It has been six months since the greatest party of our lives (which is what I have taken to calling our wedding) and I can hardly believe it is already that long. With good intentions, I had planned to post this just after our honeymoon, but with a fledgling food photography and styling business that decided to hit the next level at around the time of our wedding, I’ve only just found myself with enough headspace and time to sit down and write this. Also, I think one benefits from the clarity that comes with the distance of time.
Scotty and I have been together for 8 years. After 7 years, many completely unsubtle hints from my Italian father and a phone call to Italy to ask for my hand in marriage, Scott proposed.
We decided to marry in southern NSW in Kangaroo Valley given my family already had to travel over from Western Australia. The stunning Melross and Willows Farm played host and both sides of the family stayed on the property for four days giving us all the chance to spend some much needed quality time together. An early disclaimer: the wedding photos are taken by the gorgeous and supremely talented Ona Janzen of Whisper Weddings, and the limoncello making photos are mine.
Credit: Ona Janzen|Whisper Weddings
I began a year long journey planning the details of our wedding (especially the food), while Scott designed our invitations, signage and collateral, and turned his mind to Limoncello. Scott fell in love with Limoncello during our family trip to Italy for dad’s 70th birthday a couple of years prior and ever since it has been one of his favourite tipples.
Limoncello is a delicious Italian lemon liqueur served largely as an after dinner drink. It is traditionally made from incredible fragrant lemons in Southern Italy and is made by steeping lemon zest in rectified spirit for a couple of weeks and then adding simple syrup to sweeten it and to bring it down to a reasonable alcohol percentage. The high proof alcohol extracts the natural lemon oils from the zest so the most fragrant organic lemons will make the best limoncello.
After discovering it in Italy, Scott began a limoncello obsession by buying bottles of it from various producers and deciding what he liked best, then he began figuring out how to make it. The first couple of batches used regular vodka as a base but they would partially freeze once the sugar syrup was added. He then began using high proof alcohol to counteract the freezing and started to make some incredible batches. The best batch to date was one we made at my family holiday home in Mandurah in Western Australia, using lemons my father had grown on his giant lemon trees.
All this testing meant that three months before the wedding, with 100 organic lemons from the area around Kangaroo Valley (gifted by a very kind friend), we were ready to make 100 small bottles of limoncello to give to our guests as bonboniere (wedding favours).
The verdict? Our guests absolutely loved the limoncello. Intended to be served chilled from the freezer, many of our guests couldn’t wait to take a sip on the night. There was something magical about giving our a guests a gift that Scott and I made with our own hands, using lemons from the region where we got married.
Credit: Ona Janzen | Whisper Weddings
Scott has done all the work for you, testing numerous batches of limoncello so that we could give our guests the perfect tipple – and you the perfect recipe. I’ve listed the recipe below with the full method, our tips and tricks to make it as easy as possible, and the ratio of simple syrup you’ll need just before bottling. It is an incredibly simple recipe and method that only requires a little effort at the beginning, a little effort at the end, and a couple of weeks in the back of the cupboard in the middle.
Stay tuned because after the recipe, I’ve included more of Ona’s wonderful photos from our wedding (and listed our wedding suppliers in case you were interested).
Homemade Limoncello
Ingredients
- 500ml bottle of rectified spirit (see notes)
- 10 organic lemons
- 1L water
- 4 cups granulated sugar
Directions
To prepare the lemons, carefully remove the lemon zest with either a peeler or a paring knife. Make sure that you remove just the zest and not the white pith as inclusion of the pith will make the final product bitter.
Pour the rectified spirit into a large jar and add the lemon zest (you need to make sure your vessel has an opening big enough to remove the lemon skins once you are finished). Screw on the lid and turn over a couple of times. Then, place in the back of a dark cupboard for two weeks, turning the jar every week.
After two weeks, the lemon oils will have permeated the alcohol and the liquid will be a rich yellow. Remove and discard the lemon zest and then measure out the remaining liquid (it should still be around 500ml). Place the liquid in a large vessel that can hold around 1.75-2L of liquid.
To make the simple syrup, combine 1L water and 4 cups sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved and then set aside to cool completely. Once cool, measure out 1085ml of simple syrup and add it to the lemon liquid (you can store the remaining simple syrup in the fridge and use it for cocktails). Transfer the liquid into bottles with secure lids and store in the freezer. Serve chilled straight from the freezer in a liqueur glass as a digestivo (after dinner drink).
