These two moved back to their hometown of Melbourne three weeks before their nuptials, after living and working in Boston for a couple of years. “Moving and marriage in a month was a pretty big undertaking but we don’t regret it- our wedding was like a giant welcome home party with all of favourite people.” Sounds like a good way to start, right? Shot by the lovely Lucy of She Takes Pictures He Makes Films, we are lucky enough to have all the pics (and details from the bride and groom) below…
THE VENUE “We knew we wanted to get married in Melbourne and were thinking Fitzroy and then Panama Dining Room came up on my Instagram. We had been there a few times and had loved the big arch windows looking out on to Smith Street and the beautiful trees outside. We spoke to the owners on Skype and were really impressed with their attitude and energy.”
THE DRESS “I love clothes but I found wedding dress shopping pretty overwhelming. The dress I had in mind initially was nothing like the dress I ended up choosing! I realised along the way that the most important thing was that I chose something that felt comfortable and felt like ‘me’. My wedding dress was from Odylyne The Ceremony. I had seen Stephanie’s work on Instagram and loved it. I happened to be in LA for work and went to her store during my lunch break. My dress was the last one I tried on and something clicked.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “It rained all morning, so at lunchtime, we moved the ceremony to the same venue as our reception- Panama Dining Room and Bar (we were so relieved we had a backup plan) and we decided at the last minute to meet up before the ceremony and take some photos. Our photographer made some calls and luckily the Rochester Hotel said we could take some photos in their upstairs space. Also, I’ll never forget the atmosphere at Panama at the start of the ceremony. It was pouring with rain outside, everyone was buzzing and the energy was electric.”
WE’RE GLAD WE “I am so thankful I listened to my good friend Rhi who early on told me to have a rainy day plan! Another thing we were really glad we did was to hire an on-the-day coordinator (Wedding Day PA). It meant we could still do all the wedding planning but hand over all the on-the-day decisions and logistics to someone else who wasn’t family or friends. The Wedding Day PA was absolutely brilliant and made sure all the vendors were in touch when plans changed.
STANDOUT VENDORS “Our celebrant, Damon Hughes, is also our good friend. Damon is an incredible storyteller. The room was filled with laughter, joy and sometimes tears. We had so many people tell us afterwards that they loved the tone and energy of the ceremony and some said it had even made them rethink their ideas about marriage. I had a blast working with Emily from North St Botanical– she is so lovely and I was blown away by her work. Our photographer Lucy of She Takes Pictures He Makes Films is an absolute legend. Lucy is so observant and unobtrusive; it felt like she was part of the family the moment she arrived! She is so talented and her photos really capture what the day felt like- filled with happiness and joy.”
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer She Takes Pictures He Makes Films Stylist and On-the-Day Coordination Wedding Day PA Florist, Ceremony Bench & Writing Table Hire North St Botanical Printer Officeworks Ceremony & Reception Panama Dining Room and Bar Sound Hire CVP Events, Film & Television Ceremony Entertainment Anna O’Bryan and Al Newstead (Friends) DJ Mz Rizk Celebrant Damon Hughes THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Odylyne The Ceremony Rings Heidi Gibson Hair Piece Jen Atkin x Chloe + Isabel Shoes Marc Jacobs via Lord & Taylor Earrings ASOS Hair & Makeup Kim Tavares Bridesmaid Dresses & Shoes Forever New THE GROOM Suit & Shirt Trunk Club Bow Tie Eton Ring Vrai & Oro Shoes Loakes