Real Weddings

Article by

Sophie Lord

Posted on

04/04/2018

Posted in

Real Weddings

Jacinta and James’s Melbourne wedding is one for the history books. Rounding up some of Victoria’s finest vendors (and commissioning one heck of a bridal gown along the way) these two threw caution to the wind and tradition out the window when it came time to create their roof top New Years Eve nuptials.

INSPIRATION We had a one word brief for our wedding; “Fun!” It was to be a massive celebration of life and love! We wanted it to be a beautiful elegant affair coupled with too much food, an open bar, lots of dancing and fireworks, followed the next day by 145 sore heads and aching feet.

GO TO RESOURCES Instagram, Hello May & WedShed

THE VENUE We had toured through a few iconic Melbourne wedding venues and as beautiful as they are, they weren’t the right fit for us. The moment our wedding planner took us to Tonic House, we all got goosebumps. This venue was us! It’s quintessential Melbourne. A beautiful stand alone five storey Victorian Terrace on Flinders Lane with a rooftop that overlooks the city and the Yarra River. There couldn’t be a more perfect spot in Melbourne to celebrate our NYE wedding bash!

THE DETAILS We had a Shutter Hub photo booth which in itself was a lot of fun for our guests! But we took it to the next level by having the photos projected onto the building next door. It created a bit of theatre and added to the atmosphere of the night.

THE DRESS My dress was one of a kind. When I met Jen, one of the creative directors at Jane Hill, we sat down and immediately started chatting like old friends. Instead of throwing potential samples at me to try on, she wanted to get to know me and what I visualised for my wedding dress. All in all, it took ten months to make my gown. The meticulous attention to detail was incredible. Every layer of material was dyed a different shade of pink so that it would be the perfect colour to match my skin tone come December. The dress was fully hand beaded, heavily encrusted on the bodice and then fading out at towards the ends. Incredibly though, it was as light as a feather to wear!

FAVOURITE MEMORY After yelling out “Please, no bogan music!”, James and I ended up on the shoulders of our friends at 1am, all of us blaring out Horses by Darryl Braithwaite.

A WORD OF ADVICE Create a day that is reflective of the both of you. Don’t be scared to be a bit different. The majority of weddings follow the same template and there’s nothing wrong with that. But at times, a generic approach can lose the individual appeal and essence of the two people at the centre of the day. This is the one day that is all about the two of you. Think outside the box and have a bit of fun. And most importantly, relax! It’s should be 95% excitement and fun and only 5% stress!

STANDOUT VENDORS Our planning and catering team from Tommy Collins lived up to their reputation of being the best in the business. They hand picked the staff for our wedding, coupling us with the personality types suited to our day. The hot chips and souvlaki after midnight was a stroke of genius! But the overall stand out vendor from our day was our photographer Madeline Kate Photography. This woman has the most incredible talent! As two camera shy people, Maddie made us feel at ease from the get go. Every shot was natural and in the moment. She perfectly captured our day – every smile, every tear, every moment of laughter.