Notes
- The first note is a warning about the rectified spirit. Rectified spirit is pure spirit vodka that sits at about 95% alcohol - It is incredibly strong and shouldn't be drunk in its native state (one sniff of the liquid will prove how strong it really is). In Australia, you can rarely buy it in a shop and you will need to order it to be delivered. We buy "Polmos Spirytus Rektykiowany" brand from Nick's Wine Merchant's here. It is $70AUD a bottle, which seems very expensive, but it will make you 1.5L of limoncello which is normally $40-$50AUD for 500ml when purchased ready made - so in the long run it is more cost effective.
- You will only use the lemon skins to make limoncello but don't waste the lemon flesh, use it to make lemon jam.
- The simple syrup is made at a ration of 1:1 - 1 cup water to every 1 cup sugar. This simple syrup is what sweetens the limoncello and brings the alcohol content down from 95%.
- This recipe makes more simply syrup than you will need, but it is always better to have more on hand to ensure the perfect alcohol percentage of limoncello is reached. You can store left over simple syrup in the fridge and use it to make cocktails.
- The final alcohol percentage of this limoncello is 30%. We find this ratio is perfect for our tastes, and ensures that the limoncello stays liquid in the freezer.
Ratios
The beauty of Limoncello is that you can adapt it to your tastes. We wanted to give you all the tools you need to do this yourself once you have tried ours. If you want to make a smaller or larger batch of limoncello, or even change the alcohol percentage (and hence the sweetness) to your tastes, then you only need one tool. We calculate all of our ratios using this great Limoncello Alcohol Percentage Calculator from Limoncello Quest. This calculator will tell you how much simple syrup you will need to achieve any desired alcohol percentage. You will need to put in how much rectified spirit you used (in ml), what the alcohol percentage of the rectified spirit is (in the case of this recipe it is 95%) and then your desired final limoncello alcohol percentage.
The Wedding
Credit: Ona Janzen | Whisper Weddings
Location
Melross and Willows Estate provided an incredible backdrop for our wedding. Their barn space is the perfect amount of contemporary country without being kitsch. It had concrete floors, plywood ceilings, a great commercial kitchen, and a backdrop to die for. They offer two houses that each sleep ten as part of the wedding booking, but we also arranged to hire their Cottage which was perfect for Scott and I (because, nobody needs to spend their wedding night in the same house as their family!).
A big thanks to John and Terrene for providing an incredible backdrop.
Melross and Willows Estate
Kangaroo Valley, NSW
melrossfarm.com.au
Credit: Ona Janzen | Whisper Weddings
Hair and Makeup
This was a true family affair. My father and brother are hairdressers and my sister-in-law also happens to be a beauty therapist, and so they all (together with help from my sister) turned me into a 1950s vixen. They also made my mini maids look gorgeous!
If you happen to be in Western Australia and in need of an incredible haircut or beauty treatment, head to Museo, run by my brother and sister-in-law and let them take care of you.
Museo, Skin & Spa
Merakai, Hair by Museo
Perth, WA
museo.com.au
Credit: Ona Janzen | Whisper Weddings
The Dress
I knew I wouldn’t find the dress I wanted on a rack anywhere – I wanted it to have some colour, I wanted it to be cocktail length, and I wanted a cape. After meeting with a number of designers who didn’t quite get what I was going for, I finally met Philippa Galasso who actually listened to me and sketched up the dress on the spot. She absolutely nailed it and created the most incredible dress I have ever worn. She made a curvy girl feel completely gorgeous and comfortable which is no mean feat!
Philippa Galasso
Surry Hills, NSW
philippagalasso.com
Credit: Ona Janzen | Whisper Weddings
The Flowers
Holly Hipwell from The Flower Drum is possibly one of the coolest people you will meet. Insanely creative, totally on point and a pleasure to have around, her florals were spectacular. She nailed the brief with rich berry colours, a contemporary floral display for the ceremony, and a ceiling of flowers and greenery hanging over our guests during the dinner.
Holly Hipwell, The Flower Drum
Avalon, NSW
theflowerdrum.com.au
Credit: Ona Janzen | Whisper Weddings
The Photography
It goes without saying, but Ona Janzen from Whisper Weddings is not your average photographer. She was the first person we booked for our wedding because the moment we saw her work we knew instantly that she was the photographer for us. Her way of seeing weddings is completely fresh and she captured incredible moments that we hadn’t noticed at the time. She is also one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet!
