sterling vineyards Archives

Toasting my birthday in style with Sterling Vineyards

20th December, 2018

December’s been a hectic month for me and whilst I had a gorgeous time spending my birthday in Hawaii with my family, I was lucky to celebrate it again in Sydney. Sterling Vineyards once again, generously offered to host a party for me cruising along Sydney Harbour, which was the ultimate way to throw a belated birthday celebration.

I don’t think there’s anything better than spending a day on the water with close family and friends and that’s exactly what I got to do this year. Everyone from Luke, to my brother and sister-in-law and friends were all there to help me celebrate. This time of year is always really busy for everyone so I was so thrilled to be able to catch up with all my favourite people in the one spot – to not only celebrate my birthday but also to toast another great year together.

Birthday outfits are always so fun to style and this year I wanted to go with something summery so opted for an all-white ensemble by Christopher Esber. The cropped top and skirt perfectly suited the nautical vibe of the day.

Sydney Harbour Yacht Charter provided the perfect setting for the event and we were able to enjoy canapes and drinks whilst everyone chatted and mingled (and took about a million snaps of our gorgeous backdrop) cruising along the harbour. We then enjoyed a three course lunch on the main deck. We started with a baked forest mushroom tartlet with cauliflower puree followed by a main of barramundi with beetroot, fennel and leek. There were matching wines for each course and we were spoilt with Sterling Vineyards Prosecco, Pinot Noir Chardonnay and Sparkling Rosé throughout the afternoon. What really made lunch special for me was that Luke and some of my friends made some heartfelt speeches, which was so lovely of all of them.

We enjoyed a long, relaxing lunch before we got down to the main event: cake! We went up on deck for me to blow out my birthday candles and I was surprised by a drip cake decorated with pink blooms and macarons. It was a great way to enjoy our last course of the day and the cake was the ideal afternoon treat.

With the excitement of Christmas around the corner and the summer holidays stretching ahead of us, I was so happy that everyone was able to take time out of their busy schedules to celebrate with me. A birthday on the water was the most perfect way I could think of to mark another year of getting older.

Check out a few of my favourite snaps from the day below…

Birthday ready!

With some of my fave women

Toasting another birthday

We enjoyed a Sterling Vineyards Prosecco, Pinot Noir Chardonnay and Sparkling Rosé throughout the day

The gorgeous blooms on board

With my good friend Nadia Fairfax

Luke and I enjoying the day

The girls enjoying our picturesque surroundings

My birthday menu

The main was almost too pretty to eat

Luke saying a few words

Thanking all my beautiful friends

The cake!

Blowing out the candles

My crew

And another birthday is done…

Photography: Sophia Athas

This post was produced in collaboration with Sterling Vineyards

Lifestyle, Social

A peek inside my birthday party with Sterling Vineyards

7th December, 2017

I usually keep my birthday quite low key these days and spend it with the girls and Luke and close family which is always really lovely. This year however, Sterling Vineyards generously offered to host a party for me at Sydney’s La Porte space ahead of my actual birthday today. How could I say no?

It was a great opportunity to celebrate with 30 of my close friends, some of which I’ve known since kindergarten and others I’ve made in the industry and throughout my career, alongside Luke and my brother and sister-in-law. I think it’s always really special being able to gather your nearest and dearest together at an intimate event that’s just all about celebrating and enjoying lots of great food, drinks and each other’s company. And as the official craziness of the festive season ramps up over the next few weeks it was a nice way to catch up with my friends in the one spot.

I think a birthday party is always a great excuse to get all dressed up and I was glad to have the opportunity to wear a striped Maggie Marilyn dress I’ve been dying to wear. I needed standout shoes to match so opted for my pink Marco de Vincenzo braided heels. It was a fun outfit that was befitting of such a great occasion.

One of the great things on the day was being blown away by the amazing space and set up when I first arrived. Lunch was set in a gorgeous courtyard area and had been decorated with a white balloon installation and a long banquet table dotted with beautiful blooms. And what’s a party without a delicious spread to match? We enjoyed a long lunch in the sun and were treated to a delicious grazing menu that included smokehouse salmon with with baby capers, shallots and lemon, mixed grain salad and a caprese salad-esque platter with buffalo mozzarella, heirloom tomato and basil. We had matching wines for each course starting with prosecco with canapés, a pinot noir chardonnay for lunch and rosé for dessert (fun fact: Sterling Vineyards is actually a wine brand from the US but they’ve recently come into the Australian market and use Aussie grapes for their range). Speaking of dessert! I’m still thinking about the white chocolate rocky road, handmade milk and dark chocolate bark and summer berries with meringue and mascarpone we were served up. What are birthdays for if not for indulging a little, right?

It feels as if each birthday rolls around quicker than the last and it can flash by just like that so it was amazing to be able to take the time to celebrate with all my friends. It makes me appreciate all the wonderful people in my life even more and another year spent enjoying my time with them.