Summer Abbotsford Convent Wedding

Sarah & Michael

A gorgeous Summer day led to the most beautiful Summer Abbotsford Convent wedding for Sarah and Michael. A day which played out full of interesting, fun touches, plenty of stories and memory making moments in one of Melbourne’s most beautiful venues. All captured by Goldsmith & Co.

As for how Sarah and Michael ended up there, the story is told a little something like this. “Both of us (Michael and Sarah) enjoy going to the café, 7 Seeds in Carlton. One particular time I (Sarah) looked very happy and Michael took a photo. We were still friends and named the photo the’7 Seeds smile’. Later Michael found out that this was in fact the moment when I knew I liked Michael. As a result, Michael wanted to propose to me at 7 Seeds but also wanted to get me there dressed up so that we could go to dinner afterwards. So he put together a very elaborate back story which his whole family was in on.

One day when I was washing the dishes he told me that his younger brother Andrew was graduating on a particular day even though he had not finished his semester – this was allowed due to a made up “final subject policy”. A couple of days later Michael mentioned that there would be professional photographers there so maybe I’d like to dress up. Days before the graduation, I was asking family members what they were wearing and on the day, Michael’s eldest brother Ryan was staying with us and had a conversation with Michael regarding what tie to take back for Andrew.

Finally Michael and I were on our way, and as we were a little early Michael suggested grabbing a coffee, to which I replied ‘I’ve already had one today, I’ll get a Red Bull instead’. It took a bit of convincing but Michael finally got me to the café at which point I said to the waiter ‘two take away strong cappuccino’s thanks’. Again, Michael had to convince me that they had the time to sit down and enjoy a coffee.

The type of coffee that I (Sarah) normally orders (when sitting in) comes with a card explaining the origin of the beans, some history about the farm/ region it came from and some particular (flavour) notes you may be able to discern in the coffee. However this time the card looked slightly different, it had the photo of the 7 Seeds smile on it, with origins from Ringwood and Dandenong and the title was “The Perfect Blend” (Cards (with this phrase) were displayed on the cake table in the reception). Still the penny hadn’t dropped for me as I thought this was a lovely gesture that Michael had arranged. It was only when I heard the song “Marry Me” by Train over the loud-speaker that I clicked.

Trying to keep composed to read the thoughtful message Michael had written on the back of the card, Michael casually smiled and sipped his cappuccino. When I finally took a sip of my coffee I noticed a very familiar looking message (in the same writing as a note I’d left for Michael on his coffee cup while I was thousands of miles away in South America). My message was “Let’s have a great life babe”. Michael got down on one knee, and I said ‘yes’.”

The couple chose a different kind of first look, the bride remembering, “We’d heard of couples that saw each other before the ceremony for photos do a ‘reveal’ so they could each enjoy that moment of seeing each other for the first time. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to play a trick on Michael and completely throw him off by slipping into the puffiest number circa 1980 I could find from the Salvos Store and watch his reaction. We had the entire bridal party line up to watch with Michael’s back to me – when Michael turned his reaction along with the bridal party’s was priceless – it was a combination of fear & laughter as they weren’t quite sure if it was ‘the’ dress. It defiantly broke the ice and set the mood for the day – to have fun and don’t take anything too seriously.” The bride’s “real” dress was by Rachel Gilbert.

Sarah and Michael chose Abbotsford Convent for their wedding, noting “We used Abbotsford Convent for both Ceremony and Reception. The ceremony took place in the gardens and then flowed straight into the Rosina courtyard for canapés with the main reception in the main hall. Having it all in the one venue kept a nice the flow and made it more relaxing for both guests and the bridal party. The two spaces during the reception created different moods for the evening & the space is effortlessly beautiful – you can do as much or as little as you like to it.” The wedding was styled by Wedding Day PA.

Sarah walked down the aisle to the same song Michael proposed with – Marry Me by Train.

Julianne Bambacas performed the ceremony, Sarah noting, “Julianne brought a great level of professionalism, style and fun not only on the day but the prep leading up. Julianne really invested herself into the role and we always felt comfortable knowing she had everything covered even when we didn’t!”

Of their photographers, Sarah and Michael tell, “Jane & Brett were a great team and made the entire day a relaxed an enjoyable experience. Their style was a very casual opting for more natural shots and not posed, which really reflects us.”

Guests enjoyed drinks and canapes in the courtyard, Sarah telling, “Personal touches definitely stick with you, the Photo installation created by the family was a real talking piece.”

The floral arrangements were styled by Botanics Of Melbourne, the bride telling, “AMAZING!!!! For a girl who was anti flowers my partner and I immediately fell in love with Shane’s and the team’s work from Botanics. They went above and beyond our expectations and level of service all done with a smile – it’s really been an enjoyable part of the wedding prep and blew our minds on the day!”

Bursaria Fine Foods catered the wedding, the bride remarking, “Raising the bar when it comes to wedding food – Bursaria offered flexibility, fresh and exciting offerings. The grazing menu allowed for great interaction at the table and meant no one missed out and the roving deserts were another fun element and allowed people to get up and mingle. If you appreciate good food I would strongly recommend Bursaria.”

The couple served cake from Cake Bytes and a cheese tower from Milk The Cow noting, “With only two & half days’ notice – Shan from Cake Bytes not only created a five tier master piece but a cake that tasted divine. There are wedding cakes and then there are cakes made by Shan. I’m not a massive sweet tooth but when you’re eating cake for breakfast you know it’s good! Opting for something a little different we went with a cheese tower …and arranged it three days before the wedding! Mark and the team from Milk The Cow did a great job of pulling this together and gave us the opportunity to taste and learn about the cheese selected which was a lot of fun.”

The finishing touch was a photo booth from Little Pixel Box, Sarah telling, “We ended up going with an Instagram printer & despite being a little nervous it wouldn’t be used, the girls walked us through the process and attended the evening to make sure everyone got a snap! It was a real talking point of the night made possible by their great product and service – thanks guys!”