Ona Janzen, Whisper Weddings
Blue Mountains, NSW
whspr.com.au
Credit: Ona Janzen | Whisper Weddings
The Food
We knew that we wanted the food to celebrate my Italian heritage and Scott’s love of Italian food so we enlisted the help of Cook and Waiter. They are an incredible bespoke caterer who travelled down to Kangaroo Valley from Bondi just to feed our guests.
The food absolutely delivered, and is still one of the most talked about parts of our wedding. Immediately following the ceremony we had cocktails on the lawn and set up a giant Crostini Bar. Once guests moved into the Barn, we sat everyone at three extra long banquet tables so that everyone was close and Scott and I sat in the middle of our guests (segregating us to a bridal table would never have worked for us).
We then served an Italian banquet share meal with everyone encouraged to serve themselves (made it much easier for dietary requirements too). Following dinner, while everyone was up and dancing, we served trayed Italian doughnuts which were the best doughnuts I’d ever eaten (most of our guests confessed later that they were guilty of eating 6+ doughnuts each). We didn’t have a wedding cake… because doughnuts are way better than cake!
Cook & Waiter
Bondi, NSW
cookandwaiter.com.au
Credit: Ona Janzen | Whisper Weddings
The Music
The moment we came across the guys at We Play Record guys, we knew we’d hit the jackpot. These guys are proper music nerds in that they know their stuff. They set up turntables behind old vintage record players and spend the whole night spinning vinyl that perfectly aligns with the vibe in the room. I haven’t included photos of us all dancing because we danced like nobody was watching.
We Play Records
Wollongong, NSW
weplayrecords.com.au
Credit: Ona Janzen | Whisper Weddings
THANK YOU!
- A big thank you to our Celebrant, the incredibly warm, kind and joyful Rebecca:Celebrant. She walked us through the whole process and gave us an incredible tailored and personal ceremony! You can find her here.
- To the cutest nieces a girl could have (Sage, Stella and Anais) thank you for being such gorgeous mini maids… and for throwing me that awesome kitchen tea. Still bummed we didn’t have fairy bread! Thanks also to my nephew Bryson who so badly wanted to play violin on the day but couldn’t due to a sporting injury.
- Thanks to the gorgeous Justine, who ran the day for me like clockwork. It gave me the opportunity to just focus on enjoying the day – I could never have done it without you!
- Thanks to our great friends, comedians Andrew Barnett and Matty B who were our incredible MCs. Thanks for giving us heaps! You know we love it.
- Thanks to Ona Janzen from Whisper Weddings for letting me use her images in this post
- Lastly, thank you to Kilner UK who kindly gifted us the large 5L tapped drink jar and smaller bottles that we used to make our wedding limoncello (and use regularly for our subsequent batches)!
I can’t believe that it has been six months already, seems like it was only yesterday! Scott did an amazing job on the limoncello, it really was exceptional, and I think the coolest bonboniere ever!
Mini maids were gorgeous, you looked stunning (but you look stunning any day of the week) and Scott looked amazing with that awesome jacket!! A beautiful setting and the day organised to perfection. Oh and the food, brilliant!!
I was so wonderful to have been there to share your very very special day xxx
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I know – I can’t believe how quickly the time had passed! Glad to hear you loved the limoncello.
We were so delighted happy that you an Paul could make it 😉 Here’s to many more years of friendship xx
The photos are all so breathtaking! And I’m sure your Limoncello tastes AMAZING.
Thanks Karen! The limoncello was definitely a delicious treat for our guests!!
I had a friend in college who made limoncello, it was always so delicious. I’ll have to try to make it for myself!
That friend of yours was definitely ahead of the curve – its all the rage here in Australia now. Lots of micro distilleries making it.
This looks delicious and so simple! I am going to have to try this one for sure.
I promise you it will be worth it Luci!
Now this is what I should be doing with all of the lemons on my tree!!
Haha exactly! That and making Lemon Jam – its one of my other most favourite lemony things. 😉
Great recipe! I love limoncello. Great party favors and what a story book wedding! Beautiful pictures.
Glad to hear you love it! It’s not everyone’s cup of tea given the sweetness, but it is the perfect way to end a meal!
Dear Amanda and Scott, it all sound like the perfect day! Thanks for sharing with us this great day .
Cara cugina! it was a wonderful day – and even though you are in Italy, I’m glad we were able to share it with you all through pictures xx