Our real life fairytale: Inside young couple’s breathtaking dream wedding in Sydney’s Town Hall with 15,000 roses, 50 chandeliers and a $12,000 cake that was cut with a sword

A young couple offered a glimpse into their dream wedding with an extraordinary event featuring thousands of roses, 50 sparkling chandeliers, 400 guests and an extravagant tiered cake.

Linda Estefan married the love of her life, Amanuel Khoury, on October 14 at Sydney’s iconic Town Hall, 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, regal theme. They also asked for a “Disney fairytale” feel.

And they delivered.

The hall was decorated with 15,000 white and pink roses and lush green foliage, creating a magnificent indoor garden. It took the staff at Diane Khoury Events a staggering 1,000 hours of work to set up the room; Amanuel has nothing to do with Diana and her team.

In addition to the garden’s fairytale elements, 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, 6-foot-tall wedding cake that had to be cut with a sword.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Linda said the day was like a dream and went by so quickly that she wanted to relive it all again, moment by moment.

The couple had known each other for 18 months before exchanging vows. Linda met Amanuel, 33, at his sister’s wedding and they hit it off immediately and went on their first date a month later, in April 2022.

At the time, Linda was focused on work and university studies, so she didn’t date much, but Amanuel swept her off her feet.

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

On her wedding day, Linda woke up with nerves and couldn’t wait for everything to come together.

“The first half of the day I was very nervous, especially because I’m so used to just being around my family and Amanuel’s family, so 400 people gather in one day just to see you, take pictures of you and be the center of attention. it was about you and your husband… it was a little overwhelming,” she said.

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

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

When it came to entertainment, the couple was confident that they would offer their guests the best.

Six violinists stood on pedestals lining the aisle to the wedding table and played as guests arrived, creating a “heavenly atmosphere.” At the end of the path stood two cellists and two wandering dancers.

There were also four fanfares with custom-made flags that played as the couple entered the hall, officially beginning the reception. A Lebanese instrumental group of 16 people and three Arab singers played throughout the evening.

The bride and groom were greeted by the Zaffet – a traditional Lebanese grand entrance – with 12 drummers on the upper balcony level overseeing the reception and four on stage in front of the organ.

Guests were then treated to an aerial performance by Couture Air, which featured an artist performing on custom chandeliers and two performing on silks.

Guests were treated to a delectable menu, starting with traditional Lebanese mezza and fruit platters from George Khuzameh’s group.

There was also a live seafood station: oysters, shrimp, tuna, smoked salmon, Balmain bugs and fresh sashimi. It rested on a custom-made ice sculpture by Mammoth Ice, six meters long and about two meters high.

Starters were stracciatella and pan-seared scallops, while main courses included grilled filet of beef with poivre and pan-seared Cone Bay barramundi. Dessert included pavlova and sticky toffee pudding prepared by the Town Hall caterers.

After the video of the event was published on the Internet, many were eager to know the answer to one question: how much does such an event cost?

Linda didn’t want to reveal how much they spent in total, but said the cake alone cost them $12,000.

The 11-tier Sweet Blooms masterpiece was 1.8 meters tall and, due to its height, was carved using an engraved sword. They chose two flavors – dark chocolate and passion fruit and pistachio.

The bakers took inspiration from the historic town hall organ and used elements of it in the cake. When the cake was cut, a large drop of confetti fell all over the background.

Linda looked like a princess in a stunning custom J’Aton Couture wedding dress. The Australian designer’s dress was worn by Kylie Jenner, Kylie Minogue and Charlize Theron.

She accessorized 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 from the wedding were just beautiful,” she said.

No matter what the place looked like, Linda was most excited to marry her best friend.

“In my mind, I was going to have an incredible day, no matter what, just because I was going to marry the love of my life,” she said.

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

“We’ve all been somewhere that made us feel so much joy and emotion, and I hope this day made people feel the same and leave their wedding believing that there really is such a thing as true love.”

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

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

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

“If it’s not my wedding, I don’t want it,” someone else said.