JULIE-ANNE & LIAM'S MELBOURNE WEDDING

Oooohhhh we really love Julie-Anne (or Jay to her people) and Liam’s loved-up wedding – steeped in Vietnamese and Maori tradition, crammed with cool factor, and so flippin’ FUN. A winning recipe, as you can see.

They hosted a traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony at Jay’s parents’ house. Then, thanks to a surprise downpour, our bride and groom made a last-minute call to move their ceremony from Fitzroy Gardens to Jay’s parent’s house, too. Later, revelry continued at the National Gallery of Victoria, and while the dress code called for black tie, Jay and Liam’s people came prepared to party hard. “We encouraged people to wear sneakers on the reception dance floor and in fine form, many of our guests brought a spare pair of shoes!”

We’re over the moon to see that Jay and Liam chose It’s Beautiful Here to capture their day. Scroll on to read their rave review of this awesome photography duo. Plus, hear how the happy couple honoured their heritage and handled the wet weather hiccup with ease.

THE VIBE ‘We wanted our wedding day to be a big party and the most fun our wedding guests have ever had!”

MEMORABLE MOMENT “We had planned to get married at the Fitzroy Gardens, but it unexpectedly poured down with rain the entire afternoon. We were already getting ready at my (Jay’s) parents’ house, so we decided to just get married there! After sending an email blast to wedding guests to let them know of the change, we ran the idea by my parents. Luckily, they said yes. In the end, it was the perfect wedding venue for us. It was special and intimate, and the bridal party did a great job at styling the house to look like a wedding venue at short notice. In retrospect, we wish we had thought of getting married at home from the very beginning.”

FAVE DETAILS “We loved the abundance of colourful flowers from Rose Studios – our main colours were hot pink, lilac, baby blue, orange and yellow. These matched with each of the bridesmaids’ dresses and the groomsmen’s boutonnieres. We also loved celebrating our cultures, and blending these with each other throughout the day. I am Vietnamese/Chinese, and Liam is Maori/Nauruan. In the morning, we had Chinese drummers performing for our guests, followed by Liam’s extended family singing a beautiful Maori song. Later in the evening, we entered the reception to Chinese drumming and lion dancers while wearing traditional Maori robes.”

THE DRESS “I always knew I wanted to combine design elements of a traditional Vietnamese ao dai and a modern Western bridal gown; nothing else felt right to me. I already knew about Hannii Couture, and together with their creative director, Hanny, we designed something that was truly meant for me. Going into my first consultation, I was nervous that it might not work out because I had no backup options. Luckily though, Hannii Couture was the perfect and the only choice for me.”

STANDOUT VENDORS “Our photographers Kat and Scout (It’s Beautiful Here) were the only choice for us from the very beginning. On the day, Kat and Scout were such calming presences amongst all the chaos. And when we were losing it a bit they were patient and kind. They appreciated that, in certain moments, taking photos might be the last thing on our minds, but they made everything so easy, and the experience of taking photos with them was actually enjoyable. Most of the time, though, we didn’t even know they were there.”

After a top-tier photographer? Give It’s Beautiful Here a holler. You can find their contact info here on the directory. Then click this way for more real Melbourne wedding goodness. Love a bit of dress chat? Hear how these similarly stylish-AF brides found their dream frocks.