Something old, something new

Venue for a showbiz extravaganza one night, setting for a romantic wedding the next: when the bright sparks at Atmosphere event management staged the MTV Australia Awards at the ATP last year, they could see the full potential of our unusual heritage spaces.

James Klein, Atmosphere’s Production Director, knew our industrial architecture would provide just the right backdrop for his sister’s Sydney nuptials. He skipped the bridal register and delivered a spectacular occasion for her instead, as his wedding gift.

Themed around a chic warehouse space in New York, the bride and groom’s home town, the ATP’s Locomotive Workshop and Exhibition Hall were transformed to take 290 guests on a four-part journey, James explains.

“The initial area, where people arrived and the wedding ceremony took place, was illuminated by more than 300 light bulbs, suspended overhead. Guests then moved to an anteroom, with live music and a light buffet. After an hour, the walls opened to reveal a dining room, where the main course was served and speeches were made.”

While everyone was tucking into a kosher feast, prepared by Passion8 Catering, the Atmosphere crew swiftly re-set the second space as a nightclub. When guests moved there for desert and the traditional bridal waltz, followed by music from the 10-piece John Field Band, the wedding reception was in full swing.

This meticulously prepared event looked fabulous and made guests feel the same way too. The picture above speaks for itself, but a couple of details deserve special mention.

Every table decoration in the dining room, designed around the same industrial theme, was a unique creation: generous bunches of fresh flowers bursting out of guttering, twisted wire mesh and other pieces of metal junk. The ceremony was also video-streamed live to about 40 people around the world who could not attend, courtesy of D’nM Wedding Films.

“The Atmosphere team took three months to develop the event, sourcing all the elements, and three days to set it up. The bulbs alone took a crew of four around 15 hours to install,” says James. “Of course, it was worth it. My sister was thrilled.”

It really does help having an event producer in the family to stage your perfect wedding day.

James would like to acknowledge a few other suppliers who also gave him their support: Cairellie Showcraft, GAS Staging and Liquid Group, thank you.

atmosphere.net.au