Whilst love letters may be a thing of the past, when Mel and Patchy met at a party some nine years ago, the pair kept in contact whilst Patchy spent several months in Mexico.
“(We were) emailing long LONG letters to each other while she was overseas. It was an amazing way to get to know each other. As soon as she landed back in Melbourne, I was waiting for her at the airport,” the rest, as they say, is history!
Mel tells us the pair got engaged after her birthday celebration five years ago, however due to the fact that marriage equality hasn’t yet reached our shores (c’mon Australia), eventually they agreed to just do it.
“As each year passed we’d tell ourselves, ‘maybe this year babe’. At the end of 2016 we said enough was enough, we were sick of waiting…we wanted to celebrate.” And celebrate they did, amongst the gorgeous grounds of Fitzroy Gardens in East Melbourne. There to capture the day was Cam Grove Photography, who the couple described as, “genuinely lovely and so talented? he helped us fight the cold and nerves with his calm and lovely character…He captured the day perfectly.”
When it came to picking a venue for their reception, Mel mentions it was an easy decision. “As for Studio Raw Materials…it was our first and only choice…I remember being impressed by its industrial raw charm…Speaking of charm, Chef Robert Monteau was absolutely amazing!” The man can cook a mean Paella (sign us up)!
We asked the couple to mention a favourite moment from their day, and when we heard this gorgeous story, we damn near had tears in our eyes. “Driving my dad’s Fiat 500 with my wifey beside me, we stopped at a set of red lights as a young woman crossed the street in front of us. She looked over at us, smiled and symboled with her hands the symbol of a love heart. Here we were, two women waiting so long to be married, having a complete stranger share their best wishes and support for us. It was such a simple act, but a beautiful one that showed us love really does win.”
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CREDITS Photographer Cam Grove Photography // Florist Santo Spirito Flowers // Ceremony venue Plane Tree Walk, Fitzroy Gardens, East Melbourne // Reception Venue and Catering Studio Raw Materials // Cake Mad About Cakes // Other Desserts Pana Chocolate // Decorative Elements Table Runners from Wheel and Barrow // Celebrant Maria Pilar Aguilera // Rings Rugged and Refined Jewellery // BRIDES (PATCHY) // Bridal Gown Designer MISSGUIDED // Shoes Wittner // Hair Andrû?s Jesus Hair // Makeup C&C Hair and Makeup Melbourne // Bridesmaid dresses Cooper St // BRIDE (MELISSA) // Bridal Gown Designer SELF-PORTRAIT // Shoes Nine West // Hair and Makeup Cream Melbourne // Groomsmen suits Wolf Kanat // Groomsmen Shoes Myer // Groomsmen Leather Braces Wood & Beau // Groomsmen Bow Tie OTAA via Etsy.