LISA & THIERRY’S MELBOURNE WEDDING

Newlyweds Lisa and Thierry would strongly contest that heading. You see, the brief for their big day, immortalised by photographer Ricky Gestro, was ‘2 am Vegas’ meets ‘not-a-wedding’. The couple of the hour set the tone sporting some hot, hot, hot cowgirl couture and corduroy looks. Even the late-night feasting was dressed for the occasion, served in custom pink ‘McDonalds-esque’ packaging — a DIY detail that even extended to the disposable cameras and bathroom toiletries. Talk about iconic. “We are both super anti-tradition, and both are coming from creative fields. We really wanted this to shine through on the day.”

We simply can’t keep our cool; this one is OFF THE CHARTS epic. So cancel your plans, open those Pinterest boards, and scroll on…

LITTLE LOL “While I was not the classic, ‘everything has to be perfect bride,’ I had grand plans of lots of fun elements to make up our non-wedding. This peaked the night before the wedding when Thierry, his parents, and two groomsmen were all given a pile of pink cardboard to cut and stick together into my custom ‘McDonalds-esque’ chip cups. Even funnier, the glue on the double-sided tape melted upon receiving said hot chips and half of them popped open on the night. We got some photos, though, and that’s all that matters.”

THE VENUE “The number one decider (other than it being a fantastic venue) was that [Lulie Tavern] is owned by our best friends. How many people get to christen their friends’ brand new rooftop [bar] and have them as witnesses?”

FAVE DETAILS “Our guests loved the custom [food and toiletries] packaging. Everything came together beautifully, from the ice cream truck, to the disco light installation, shag rug and custom cocktails that Brendan (friend and venue owner) designed for us. We were also so happy that everyone really leant in to the dress code.”

THE DRESS “I always knew I would wear cowboy boots and a cowboy hat (a nod to my love of riding). Then it was a matter of finding the perfect outfits to go with them. I fell in love with the KYHA Millie skirt and knew it was the one before I even tried it on. I then complemented it with the most perfect custom suit from Vasiliki Couture. Vicki was just gorgeous, and nothing was too difficult. She made the process so seamless, and I loved working with her. She made me feel like I was part of the family.”

THE SUIT “I loved the experience of working with my tailor at Oscar Hunt. It took a couple of visits to find the perfect fabric (a deep green corduroy) but once we did, the suit came together seamlessly and has since been worn to many events! I love the little detail of the pink buttons.”

MEMORABLE MOMENT “We originally booked the ‘shotgun’ wedding package at The Altar Electric because [the ceremony] was the part of the day that we both wanted to get over and done with as quickly as possible. For us, it was all about the party. We were so wrong, though – we both agreed that it was our favourite part of the day. We instructed [our celebrant] Sarah that we wanted to keep it really light and funny, and that was what she delivered. After a last-minute decision with our vows, we decided just to let her read some for us. Thierry was the one who had that conversation with her on the phone, and he mentioned to me that he had given her a few funny things to say. I thought, ‘Two can play at that game’, and I secretly emailed Sarah some little anecdotes about Thierry. It made it particularly funny as neither of us knew what was coming. Our robot vacuum even got a mention.”

If the idea of having a ‘not-a-wedding’ wedding has got you excited, you’ll love these equally quirky nups. Or, if you’re keen to pinch Lisa and Thierry’s custom packaging idea, head to the Hello May Directory to discover talented stationery pros who can help bring your vision to life. Hungry for more real wedding inspo? Hello May Issue 40 has officially hit the shelves. Hit up your local newsagent to get your hands on your very own copy.