Our real fairy tale: Inside a young couple’s breathtaking dream wedding at Sydney Town Hall with 15,000 roses, 50 chandeliers and a $12,000 cake cut with a sword

A young couple have given a glimpse into their dream wedding after organizing an extraordinary affair with thousands of roses, 50 sparkling chandeliers, 400 guests and an extravagant multi-tiered cake.

Linda Estephan married the love of her life, Amanuel Khoury, at Sydney’s iconic Town Hall on October 14, and the newlyweds didn’t hold back when it came to luxury.

Linda, 25, who works in hospitality, and Amanuel, who works in construction, approached their day with a chic, royal theme in mind. They also asked for a ‘Disney fairy tale’ feel.

And they delivered.

The hall was decorated with 15,000 white and pink roses and beautiful green foliage to create a beautiful courtyard garden. It took Diane Khoury Events staff a whopping 1,000 hours of work to decorate the space; Amanuel has no relationship with Diane or her team.

In addition to the dreamy garden features, there was also an ice sculpture with the couple’s initials engraved on it, a seafood station, a giant royal chandelier and a $12,000 wedding cake that stood 6 feet high and had to be cut with a sword.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Linda said the day felt like a dream and went by so quickly that she wished she could relive it all moment by moment.

The couple knew each other for eighteen months before exchanging vows. Linda met Amanuel, 33, at his sister’s wedding and immediately hit it off before going on a first date a month later in April 2022.

At the time, Linda was focusing on her work and her university studies, so she didn’t date much, but Amanuel convinced her.

“We knew right away we had a connection, so we went on a second date a week later,” she said.

On her wedding day, Linda woke up wracked with nerves and eager to see everything happen.

‘The first half of the day I was quite nervous, especially because I’m so used to being around only mine and Amanuel’s family, so 400 people coming together in one day to see you, to take pictures of you and attract all the attention. was about you and your husband… it was a bit overwhelming,” she said.

“But the moment I stood outside the church and knew I was walking in to see Amanuel to marry him, I was so relaxed and the nerves disappeared.”

The photographer captured the special moment when Linda and Amanuel saw the lobby for the first time, leaving them speechless.

When it came to entertainment, the pair certainly knew how to provide their guests with the best of the best.

Six violinists stood on pedestals that framed the walkway to the bridal table and played as guests arrived to create a “heavenly feeling.” At the end of the walkway were two cellists and two wandering dancers.

There were also four marching band trumpets with custom flags that were played as the couple entered the venue, formally beginning the reception. During the evening a 16-piece instrumental Lebanese band played, with three Arab singers.

The bride and groom were welcomed by a Zaffet – a traditional grand Lebanese entrance – with twelve drummers on the upper balcony level overlooking the reception and four on stage in front of the organ.

Guests were then treated to an aerial performance by Couture Air, with one performer on custom chandeliers and two on silk.

Guests were served a delicious menu starting with traditional Lebanese mezza and fruit platters from the George Khouzame Group.

There was also a live seafood station with oysters, prawns, tuna, smoked salmon, Balmain bugs and fresh sashimi. It rested on a custom-made ice sculpture from Mammoth Ice, which stood six meters long and almost seven meters high.

Appetizers included stracciatella and pan-seared scallops, and entrees included grilled beef fillet au poivre and fried Cone Bay barramundi. For dessert, pavlova and sticky toffee pudding were served, all prepared by the City Hall caterers.

After images of the event were shared online, many were eager to know the answer to one question: how much does an event like this cost?

Linda wouldn’t reveal how much they spent in total, but she did say the cake alone cost $12,000.

Sweet Blooms’ 11-layer masterpiece stood 6 feet tall and due to its height, it was carved with an engraved sword. They chose two flavors: dark chocolate and passion fruit, and pistachio.

The bakers were inspired by the historic organ background of the town hall and used elements of it on the cake. As the cake was being cut, a large drop of confetti fell, framing the entire background.

Linda looked like a princess in the beautiful custom wedding dress from J’Aton Couture. The Australian designer has been worn by Kylie Jenner, Kylie Minogue and Charlize Theron, among others.

She paired the look with jewelry from Tiffany & Co., Cerrone, and custom rings from Jacobsons Jewelery. Her hair was done by Lizzie Liros.

When asked if she would do anything differently, Linda said she wouldn’t change anything.

“Everything was incredible and the memories and experiences I had during the wedding were just perfect,” she said.

No matter what the location looked like, Linda was most excited about marrying her best friend.

“The way I see it, I was going to have an incredible day no matter what, simply because I was getting married to the love of my life,” she said.

‘But what I wanted was for the guests to feel as happy as I did, to know that we cared about them and that we appreciated their company and support on our day, and that their experience on the day was very valuable to us used to be.

‘We’ve all been somewhere [that] has given us so much joy and emotion, and I hope this day has made people feel that way and leave the wedding convinced that there really is such a thing as true love.”

Footage of the incredible setup was shared on the DK Events TikTok page and one video caught the attention of more than 89 million people.

“This is how I imagine my wedding,” one commented, while another wrote: “Fairytale wedding.”

“Every woman deserves a wedding like this,” a third added.

“If this isn’t my wedding, I don’t want it,” said another.