North East and Riverina's best in the business receive wedding industry awards

Winners in The North East and Riverina Wedding Industry Awards were announced during an online event on Tuesday evening, August 29.

Among the list of winners was Harrison Slattery, who owns Harrison Slattery Media.

The videographer said he got a shock when he realised he had won after not even having known he was nominated

"It's a bit cool," he said, "But there's so many talented people out there so I just think 'why me?'.

"It's a really nice feeling to get that recognition. I've done well over 100 weddings and I do it because I love shooting couples and capturing their wedding day, but to get a little award back is really nice and awesome."

Mr Slattery, who has been in the industry for about seven years, said he didn't want to boast, but instead saw himself as a humble man.

"I found that that's what really pushed me in the right direction with what I do is just being yourself, staying authentic, and not faking it," he said.

Winner of the best hair stylist category was Lavington hairdresser Kelsey Lewington, who owns Kelsey Mae Hair.

Mrs Lewington said seeing her team's hard work acknowledged was what made the win even more special.

"It's so exciting," she said.

"Last year we played catch-up after COVID and had 90-plus weddings, so it's nice to get some recognition.

"There's so much that goes into a wedding and it makes us realise that what we're doing is benefiting people and giving everyone the day they'll dream of."

Makeup artist Felicity Cahill, of Felicity Cahill Makeup Artistry, said she was overjoyed to win, as the award gave her a "massive boost".

"With weddings being one of the most important times in people's lives, I am always blown away that brides would like to make me a part of it," she said.

"Knowing that my art is on show and displayed in photos for years to come is the reward that keeps giving."

Being the person who finalises the commitment of a husband and wife is the reason why wedding celebrant winner Sharon Milsome, of Sharon Milsome Celebrant, keeps doing what she does every year.

With more than 700 weddings in her time as a celebrant, she said she was very happy to have won, again.

"I'll be celebrating with friends over the weekend," she said.

Ms Milsome said it was nice to see all the talented businesses in the community getting recognised.

Organisers described the awards as being "dedicated to recognising, supporting, and rewarding wedding businesses that operate in regional areas of Australia".

Votes for the awards were cast by 436 newlywed couples, with 274 businesses nominated and 117 named as finalists.

For the full list of winners from around the region, visit facebook.com/WeddingIndustryAwardsAustralia/.

To read more stories, download The Border Mail news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: