Sarah, a food technologist and Tim, a chef, cooked up a real treat with their simple and relaxed Melbourne wedding. Seasoned foodie pros, the pair had catered many a matrimony through Tim’s company, Merrymaker. In fact, Tim had initially planned on handling their wedding eats himself! The search for a suitable venue brought Sarah and Tim to uber-cool urban winery, Noisy Ritual, but upon learning that the Brunswick locale’s BYO food policy was no longer in place, they were secretly kinda relieved to have the task taken off the groom’s plate! Clearly, it was fate and “an easy yes,” as the bride recalls.
The pics are *chef’s kiss* thanks to our good friend Michaela of AM For Love Studio behind the camera, and those individualised bridesmaid’s bouquets are so flippin’ fabulous (a genius approach if you can’t decide on just one design). Also epic is the fact that the groom (who wore head-to-toe M.J. Bale) made the heart-shaped wedding cake – a detail his now-wifey credits as one of her favourite of the day.
From the vibes to the vino, check out our chat with Sarah and Tim below.
THE VIBE “We didn’t go into it with a theme; however, looking back, I would say autumn and vino. In terms of a vibe, we wanted the day to be stress-free, which meant minimal intervention on ‘extras’ such as hire items. And also relaxed for our guests, which is why we opted for cocktail style [which] also allowed extra guests. We also wanted it to be fun with lots of dancing, so music was a key criterion.”
FAVE DETAILS “The flowers were absolutely stunning and turned out even better than I had imagined. Hilary (Billie Jean Botanicals) was so lovely. I told her the theme I was going for with my bridesmaids’ dresses, and she immediately loved that I was going with so much colour. Only a few weeks before the wedding, she suggested having different bouquets for each bridesmaid and gave a colour scheme of ‘lilacs and blues’ but indicated it would be difficult to provide an exact flower until seeing what’s available at the market. I will admit I couldn’t picture it and was a little unsure. We had a phone call, and I thought, let’s go with it! Hilary is the expert, and boy, did she deliver! I loved how each bridesmaid bouquet worked so well with the dresses [and] my bouquet picked up all five and was just stunning and so unique.”
DIY “Tim made the wedding cake himself [and] came up with the shape heart, which he had never done before. He only showed me elements of the making and kept the final reveal a surprise. The wedding invitations and the signage my brother designed. He’s so talented coming up with a design that encompassed the time of year getting married being autumn in the colour of the paper and the design having hints of wine grapes to link to Noisy Ritual and also our love for delicious wine.”
THE DRESS “My dress was from Rachel Gilbert. Louise looked after us at Rachel Gilbert, and she was amazing. I tried on a few dresses from their bridal collection, but then Louise suggested one from their current collection. As soon as I tried it on, I was in love. It felt like me, and it wasn’t ‘too bridal’ yet still being bride-y. There was only one left in the country, so I made the decision that day. Louise organised alterations to customise the dress for me, and the whole process was so easy!”
THE SUIT “Tim’s suit was from M.J. Bale. Actually, in the end, I think he was head-to-toe M.J. Bale. We were just really happy with the quality, service and style, so it was a relatively simple process. Once we agreed we wanted Tim to be in a tux, it was very straightforward.”
Admire more Melbourne weddings captured by AM For Love Studio here on the Hello May Directory (and send off an enquiry while you’re there!) Or if you’re sold on Tim’s super easy suiting experience, check out more spiffy looks from M.J. Bale. Got your copy of Hello May Issue 40 yet? It’s now available to shop online – 150 pages of ideas await you here.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer AM For Love Studio Florist Billie Jean Botanicals Stationery & Signage Anthony Chadwick (Family) Printer Officeworks Venue, Catering & Sound Hire Noisy Ritual Cake Maker Tim Cox (Groom) Entertainment DJ Wedding Guy Celebrant Married By Kimberley Rings Mike (Friend) Transport Uber THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Designer Rachel Gilbert Shoes Dune London Accessories Kirstin Ash Hair Mia Georgie Hair Makeup Olivia Florence Makeup Fragrance/Perfume Byredo Bridesmaid Dresses Sass & Bide, Zimmermann & Hansen & Gretel Bridesmaid Gifts Kmart & Cotton On THE GROOM Suit, Jacket, Shirt, Pants, Cufflinks & Bow Tie M.J. Bale Shoes Aquila Watch Giorgio Armani Barber / Grooming Barber Industry Groomsmen Gifts M.J. Bale
