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Dunbar House Wedding

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Wedding Photographer

Richard Johnston

At Lonely Hunter, we only photograph a limited number of weddings each year and do book out quite far in advance.
Don't leave it until we are already booked before you decide to make an enquiry..

Alice & Ben – Dunbar House Watson’s Bay

Can you tell us a little about yourselves?: Ben and I met in uni whilst studying Occupational Therapy. We were very good friends for almost a year before anything more serious happened. We have been together for almost 8 years. We connected on a love for going out, being with friends, seeing live music and travelling. We spent close to 3 years living overseas in London where we got to enjoy all of our favorite things. I know everyone says it but we really are best friends. We added a beautiful pup (border collie cross poodle) called Rocko to our family at Christmas and we are obsessed with him.

How did the proposal take place that lead to your Dunbar House wedding?: Ben proposed to Alice in December of 2020 at Tower Bridge in London. This was Alice’s favourite place in London and she would drag Ben there over and over again. Ben had apparently intended on proposing in the French Alps over New Years where we were supposed to be holidaying with some of our favorite people, however England entered its second lockdown and those plans were thrown out. Ben was hoping to wait until restrictions had lifted but got nervous having the ring in our tiny studio flat in north London, so panicked one day and insisted on a bike ride to Tower Bridge. At this point Alice began to cotton on as this wasn’t normally something Ben would suggest doing. Sure enough he proposed and as it was lockdown we celebrated with takeaway prosecco from Borough Markets. We had to wait the following 10 hours for our family and friends to wake so we could tell them the good news.

What have you learnt about each other since being together?: We have learnt its dangerous game going bowling together as we are too competitive and will end up playing too many rounds in an attempt to beat each other. We have learnt we are obsessed with puppies and that family and friends come first. Family is always number one but any time with our friends is more important to us than time alone. Alice has learnt that Ben has an obsession with ABBA. Ben has learnt to love travel and enjoy fine dining as much as Alice. Ben is an old soul who acts very extroverted but is afraid of meeting new people. Ben can find the funny side to almost everything that happens. He is contagiously optimistic although at times it’s at the expenses of being a realist. Ben has learnt that Alice can be a balance of serious/organised and throw herself into everything and anything she finds meaningful. She also enjoys the light and playful sides to things and just wants to have a good time.

Tell us a little about the vision you had for your Dunbar House wedding?: We were aiming for the perfect balance of traditional and modern. Ben and I come from very traditional catholic families and whilst this might not be our view, we feel having a catholic ceremony pays respects to each of our grandparents. From then on we just wanted great food, ridiculous amounts of alcohol and for everyone to have fun. We wanted everyone to leave our Dunbar House wedding with full stomachs and full hearts.

Why did you select Dunbar House in Watson’s Bay for your wedding?: We felt the Dunbar House, being an 1800s manor helped stick to the traditional vibe, however, serving amazing modern contemporary food. The view from the balcony is second to none and we got amazing weather! We also loved the idea of people being able to walk between the ceremony and reception as well as a pub within walking distance for guests to hang at whilst we are having photos taken.