Liz and Richard

Elizabeth Richard AND MUDGEE

LOCAL BUSINESSWOMAN AND ARTS IDENTITY, ELIZABETH WALTON, LITERALLY MOVED MOUNTAINS TO MARRY MUDGEE MAN, RICHARD LAWSON.

Reformed punk rocker turned olive grower Richard Lawson met his media-savvy, Sydney Conservatoriumtrained bride, Elizabeth (Liz) Walton, while reviving a folk festival. Mixing musical genres and career changes, their relationship blossomed with long rambling walks in Blue Mountains gardens and a shared love of drumming.

It wasn’t long before they were planning an autumn wedding and looking for a suitable venue to exchange vows and celebrate their union. “The Catholic church wouldn’t have us as Richard was formerly divorced,” Liz explains. “So we turned to the Uniting Church, where we were teaching music in the church hall.

“Reverend Graeme Gardiner [now located at Springwood Uniting Church with his wife, Reverend Leigh Gardiner] was an absolute godsend, pardon the pun. Neither of us is religious in a conventional sense, though spiritual practices are important to us both. Music, yoga, respect for the land and pagan traditions are closer to our hearts, and Reverend Graeme fully embraced this.”

The “eclectic” ceremony was staged with the practised hand of industry professionals incorporating pagan and ethnic elements. Master drummer Damion Stirling performed African drumming to bless the church, and a crystal circle was arranged before the altar for the couple to stand inside while taking their vows.

After the ceremony, Richard’s students, a group of high school-aged boys in drumming corp uniform, drummed the guests into the hall, then formed a line in front of the wedding party’s table and held a drum roll.

“The wedding party was waiting inside the hall, and during the drum roll we entered the room through a small door behind the wedding table,” says Liz.

The theatrics didn’t stop there. “Cloth, dress and formality are important to us, so we chose a steampunk theme for our wedding because of the amazing opportunity to wear such formal, dramatic, olde-worlde styles,” Liz explains.

Liz’s dress was an 18th century-style ‘à la polonaise’ gown that featured a burgundy and ivory layer over a burgundy silk underlay. The fullness of the gown was created by matching corsetry, with long hoops that were handmade in Tasmania. “The dress was handmade in the US then restitched and fitted locally by Lorna McKenzie, from The Tailor’s Apprentice in Hazelbrook, as a wedding present. She also fitted and restitched Richard’s amazing coat,” Liz adds.

Richard’s wool jacket was handmade by an American Civil War clothier in the US – it was tailored with Austrian knots on the sleeves to resemble the style of a Civil War bandleader. His red shirt was handmade in London, as was Brownie’s (the Best Man). Similarly, the bridesmaids’ dresses were tailored offshore and included corsetry and starched mini hoops.

Styling the church hall became a labour of love for Liz and her friends. “Because we were working at the church, teaching music several days a week, we had a lot of time to work on decorations,” she says. “We layered the ceiling with wire and kilometres of burgundy tulle embellished with handmade crystal chandelier drops, then added fairy lights. The ceiling took over a month to prepare.”

Josie, Liz’s daughter, made 1000 ruby coloured paper cranes, which were placed inside glass goblets on the tables for guests to take home. Mudgee-based artist Sam Paine painted the backdrop for the band as a wedding present.

The 100 guests at the reception were treated to an evening of live music played by Bathurst band Sweet Jelly Rolls, a folky bluegrass duo “with a wicked sense of humour” that played in the courtyard during drinks, along with Squeeze Box Trio, a young quartet from the Penrith region who play gypsy swing, and Honey – Liz and Richard’s own band.

“To fi nish the evening, all the drums from our music school upstairs at the church were brought down, and Rich, Damian and I kicked off the fi rst drum set. Then all of the other musicians and guests joined in,” says Liz. “The live music continued back at our house well into Sunday afternoon.”

Liz recalls the joy that bringing all of their friends and family from the Blue Mountains and Mudgee together gave her: “Walking into the hall when it was full of all our loved ones, after working on the room for so long, was just amazing – I hadn’t realised how beautiful it would look and how touching it would be to have all of our dear friends and family together in one space, sitting underneath the crystals and the soft lights. That they were there to welcome Rich and I being together was really what it was all about.”

And Richard’s most memorable moment from the day? “My wife as she looked at me during the vows… Love!” BML

STYLE FILE

CEREMONY & RECEPTION: Mudgee Uniting Church & Hall CELEBRANT: Reverend Graeme Gardiner (now at Springwood Uniting Church) HAIR: Gwenda Holt from The Head Gardener, Mudgee MAKEUP: Au naturale with a bit of lipstick BRIDE & BRIDESMAIDS: Imported from the US and London GROOM & GROOMSMEN: Imported from the US and London SHOES: Blackheath Family Shoe Store RINGS: Handmade by Pearson C R Jewellery, Gulgong FLOWERS Bridal party: Shiralee Archer By Appointment, Mudgee; Church hall: Elizabeth’s aunt Ann Purcell and mum Pam Walton CAKE: Retired chef Pamela Matheson made and decorated a magnificent carrot cake as a wedding present CATERING: Rachael McCarthy Catering MUSIC: Damion Stirling, Sweet Jelly Rolls, Squeeze Box Trio and Honey TRANSPORT: On foot, as the ceremony and reception were held at same venue DRINKS: Carrington Cellars, Katoomba STATIONERY: Invitations ordered online. Olde English place settings were handmade by Liz, who once worked as a calligrapher

A NOTE ON NAME CHANGES

Liz and Richard struggled with the notion of changing names after they married. “It seems archaic when your career and profile are well established,” says Liz. “Richard offered to change his name and, being musicians, we had a few hilarious road trips inventing new surnames, such as ‘Mr & Mrs 1812 Overture’ (to be played, rather than spoken). Mr & Mrs Bob Marley was another favourite. Our minister was very kind and understood the complexities entirely. “It’s a question of identity,” he told us during our preparation meetings. “You might spend the rest of your life figuring out how you want to respond to the idea of name changes.”