesbury River, which is about an hour’s drive from Sydney.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Our ceremony took place overlooking the river, pictured here at sunset.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
When it came to our wedding venue, the most important aspect was food. We had a small wedding, which meant we could really focus on this.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Michael went to Australia a week earlier than me the year before the wedding, so he actually chose the venue and just took me to see it when I arrived.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
The property is owned by Martin Boetz, a chef who moved out of the city to focus on events and sourcing local produce for restauranteurs. We used the space itself as a starting point to inform the rest of the aesthetic. We had a big, leafy ceiling installation by Dani Butchart and not much else in terms of florals.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Our friends Matt and Helen.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
We had around 80 guests. It proved to be a nice number for us, and we were able to speak to everyone there and make the most of everyone’s company—this was especially important to us as we had guests traveling from so far.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
The environment and atmosphere were relaxed. It was nice that so many of our friends came out the week prior, as most people were able to meet and get to know each other ahead of the wedding.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Michael at the reception .
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
We had toasts from our parents and friends.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Sam and Charlotte, my bridesmaids.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Nate and Allison. Poor Nate.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Michael and I said a few words before we cut the cake, which was an orange cake with Persian figs and pistachios.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
After the reception, we had music and dancing. A year or so before the wedding, Michael and I decided that anytime we heard a song that made us want to dance we’d save it. A week before the wedding we sent that list to our DJ, who based the playlist around that.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Seemed to work out!
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
My mother wearing DVF by Jonathan Saunders—the fun print and color was very much her vibe. She’s pictured dancing with Michael’s dad.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Champagne.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
More champagne . . .
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
I changed into my second dress shortly after our first dance. I’m lucky I wasn’t dropped on my head.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Michael is pictured here with his twin brother and their twin nieces on the dance floor—a really fun moment.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Michael, his best man Brendo, and their friend Matt.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
A photo of us leaving at the end of the evening. Our driver did not arrive as planned, so we hid in our car and watched our guests leave—some were singing with bottles of Champagne in hand—which will always be a funny memory.
Photo: Courtesy of Clare Byrne
Clare Byrne and Michael Moffatt’s love story started back in school. “We lived in the same student residence at Sydney University and became close friends,” the fashion stylist remembers of how she initially got to know Michael, who’s now an engineer. “It was a couple of years until we started dating, but we’ve been together for over 10 years now, which included a long-distance stint between the United States and Australia.” Eventually, Michael took Clare to Shelter Island for her birthday and proposed with a gold, vintage-style engagement ring after dinner one evening during a big storm. “Apparently that’s a good omen,” she adds.
Once the excitement of their newly engaged status had sunk in a bit, Clare and Michael—who are now both New York City–based—started searching for a venue in their home country, all from the other side of the world. They ultimately chose Cooks Co-op, about an hour drive from Sydney on the Hawkesbury River. “Michael went to Australia a week earlier than me the year before the wedding, so he actually chose the venue and just took me to see it when I arrived,” Clare explains.
The property is owned by Martin Boetz, a well-known chef who moved out of the city to focus on events and sourcing local produce for other restauranteurs in Sydney. “We used the space itself as a starting point to inform the rest of the aesthetic,” Clare says of how she and Michael approached the wedding planning process sans an event planner. “We were able to organize our own alcohol, which was perfect as we had fun selecting a mix of our favorite wines and cocktails.” The wine served at the wedding was actually chosen by committee. “We had dinner with friends the week ahead of the wedding and voted on some of the local Australian wines!”
As one might expect of a stylist bride, Clare was able to call upon industry friends for help with her wedding day look. “I work closely with the brand Area, and the designers, Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg, are two of my closest friends,” Clare explains. “Piotrek and I met when we both first moved to New York, so it seemed natural that they would design my dress, and it made the process quite relaxed.” The first step was finding the fabric—they spoke to several mills and eventually decided on a double-faced hammered silk. “It had a nice weight and draped well. I wanted something quite simple, but the hammered texture was a nice detail. Piotrek sketched some ideas, and we chose the design about two months out. I had my first fitting a month before the wedding.”
The ceremony dress had sleeves, so Area designed a second one without sleeves for the reception. “It was based on the same shape of the first dress, but shorter and easier to dance in,” Clare says. “I’m really glad we did that!” She wore a pair of baroque-pearl and crystal earrings from Céline and comfortable shoes by Dries Van Noten. For hair and makeup, Clare really just wanted to feel like herself, so she had her friend Nadine Monley create her wedding day beauty look using the products she normally wears. Comfort and ease were top of mind for the bridesmaids as well. They were all given instructions to choose a simple black dress they felt best in.
At 4:00 p.m. on March 17, the ceremony was held in a clearing overlooking the Hawkesbury River. “My father walked me down the aisle, and Michael and I each had a couple of our closest friends by our side,” Clare says. “I was excited and nervous, but it was also hot! It was 95 degrees, which was a real curveball as it was fall in Australia.”
After the service, guests moved into the reception space, where there was a big, leafy ceiling installation by Dani Butchart and not much else in terms of florals. “We had oyster shuckers and cocktails outside the venue followed by dinner—roast lamb shoulder and ocean trout—with toasts by both of our parents as well as our bridesmaids and groomsmen.” The guests included friends from New York as well as London and all over Europe. Most flew in the week ahead of the wedding, so there were dinners, beach days, and lots of time spent together in the lead-up to the main event. “This meant that all of our friends and family were able to meet and get to know each other before the wedding itself,” Clare says. “The reception felt like a big party at the end of an already incredible week.”
The evening wasn’t totally surprise-free, though. “At the end of the night, for some reason, the driver didn’t arrive to take us back to the cottage we were staying in,” Clare says. “So we hid in our car and watched all of our guests leaving—singing with Champagne bottles in hand—which was really funny to see!”
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