The roses were red, and the bride’s dress was mini, when Sam and Chris wed in Melbourne city. Top of their wedding wish list? Major party vibes and minimal planning stress. In fact, Sam and Chris told us that their whole day was intentionally designed for maximum chill, embracing the idea that not everything will be ‘perfect’ (and that’s ok!)
You’ll want to set aside a whole afternoon (at least) to admire Chris and Sam’s wedding pics. They were snapped by Miranda Stokkel, whom the couple described as “beautiful, talented, cool, fun, and relaxed”.
But first, scroll on to read about those romantic ruby blooms, Sam’s bridal mini moment (shoutout to our mate Kate McCleary who NAILED the glam), and Chris’ easy-as-pie suit shopping experience (M.J. Bale – duh).
THE VENUE “Chris and I love a dance, a party, and loud music (we’re petrified of hearing the shuffling of feet on the dancefloor, turn the speakers up, am I right?!) This is exactly what Altar Electric is about. We didn’t need to look anywhere else; Altar Electric was always going to be it. I was like a magnet to their energy. I also loved that they took the stress out of everything, I love a packaged all-inclusive deal haha.”
THE VIBE “We didn’t have any inspo/theme, however, maybe the theme was being stress-free and not being stressed with specifics or stressed that the day needs to be perfect. After the wedding, my mum told me that Chris and my mouths were wide open with excitement the whole day, and I just love that. It was also super important to us that our friends and family felt relaxed and enjoyed the day too.”
FAVE DETAILS “I LOVED our flowers by our amazing florist, Piper & Posie. I love flowers, but I don’t know much about them. And so Piper had the difficult task of turning my vague ideas into my dream flowers, and I was obsessed!!”
DIY “I’m surrounded by creatives in my family, but somehow the gene skipped me. So I hand-balled DIY projects to my sister Madeline, who is a wedding photographer – Madeline Kate Photography). And Madeline being my big sister, and me being a yes gal, she recommended which vendors and I replied with “yes maam”. Who said wedding planning was stressful? The trick is to say yes. (thank you). Madeline did the wedding invites/menus/place cards – the true MVP of the wedding.”
THE DRESS “My dress was from Van Der Kooij. Natasha, the designer/owner of Van Der Kooij, is the epitome of cool, and I love everything she does! She made the whole process stress-free [and easy]. Her little studio is upstairs from a shop in Carlton, and I loved that. I didn’t ever want to be standing on some podium in a huge bridal warehouse. The fittings were relaxed and casual. It was also the only dress I tried on, and I loved it straightaway. Real silk/short dress/statement sleeve – need I say more?!”
THE SUIT “Chris is a very quick, no BS purchaser. I call him a salesperson’s dream client. Chris was in the city, walked past a suit shop (M.J. Bale), and was in and out within 20 minutes — as if he had just bought some bread and milk.”
LITTLE LOL “I didn’t think I was going to wear a veil, until my sister Madeline suggested maybe I should (two days out from wedding). So off Mum trotted down to her local Spotlight and picked up some tulle (again, creative/talented fam). I hadn’t even tried on the veil until 30 minutes before leaving for the ceremony, and when I put it on, it was way too long. So as I was walking out the door to get married, Mum’s using the Airbnb kitchen scissors to shorten it up, and voila, it was perfect (albeit slightly crooked).”
On the hunt for a VIC-based hair and makeup wiz? Click here to get in contact with Kate McCleary. Kick off suit shopping with a virtual visit to M.J. Bale here. Then, while you’re on a roll, click here for more red’n’romantic styling inspo, or treat yourself to a copy of our new Real Wedding Special, featuring 210 pages of the most stylish, outrageous, and fun unions ya ever did see.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Miranda Stokkel Florist Piper & Posie Stationery Eventiico via Etsy Ceremony Venue The Altar Electric Reception Venue Poodle Bar & Bistro Cake Maker Digby Cakes Entertainment, Lighting & Sound Hire The Rumpshaker Celebrant Sarah via The Altar Electric Rings Millie Savage, Prouds Transport Uber, Caddyman THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Designer Van Der Kooij Veil & Getting Ready Outfit Carolyn Wray (Family) Shoes Sergio Rossi Hair Megan Harrison Makeup Kate McCleary Fragrance Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris THE GROOM Suit, Jacket, Shirt & Pants M.J. Bale Bow Tie Ralph Lauren Cufflinks Mestige via The Iconic Shoes R.M. Williams Grooming Beef’s Barbers Abbotsford
