Is your idea of a good celebration, a quiet night at an amazing restaurant with amazing company? Mine too.. I also think it just me be the favourite pastime of Sally and Felix who not only had a beautiful marriage ceremony but celebrated with friends over an intimate restaurant reception.

Sally remembers how she met her husband. “We spotted each other at a café in a very Melbournian alley way (the café is called Hell’s in Centre Place off DeGraves Lane) on a Sunday afternoon. After a nervous chat, we exchanged numbers. Felix called me within the hour to ask if I would like to see a movie with him that night. The movie turned into drinks, which turned into a late dinner and long chats well into the night. We have been inseparable ever since, and Felix recreated that amazing first meeting from start to finish on our six month anniversary when he proposed. A whirlwind romance for sure, but we have never been so sure of anything in our entire lives.”

Today’s photography is by Harvard Wang. I love Harvard’s raw sense of emotion he captures in his photographs. They’re so beautiful and so Melbourne. Sally explains “Harvard is a friend of  Felix’s from university. We couldn’t think of anything better than having a friend capture our wedding on film! It worked perfectly as Harvard’s style was exactly what we were looking for and we were very comfortable as we know him which I think is reflected in the photos. We are still receiving compliments on the photo’s which is a testament to Harvard.”

Sally wore a simple but beautiful gown from Lisa Ho.

One of Sally’s favourite memories was “Close friends and family arrived at the hotel room at the Grand Hyatt to get ready together with the me which was really fun.”

Sally and her bridesmaid carried bouquets of Vintage honeymoon roses.

Sally says “We wanted a small intimate wedding with only our nearest and dearest, and that made the DIY elements easy. We took care of all the planning ourselves, hair and make-up were done by the myself and my friends, the invitations were designed by my sister Amanda who was also maid of honour. We took the final stationary designs down to a print shop and chose some lovely paper for the invitations and place cards made them up ourselves.” Sally’s maid of honour wore a gown from Wayne Cooper.

Sally and Felix held their marriage ceremony in the Eastern Transit room at the Melbourne Observatory in the Botanic Gardens. The bride walked down the aisle to “I love N.Y.E.” by Badly Drawn Boy.

The wedding rings were special for the couple, Sally explains. ” Mclachlan Studio in Tasmania made the engagement ring and wedding bands. The jewelers are good friends; they are the best man Ramsay’s parents!”

Sally remarks “We didn’t feel the need to follow tradition too closely, and we wanted to ensure that the day was done our way. We wanted to keep it imitate, relaxed and fun”

The couple continued their intimate atmosphere with a reception in Melbourne city. A vintage French themed reception dinner at the Bistro Vue dining room at Vue du Monde.

The highlight of the reception were the speeches. ” The speeches were incredibly funny and sweet; people are still talking about our friend Chris’ speech and my Father’s speech – we were all in stitches! We were so lucky that we found the most wonderful celebrant Rosemary who really ensured the ceremony went to plan, and the staff and event planner Pierre at Vue du Monde as the reception dinner was definitely the fun, relaxed, delicious, and special evening we had hoped for.”

Music was an important focus for the wedding day. Sally explains “For the rest of the evening we listened to a selection of our favourite tunes from a wide variety of artists including Stevie Wonder, Florence + the Machine to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Our good friend Rebecca ensured the music flowed smoothly.”

For their wedding cake, the newlyweds chose a rich chocolate and pistachio cake made by Vue du Monde.

Congratulations Sally and Felix! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us on Polka Dot Bride! Thank you also to by Harvard Wang for sharing today’s photographs!