“We met on Coffee Meets Bagel,” Cal and Phong tell us. “We got engaged after about nine months, just before the craziness of COVID started.” They describe the proposal as “understated and very us,” complete with a love letter, “a bunch of Woolies sunflowers, a Gotcha bubble tea (all of my favourite things)” and the beautiful ring inside a Poké Ball. “DOPE,” adds the bride. We tend to agree!
Cal and Phong’s faith is a huge part of their life together, so it makes sense they wanted to incorporate it into their day in a big way. “We really just wanted to make the day about worshipping and celebrating Jesus, what he’s done for us – and to just create a fun and loving day for our friends and family,” they tell us.
They nabbed one of our fave photogs to shoot the day, Shot From The Heart, and the pics are a dream – as you can see for yourself! Scroll on, friend!
THE VENUE “Flowerdale Estate really is a mini hideaway. What a gem. So beautiful, peaceful and picturesque. It was so awesome that we could have our friends and family stay – there was plenty of accommodation and the whole team just took amazing care of us. My family being Asian, they actually brought mahjong tables (haha) to the wedding so by 9pm the dancefloor was empty because everyone had ducked off to the rooms to play!”
THE THEME “One word. Jesus. Honestly – we didn’t really want to make it about ourselves. People kept saying, ‘It’s your day, just go for it! It only happens once!'”
DIY “Lol – oh dear… someone probably should’ve told me to not use our wedding as a beginner’s experiment to practise sewing and DIY. I actually tried to do my own dress alterations and I am NOT a seamstress! Haha thank goodness Dipika from Alter It Richmond came to the rescue. We made pretty much all our own signage, invites, etc… it was pretty fun using Canva to do it all. And to be honest, there’s always more that you can do but we just wanted to keep it simple, yet elegant.“
THE DRESS “The dress was from Shona Joy. It’s material is linen and I liked it because of its simplicity. I really felt uncomfortable spending a lot on a big frock I would only wear once or wearing something extravagant that would draw too much attention. We added lace to the V-neck to make it look more modest and sit more comfortably. I really love the dress because it was just so comfortable and simple.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “Our ceremony. I’d say we had quite an unconventional wedding in the sense that our ceremony went for over an hour. We really wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate and worship Jesus, and share with people what Christian marriage meant to us. So I think our favourite parts were definitely our vows to each other and singing worship, Jesus It Is You.”
STANDOUT VENDOR “Ell from Shot From The Heart made us feel so comfortable, at ease… and their craftmanship is so magical. Such a gift. She caught all our Cal and Phong moments… [like] Phong resisting my kisses haha! Also Ryan from Paper Hearts – so many compliments to him. His voice really just set the ambience on the day. Such a calm and peaceful presence. Santika and the Flouergardn Team – they brought heaven to earth in their floral arrangements. And the Flowerdale Estate team – they made it so comfortable and seamless. It was like we had the whole property to ourselves. We all felt so at home.”
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Shot From The Heart Florist Flouergardn Ceremony & Reception Flowerdale Estate Photo Booth One Click Events Entertainment Paper Hearts Rings Melanie Casey, Melbourne Jewellery Service THE BRIDE Bridal gown Shona Joy, Alter It Richmond Veil JasmineVeils Headpiece my bow and CO Shoes Kimberley Anne Accessories The Traveller Series Hair Jayteehair Makeup Elly Liana Makeup and Hair Artist Bridesmaid dresses Seed Heritage THE GROOM Jacket Jack London Shirt & Pants Uniqlo Suspenders Osunworld Bow tie OTAA Shoes Connor Barber Just Cuts Groomsmen Suits Uniqlo