The Melbourne skies were unusually cold and rainy as Amy and Mike’s November elopement at the wedding registry neared. That was until the big day, when the sun came out to see them wed — “It felt like the day was giving us a little blessing.”
Theirs was an intentionally simple and intimate ceremony with their parents at the Old Treasury Building, to prelude a larger celebration the pair have planned later in China. “I had seen photos of other couples registering at the Old Treasury Building before, and I loved its beautiful vintage atmosphere,” share the couple, who took their wedding day inspiration from 20th century Chinese nuptials. “The classic, historic interior of the Old Treasury Building felt like the perfect setting for that vintage style.”
From a custom white qipao and trailing green bouquet to two custom looks for the groom and wedding portraits at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), this intimate Melbourne elopement is packed with thoughtful ideas for couples planning a culturally inspired wedding.
Step inside this darling day below thanks to moments captured by Melbourne-based photographer, O Lemonade.
Drawing on vintage Chinese wedding inspiration
“The inspiration came from Chinese weddings from the last century, especially the era when qipaos were commonly worn as wedding attire. I personally love qipaos, and I really wanted to wear one on my wedding day in place of a traditional Western wedding dress. So our theme was roughly a vintage qipao-inspired wedding. We wanted the overall mood to feel elegant, nostalgic and a little old-world, while still being simple and personal to us.”
The green, gorgeously drape-y bouquet
“One of my favourite details was definitely the bouquet. I looked through many old photographs from Chinese weddings in the last century and paid close attention to the shapes and details of the flowers brides held at that time. I noticed that many bouquets had a longer silhouette, with more flowers gathered near the handle and longer leaves or greenery trailing down. The asparagus fern used in the bouquet was something I sourced myself, and it became a little collaboration between me and our florist.”
The bride’s custom white qipao | Mixing modern and vintage-inspired elements
“The white qipao I wore for our registration ceremony was custom made and co-designed by me and my qipao tailor. I was involved in everything from choosing the fabric to deciding the final silhouette and details. For the fabric, I chose a warm white material with a subtle velvet-textured pattern. The hidden floral pattern on the fabric felt very vintage to me. The qipao had long sleeves, which also carried a lovely meaning in Chinese: long-lasting happiness. The overall shape was not a very traditional high-slit qipao. During the last century, qipaos in China were also influenced by Western wedding dresses, so I wanted this piece to include a few Western-inspired elements. The silhouette had a slight fishtail shape, and the sleeves included a subtle leg-of-mutton sleeve detail. At the same time, I still wanted to keep the traditional beauty of a qipao, so we kept the classic high collar, connected sleeves, and full front opening. The buttons were also handmade decorative pankou buttons, which added such sweet and delicate detail to the dress.”
The groom’s two custom wedding looks
“The suit was custom-made in China. The tailor shop is somewhere the groom’s parents had previously had clothing made, so it felt like a trusted and meaningful choice. Because we were also preparing for our wedding celebration in China, we travelled back almost a year in advance to start organising everything. We went to the tailor together in person to choose the style, fabric, colour, shirt pairing and tie. We ended up preparing two looks. The first was a more classic suit look with a white shirt and black bow tie, but instead of choosing a pure black suit, we chose a dark grey fabric with subtle vertical stripes. It felt more detailed and understated, rather than overly formal or too grand. The second look was for our photo session at the NGV. I wanted that set of photos to feel a little more artistic, and I thought the groom looked really handsome in a black shirt. So for that look, he wore a black shirt with tailored trousers and a champagne-coloured tie to echo my dress…”
More good stuff | Planning your elopement
Melbourne-based but shooting weddings Australia wide, get in touch with O Lemonade if you’re looking for a top notch candids-focused photographer. Then check out these intimate ‘I do’s for more elopement and micro-wedding ideas.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer O lemonade Florist The 8th Day Studio Ceremony Venue Old Treasury Building Rings Cartier THE BRIDE Shoes TaoBao Hair & Makeup Yaya Studio Fragrance LE GALION
