Shared with eight close kin, Tash and Chris hosted their beautifully lowkey, family-centred Chinese tea ceremony at a Fitzroy Airbnb. “Our goal was an intimate, relaxed vibe with meaningful touches (and way too much food),” share the pair, who, with their fam, ended the night with celebratory feasting at Supernormal in the CBD. These two got portraits out of the way pre-ceremony. They say that it was one of their favourite mems from the day, touring around an itinerary of local love-story landmarks, like where they’d first dated, kissed, and said ‘I love you’. “Our photographer, Kat (It’s Beautiful Here), made us feel completely at ease and we had so much fun taking photos with her in Chinatown and then in the streets of Fitzroy. We absolutely love the photos, and they really capture the joy and emotion from the day. We’ve had so many lovely comments on them too!” We know what you’re thinking: THAT DRESS! Amazing right? It’s a Perple design in custom red, which the bride paired with coordinating crimson Bared Footwear heels. Tash tells us more about finding this epic frock below, plus the couple talk about their Airbnb venue and how they incorporated family mems into the ceremony with the help of celebrant Mona Chung-Chao.
A Chinese tea ceremony at a Fitzroy Airbnb
“We did the tea ceremony at an AirBnB in Fitzroy. We didn’t see it in person beforehand but it ended up being perfect for our intimate celebration. It was a really beautiful, trendy apartment with heaps of natural light and a big open area which was perfect for conducting the ceremony. It was also ideal as being an AirBnB, we took the opportunity to make a mini holiday out of it by staying a couple of nights either side of the ceremony (and as big foodies, we were in heaven with the many amazing restaurants just a stones throw away!).”
Modern bridal style | A custom red wedding dress by Perple
“You would have thought that a 3.5 year engagement meant I had plenty of time to visit lots of shops and try on many dresses. Unfortunately for me, I decided to leave the dress-hunting process to a couple of months before the day (not necessarily recommended!). That approach ended up working out for the best though, as after a few weekends dress hunting and coming up empty-handed (and a few breakdowns later), I completely lucked out and one of Perple’s gowns popped up on my Instagram ‘for you’ page (thank you algorithm!). Working with Hol was an absolute dream and one of the funnest parts of planning the whole thing – I felt like a celebrity working with her to create a custom version of her ‘Nami’ gown in the most gorgeous red colour. She’s a true artist and she handled all of my little self conscious moments with understanding and humour. I knew I could trust her to make something that would make me look and feel my best, and she nailed it.”
Wedding day highlights | A meaningful Chinese tea ceremony and sentimental family traditions
“Our favourite memory is probably the tea ceremony itself. We’d spoken in detail with our celebrant, Mona, before the ceremony about each member of our families who would be there, and shared various memories with her that we had with each family member from childhood up until now. Hearing her weave all of those memories and heartfelt reflections into the ceremony was really special, and was a lovely way of showing our gratitude to everyone there with us. It was also a special moment when Chris’s mum and dad gave me some heirloom gold bangles that they had received on their wedding day as part of the ceremony, which is a beautiful part of the tradition that represents them welcoming me into the family.”
Pre-wedding photos in Melbourne’s Chinatown and Fitzroy
“We loved spending time with our photographer, Kat, walking through Chinatown and then Fitzroy (revisiting meaningful places in our relationship) before the tea ceremony. It was really nice to be able to spend time together and calm our nerves before the excitement of the ceremony. And Kat made us feel super at ease, no mean feat for two people who are not at all used to being in front of a camera.”
More good stuff | Micro wedding inspiration and Melbourne wedding photographers
Yet again, It’s Beautiful Here have knocked it out of the park on this one. Check out more of their work or get in touch here. Or if those bright red bridal kicks have caught your eye, browse more wedding day shoes (for brides and grooms, too) from Bared Footwear here. For inspo on planning your own micro wedding click here or visit the blog for more Pinterest-worthy Victoria-based nuptials.
