st kilda wedding

Juliette & Matt

A rock and roll wedding in St Kilda? What a way to kick off Valentine’s Day week on Polka Dot Bride!  The classic red roses add a rock and roll touch when mixed with black (and the bride’s red sneakers!)

Juliette tells their story. “According to the groom we met on a tram. In real life we met on an internet dating site. From the first time we met we both knew it was something really special. Things moved quite quickly from then on, meeting the families within a month of knowing each other and then Matt moving in with me within 3 months. We were married on our second anniversary of meeting. I had never believed in that old thing of “you just know” until now. Our wedding was not just about letting everyone know how much we love each other, but also about letting our family and friends know how much we love and appreciate them – we wanted everyone to join us in celebrating not just our love, but our love for all of them.”

Just as rock and roll is today’s photographer Eric Ronald who lends his edgy photographic style perfectly to today’s images!

Juliette tells, “Mum made my dress for me, it was hard to find anything similar to what I pictured in any of the shops, and so when I saw a dress on the internet that I liked, I showed it to my mum who said that she would be able to make it. We went to a pattern maker with the picture, had a pattern made, and then it was just trial and error from there. It was a bit of a process but the end result was my beautiful dress that doesn’t exist in Melbourne shops – made for me with so much love and meaning by my mum.”

The couple married in the Rose Garden at the  St Kilda Botanical Gardens. Juliette explains,“ The rose garden in the St Kilda botanical gardens is such a beautiful place with so many different ways it can be used. The roses were all out in bloom and the hedge made a stunning backdrop for my entrance and the photos. We held the ceremony at the top of the stairs in front of the rotunda so that everyone could see and hear what was going on easily. It is also great because there are so many areas to have photos done after the ceremony. We also went to Luna Park & the Palais in between the ceremony & reception for more photos.”

Juliette says “Having my father walk me down the aisle was very special to me, we have always been close, and with his declining health, it sometimes seemed like a dream that would never come true.” Juliette chosen “It Must Be Love” by Madness for the processional.

Greg Evans performed the ceremony. Juliette recalls “Greg Evans did a wonderful job in making everyone feel comfortable and enjoy the ceremony. He made sure that all the guests knew who the important family members & friends were and how special they are to both of us. We were both so happy that our Nannas could be there with us on the day – they both mean so much to us and were so happy for both of us. He also made sure that he injected lots of humour into the right places of the ceremony, sure there were the serious moments that we both wanted, but there were also lots of laughs & funny twists which is what we are both known for!”

Betty Lewis (booked on recommendations only!) created red rose bouquets and floral arrangements for the wedding.

Of their photographer, Juliette says “Eric Ronald was our photographer. He was so easy to get along with and made the day such a joy for us. We had so much fun with him, even though we are not the easiest people to photograph – we are both amazed by the stunning photos that resulted from the day. After the wedding my father told me that he really liked the photographer because he was such a nice and charming young man.”

Juliette remembers, “After the ceremony/photos we walked from our hotel round the corner to the reception, and then we walked back to our hotel after the reception – this time we spent together was so nice and will be something I’ll remember for a long time.”

The Willows on St Kilda Rd held the reception for this rock and roll couple. Juliette remarks, “The Willows was a fantastic venue with amazing food and service (each guest gets a menu with 3 choices for each course which they get to choose from – so it’s not your usual “alternate drop”). The weather was great which meant the decking area that was filled with white rose bushes was in full use for the whole night We had a photo booth inside which was being constantly used the whole night and every guest has said what a great idea it was. I got ready at the Blackman Hotel and we both chilled out there for a few minutes in between the ceremony/photos & the reception, we were able to then walk to our reception from there and walk back afterwards.”

Juliette tells, “We wanted the whole day to be relaxed, easy and fun for both us and the guests – so we didn’t make the guests wait hours between the ceremony and reception (ceremony/photos finished about 5pm, reception started at 6pm). We didn’t have a bridal table as such, Matt and I sat with our parents and Nannas on a round table in the middle of the room so that we could all move around easily and people could come and sit at our table to talk with us and our families. The cake was a different flavour on each tier, and simply decorated to match our centrepieces. There was enough cake for coffee, people to take some home and for use to have a portion of each tier so that we knew what it tasted like (because we knew that we wouldn’t get round to having some on the night). ” Cakes & The City made the three tier wedding cake decorated with black ribbon, red roses and a paper cutout.

The first dance kicked off as the couple entered the reception, to much applause! Juliette recounts, “The first dance was a charleston/swing dance. We were announced into the venue and were greeting the guests who were then moved to the sides when we broke out into our dance. It was to Adam Hill and the velvet playboys – ‘I like the way she moves’. It was fun, energetic and highly amusing. I love looking back on the photos and videos and seeing how many of our guests are smiling and laughing during our dance. It also meant that I had to change my ceremony shoes into a pair of red sneakers that I kept on for the rest of the night because they were so damn comfortable!”

DIY? Juliette delegated what she could! “We tried to keep costs down by doing as many reasonable things ourselves that we could. We provided the florist with peacock feathers, and also $2 lolly jars that were used as the vases for the centre pieces. We used my grandfather’s old suitcase as our wishing well. A friend made my birdcage veil/flower headpiece We provided our own props box for the photo booth (including moustaches etc on sticks, heart shaped blackboards for messages, top hat etc). We made our own “save the dates” and invitations, using tattoo/rock n’ roll images that my brother’s wife (who is a graphic designer) made for us. We put a heap of music into different files (wedding dance, dinner music, dancing music) on an MP3 player for the reception. It was great to be able to use my own car for the wedding (1968 Toyota Crown) sure, many people might laugh at that, but I thought it looked great on the day and didn’t cost more than a car wash!”

Congratulations on your marriage Juliette and Matt! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you to Eric Ronald for sharing today’s images with us!