Emily and Michael

A festive wedding in a local surf club couldn’t be more Australian really could it? While Emily and Michael didn’t celebrate at Summer Bay, they did take their wedding day and turn it into a beautiful, colourful fiesta in Lorne!

Emily recalls how she and Michael met. “Michael and I met at the pub in Lorne on separate weekends away with friends. Michael proposed to me on one knee at Lorne and so naturally we vowed their lives to one another in our favourite beach town Lorne, Victoria.”

Photographs today are by Jerome Cole Photography. I love Jerome’s mix of art and photo journalistic moments. The images are fun, but also capture that unexpected sensitivity of a wedding day.

Emily wore a strapless gown by Roz la Kelin with silver Joanne Mercer shoes. Her jewels were from Diva and she added her great grandmother’s pearl ring.

Emily’s three bridesmaids wore teal coloured gowns from Nicolangela. They added Diva accessories and Tony Bianco shoes. Smellies Flowers created the floral arrangements including Emily’s white orchid bouquet and her bridesmaid’s purple orchid posies.

One of Emily’s favourite memories was “Approaching the church, stepping out of the car with my bridesmaids greeted by our gorgeous smiling little flower girls. They did a superb job getting down the aisle, but their excitement helped cool the nerves. ” Emily’s flower girls wore dresses sewn by Michael’s mother with additional fabric from Nicolangela to match the teal of the bridesmaid’s dresses.

Michael and his groomsmen wore suits hire from David Marcs Suit Hire.

Emily recalls, “I loved having my Grandpa walk me down the isle, proud as punch with my Dad watching over us at Lorne, his final resting place.” Emily walked down the aisle to ‘Unchained Melody’ by The Righteous Brothers.

Emily and Michael were married at All Saints Anglican Church in Lorne. Emily says “All Saints’ Anglican Church is a beautiful timber church in the heart of Lorne nested in a rich coastal garden only metres from the beach (and just next door to the pub for our guests between ceremony and reception). Exposed timber interior with high church ceiling captured our traditional ceremony.”

One of Emily’s favourite parts of the day was just with the bridal party. Emily explains “We had a picnic by the beach: While getting photos we set up a picnic for our bridal party with champagne, cheese platter and sandwiches.”

Of their photographer, Emily says “Jerome Cole is a modest professional photographer recommended to us by other photographers. He was a fly on the wall for our guests and bridal party yet managed to get every special moment of our day in an artistic, relaxed and candid fashion. His preparedness and creative suggestions for all locations and  conditions (and we had them all) definitely helped our day run seamlessly. A pleasure to work with and easily contactable, we look forward to having him capture the next momentous occasion in a new life as husband and wife. Thanks Jerome.”

Emily and Michale finished off their photos and made their grand entrance by walking along the foreshore to the Lorne Surf Live Saving Club where their guests were waiting for them. Emily explains “Lorne Surf Life Saving Club can be summed up by its scenery across the water as far as the eye can see. But inside, the echo of a surf club room features a surf row boat with oars and reel, fills the space into a comfortable and casual space. Friendly and supportive function staff, Bron & Paul ensured a fun and relaxed environment to celebrate as newlyweds with family & friends. Delicious stand up cocktail meal ended up on the balcony for most of the evening, closing the menu with plates of Spanish churros with hot chocolate dipping sauce.”

To decorate the club, Emily and Michael handmade strings of coloured bunting using fabric from Spotlight and hot gluing it. The couple also made hessian table runners and together with bridesmaids arranged market flowers in glass jars (collected by Emily’s mother’s tennis ladies!).

Emily and Michael made their own votive candles using wax from the Australian Wax Co. which they poured into jam jars tied with paper raffia.

Instead of wedding cake, Emily & Michael set up a sweets table. They purchased large jars bought from the market filled with lollies and had a feature fish bowl filled with multi-colour macarons made by Macarons by Josephine.

To decorate the lolly table, a pail filled with sand and handmade paper pinwheels added a fun and decorative touch. The couple kicked off the event with wedding invitations from Letter Bird Lane.

The wedding was catered by Thirteen Hats Specialist Catering with Surf Coast Party Hire providing the dance floor, linen & chairs for the event. Emily says “Our wedding was a romantic, happy and casual beach side wedding. ”

Emily and Michael danced to Lay Lady Lay – Gemma Hayes & Magnet. Emily recalls “A few waltz dance lessons at Alegria Dance Centre ensured one foot in front of the other for these two first time routine dancers. Even glitches in the track couldn’t wipe the smiles from the happy couple. It all happened so quickly, yet we managed to impress our friends and family who were not expecting anything of a sort!

I loved finishing our ‘first dance’ and taking a deep breath with my new husband on the dancefloor, my only tears for the day!”

Emily and Michael hired a five piece band (Cool Change from Haze Music) to get guests dancing. Emily recalls “Cool Change band held a dance off to the Twist, had the entire congregation on the dance floor for the party.”

The long walk home remains a special memory for the bride,. She remembers “After saying goodbye to all our family and friends at the reception, walking with my brand new husband back to our accommodation barefoot along beach, laughing and re-capping our amazing day.”

Congratulations Emily and Michael! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to Jerome Cole Photography for sharing the photographs!