Emily & Trent

Today’s wedding can be described in one word- chic. From the bride’s Chanel pearl necklace, to the old cinema venue, to the guests mingling in the laneway.

Emily tells their story. “We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party. Initial sparks flew as we had a lot in common – both working in the creative fields (fashion and design) we share interests of all things art, design, music, fashion and food related. A few months went by as Trent was travelling but after some match making by a close friend, something started.

We got engaged whilst picnicking in Central Park, New York in September 2010.”

Photographs today are by Leo Farrell  who has an unobtrusive, ‘as it happens’ way of capturing beauty in weddings.

Emily wore a simple gown made by Miss Lynda (03) 9802 3408  and accessorised with shoes from  Jimmy Choo  and pearls from Chanel.  Her bridesmaids wore pale pink gowns by Thurley.

Emily and her bridesmaids had their makeup done by Justine Bruers. Emily recalls, “It was really special having a friend who Emily went to junior school with in Hong Kong do the makeup of the bride and bridesmaids. We really wanted a natural look which Justine did perfectly.”

Emily and Trent hired Bright Young Things who not only coordinated and styled the wedding but also catered the event. Emily says “We loved our vendors. Especially the lovely staff from Bright Young Things – everything went so smoothly and the staff went out of their way to make our guests comfortable – we got so many compliments from our guests in the following weeks.”

The couple held the entire wedding at 1000 Pound Bend. Emily explains, “We wanted a venue that was different to the usual wedding venue, and one that was very Melbourne. We are originally from Sydney so the majority of our guests were flying in from interstate.

After seeing many venues and almost losing hope we stumbled across 1000 Pound Bend one Saturday afternoon. We both knew straight away it was the perfect venue for us. It’s raw warehouse/gallery feel reflected our tastes and it came complete with a laneway – you can’t get more Melbourne than that.

We had the ceremony in the Cinema upstairs which was really unique and intimate. Our guests then mingled whilst we went for photos at Flagstaff Gardens. Everyone then moved into the large gallery space downstairs for the evening’s festivities.”

Emily walked down the aisle to ‘Heartbeats’ by José González (cover of The Knife’s Heartbeats).

Sylvia Johnson performed the ceremony. Emily remembers “Sylvia our celebrant – really understood us as a couple. She understood we did not want a traditional formal ceremony. There were many laughs through out and really heartfelt vows. We had compliments on the ceremony from many of our guests.”

Emily loved, “Having the majority of our guests travel to Melbourne for the weekend – we are both originally from Sydney so it was special having everyone make the trip down for our wedding. It was wonderful looking around at all the faces of our guests during the ceremony and realising the effort everyone had made to be there.”

Of their photographer, Emily says “Capturing the day through beautiful photography was high on our list. We were drawn to Leo’s non-posed, relaxed candid style. Leo was wonderful on the day, he was very un-intrusive – we barely knew he was there. We couldn’t be happier with our final shots – they really capture the day perfectly.”

There was one little surprise for the couple. Emily recalls “On the way back from photos Trent’s brother organised a graffiti artist, who just happened to be hanging out in the street, to spray paint a heart with our initials in the venue lane way. The artist was making finishing touches as Trent and I walked around the corner. It was a perfect surprise for us as we both love street art. It really added a special touch to the day.:

Instead of a formal reception, Emily and Trent did away with formalities choosing not to have a first dance and having  relaxed seating at the reception. Emily recalls, “We chose to have a more relaxed non-formal style of wedding with good food and wine being the most important thing. We had a half stand up half sit down style reception so everyone would mingle and we could spend time with all our guests rather than be seated in set seats. The food was served buffet style.”

Emily loved, “The speeches – both our fathers made beautiful memorable speeches, as did the best man and Trent. Emily’s brother also made a heartfelt speech that bought a tear to many of our guest’s eyes. He was stressing about it all week but it ended up being just perfect.”

As is Melbourne’s way, it’s the hidden nooks that are the favourite spaces. Emily says “The lane way – not only was this a perfect reflection of Melbourne, it was a beautiful warm summer’s day, so having the lane way was a great way to allow our guests to get some fresh air and spend time mingling outside. Bright Young Things did a great job dressing it up with benches, cushions and jugs of flowers.”

And for one final sweet treat? “The ice cream cart – this came to life towards the end of the night. A selection of ice cream flavours and toppings were available. It was a refreshing and fun surprise for our guests after a couple of hours of dancing.”

Congratulations Emily and Trent! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to Leo Farrell for sharing today’s images!