Intimate Abbotsford Convent Wedding

Jem & Brendan

Weddings at Melbourne’s Abbotsford Convent are fast becoming a favourite of mine. It’s such a beautiful complex with so much history in each wall. Jem and Brendan were able to have their entire day on site which is always a plus and celebrated with photographer Sayher Heffernan to create a truly personal wedding day.

As childhood friends, Jem tells the story of how a friendship grew to be a marriage. “We grew up together, from primary school as close friends and became best friends throughout high school. We started dating towards the end of high school and have been together since.”

The groom and groomsmen wore a suit from Formal Red with dapper bow ties.

Jem and Brendan’s friends helped with many facets of the day, Jem remarking, “We were extremely fortunate to have such talented friends who helped with many aspects of the wedding, this made the details of the wedding so much more special. Our invitations, flowers, hair and make up and the styling of the reception were all done or provided by some of our closest friends.”

For The Love Of Flowers created the bridal party floral arrangements.

Jem wore a beautiful lace wedding gown designed by Annette of Melbourne. Her bridesmaids wore lavender gowns from Swish Clothing.

The wedding date was extra special to the couple, Jem explaining, “It was our 13-year anniversary on the same day and we exchanged letters to each other on the morning of the wedding.”

The couple met before the ceremony for photographs, Jem telling, “The photos really capture the special moments, emotions and the beautiful grounds of the Abbotsford Convent. We met up in private in the garden prior to the ceremony which was very special as it helped calm our nerves.”

Of their photographer, Jem tells, “Sayher’s service and professionalism was above and beyond what we expected. He was flexible, patient and pleasant to work with. His creativity and unique composition is clear in his work. It was a pleasure to see how passionate he was for his work. We would highly recommend Sayher to anyone.”

Jem and Brendan married in The Good Shepherd Chapel. Jem explaining, ” The Abbotsford Convent was perfect for our wedding. It had everything we were looking for in a venue. Having the Good Shepherd Chapel on the same grounds as our reception made it very convenient for us and our guests. We were very fortunate to be one of the first couples to use the chapel since it’s restoration in 2013.”

Jem walked down the aisle to Angus and Julia Stone – ‘The Wedding Song’.

Celebrations continued in the Rosina Room in the Abbotsford Convent, Jem tells, “The Grand Rosina Room was exactly what we were looking for and Bursaria Fine Foods (caterers) did a wonderful job on the menu.”

“Most of the reception decor was designed and made by the couple. Jem remarking, “We decorated the long tables with hessian table runners and scattered old books and jars for a shabby chic look. We also made a sign which hung over the dance floor that said ‘Shake That!’ to fill the blank wall and add a sense of fun into the reception. Guests were also greeted with a table seating feature that included a blackboard sign that read ‘Find your seat’ and my Dad’s old typewriter. We gave each guest a potted rosemary that had their name on it doubling as a seat name card.”

For their first dance, Jem remembers, “We danced to Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You’ sung by the band and sung at the top of our lungs to each other.”

Bursaria Fine Foods catered the wedding, Jem noting, “The food was fantastic and we kicked off the reception with a shot of infused vodka – an ode to Brendan’s Polish background and served our guests fish and chips towards the end of the night as a surprise treat!”