The morning of their wedding in Melbourne, Shelley and her bridal party got matching tattoos. £My dear friend Dione in New Zealand wasn’t able to fly? In order to still include her in the bridesmaid festivities, I found some temporary tattoos on Etsy that said £Team Bride, and sent her some, explains Shelley, grateful that she wasn’t in the same boat as Steve whose best man had just called to say he’d fallen down a cliff while hiking, been stranded with a broken leg for 24 hours and wouldn’t be making the wedding.
With two friends out of action, Shelley and Steve (who you may have spied in our Real Wedding Special) wondered whether there were any other surprises in store for them. But as their day crept closer, they started to feel safe. £When the big day arrived, we had crossed off absolutely everything on the list,” she says proudly. £Except for one (huge!) thing.
It certainly wasn’t anything obvious – Shelley looked stunning in her ruffled, rose pink gown from The Bridal Atelier and Sooti Event Styling and Design had clearly done a darn good job of transforming 1000 Bend into a pretty pink, inner-city hideout. £Our first dance!, Shelley finally confesses. £We had completely neglected to decide on a song, or practice how to dance as a couple. This important omission only dawned on us when we were at the reception, enjoying our dinner and listening to music from our amazing live jazz band, Downtime.
Luckily, these two clever cookies were quick to come up with a plan, deciding to perform Michael Jackson’s Thriller’ – a routine they’d learnt while taking part in a world-record-breaking-attempt for the largest number of people around the globe to simultaneously dance to said song (you know, as you do). £We still remembered how to dance like zombies, so we rocked the dance floor like a bride and groom coming back from the dead!
Their impromptu performance, captured by photographer, Oli of Briars Atlas, turned out to be one of many things that impressed their guests that night. Steve, an arts technician, had handmade three giant light boxes for their reception while Shelley had spent hours with her mother on YouTube learning how to create her own veil.
£Mum had made her own beautiful veil when she was married, and I wanted to continue this tradition, says Shelley who in this instance, was fully prepared should something go haywire. £In the end we had two veils and I just chose one that felt right on the day. Steve unfortunately never had a Plan B, so his advice? £Have a back up shirt in case it gets hot and a back-up best man too!
Sadly our Real Wedding Special is completely sold out however issue ten is currently on sale and flying off newsstands faster than you can say hotcakes! Grab your copy now at your nearest stockist or online via Mag Nation. It’s loaded with awesome real weddings, opinion pieces, fashion editorials and DIY ideas.
CREDITS Photos Briars Atlas // Bridal gown Elizabeth Dye via The Bridal Atelier // Shoes Shoes of Prey // Flowers Badlands & Co // Rings e.g.etal and Pieces of Eight // Bridesmaids dresses Weddington Way // Accessories Daydream Prints via Etsy // Groom’s suit Bespoked // Groom’s shoes Aquila // Groomsmen suits Roger David // Ties T.M. Lewin // Ceremony Fitzroy Gardens // Reception 1000 Bend // Catering Ed Dixon Food Design // Gelato Cart Bianco Latte // Cake Little Malvern Cake Company // Ceremony and Reception Stylist Sooti Event Styling & Design // Stationery LT Design and Emma Smith Event Stationery // Hair and makeup Industry Artists // Entertainment Blue Avenue Entertainment // Celebrant Kate Wallis // Transport RSV.