Danusha & Michal

There is no pretense with this morning’s wedding. It’s all about the colour and the life of Danusha and Michal’s wedding day, held in the bride’s parent’s backyard. So many of their Sri Lankan and Polish heritage moments were interwoven into the day.

Danusha tells their story. ” Michal and I met in 2010 in a small country town in England. I had taken a year off work to go traveling and had organized to work at the same restaurant that Michal worked at as a chef. We met on the very first day I arrived and within 2 weeks we started seeing each other. I lived with Michal in England for only 4 months but our relationship developed quickly. After returning to Australia, Michal made the long journey to visit me in Melbourne and then the following year I went with Michal to Poland to meet his family. In 2012, Michal officially moved to Melbourne to be with me leaving behind his friends in England and family in Poland.”

The colourful, fun photos are captured by Sorrento Wedding Photography.

Danusha wore a tea length gown made by Lady Petrova.

Danusha and Michal chose Danusha’s parent’s home for their wedding day. Danusha explaining, “We had the wedding in my parent’s backyard because we wanted to have a very small wedding with just our close family and friends. Unfortunately, because of the cost and distance Michal’s family could not make it out to Australia for the wedding. As such, we are have a bigger and grander wedding in Poland planned in July 2014 which I have family and friends from Australia traveling over for. My parent’s backyard comfortably fitted 50 people for a sit down buffet dinner. We were also able to decorate the backyard as we liked. We used the deck for the ceremony. We covered the ceiling in ribbons and fairy lights. We had lanterns in all different colours to decorate the marquee. The flowers were of all different colours and in mismatched vases down the center of the tables. Michal and I are laid back and happy people who prefer to spend less money and give things a personal touch. The colour we used and the homey feel of the venue was hopefully able to portray that.”

Danusha walked down the aisle to a recording of her sister playing “You Are My Sunshine” on the piano.

Of their photographer, Danusha remarks, “Christine from Sorrento Wedding Photography was excellent. I would recommend her to anyone requiring a photographer. On the day of our wedding, it was extremely windy. We had originally requested that we take our bridal party photos at the beach, but the wind just made it impossible. On the way back to my parent’s house Christine noticed a small wetlands and suggested we stop there. Luckily she did, the photos taken at the wetlands give the feeling that we were alone in a giant field, just the two of us. It was very romantic and exactly what I was hoping for. I also had a few special request photos that I wanted taken, which Christine was more than happy to accommodate. Sorrento Wedding Photography was affordable, followed our instructions, arrived on time, took excellent photos and provided us with the professional photos in both black and white and colour within a month. Everything you hope for in a wedding photographer.”

“Probably one of the highlights of the night was the ice cream van. We hired an ice cream van to come by after dinner. People could have as much ice cream as the liked everything from vanilla, choc dipped, with nuts, sprinkles etc. Also with vodka such a recognizable Polish drink, there was a lot flowing. Everyone had a personalized shot glass that had how to say cheers in English, Polish and Singhalese.”

“My sister who at the time was 6 months pregnant was MC with her husband. We incorporated Sri Lankan traditions with Polish ones. For example, we lit a gold lamp that denotes light and wisdom in Sri Lankan tradition. As a Polish tradition, we ate bread lightly sprinkled with salt from my parents. With the bread, my parents are hoping that we will never hunger or be in need. With the salt, they are reminding us that our life may be difficult at times, and we must learn to cope with life’s struggles. Also we were given a shot glass each full of a clear liquid. The one that got the vodka will wear the pants in the relationship and the one that gets the water won’t. The idea is to not react so that no one knows who got what. Michal and I both swear that we both got vodka.”

Danusha remembers, “Our first dance was to a Polish song traditionally sung at weddings by guests to the bride and groom. When I went to Poland to visit Michal’s family we went to his cousin’s wedding. At this wedding I learnt a lot about Polish wedding traditions and this was one of my most favorite songs sung that night.I also found out that most Polish men know how to dance. And I don’t mean shuffling from side to side on the dance floor. Michal knows how to partner dance much better than me. He ended up choreographing our first dance and teaching me the moves. I just followed his instructions.”

Congratulations on your marriage Danusha and Michal! Thank you for sharing your story with us! Thank you also to Sorrento Wedding Photography. for sharing today’s images with us!