Modern Spring Garden Wedding - Polka Dot Wedding

Katrina & Luca

There is such a beautiful feeling to Katrina and Luca’s modern spring garden wedding. From the bride’s sparkling pistachio green sequin wedding gown, the wedding ceremony under the dappled shade of the most beautiful oak tree, to the sun shining as guests celebrated. I’m not sure what sums up the fun and joy of Spring more, do you? Katrina and Luca chose Love, Katie and Sarah to capture their day.

Katrina tells the story of how they came to be. “We met while at high school. I was in my final year and Luca was in the year below. We went on a school excursion to an Italian art exhibition and I, wondering around arm in arm with one of my best friends (who sung at our wedding!), stopped all of a sudden as soon as I noticed Luca for the first time. I asked the teacher who Luca was and wondered why I had never saw him before.

At that moment, my gut instinct told me that Luca was going to be a special person in my life (and that was without even knowing him!). Eventually we met at a party six months later and hit it off… the rest is now history.”

Katrina chose a gown by Andrea Gorrie, remembering, “I wore a soft pistachio green sequin dress. It was designed and made by Melbourne bridal courtier, Andrea Gorrie in Armadale. I didn’t have a complete idea of what I wanted but what I did know was that I wanted an non-traditional dress that made me feel special. I was never intending to wear a green dress, but as soon as I was shown the fabric it was exactly what I wanted. The making of the dress was quite organic in that decisions were made as they needed to be. Andrea was lovely to work with and her attention to detail is extraordinary.”

Janice Wu pulled together Katrina’s hair and makeup look, Katrina noting, “We loved all our vendors. Those that stood out were Katie from Love Katie & Sarah (photographer), Janet Hussey (celebrant), Carla Troiano (wedding singer), Andrea Gorrie (dress maker) and Janice Wu (Janice Wu Hair and Make-up). Each of these people set the mood of the day and ensured that we had the most wonderful day.”

Katrina and Luca chose Heide Museum of Modern Art for their wedding, telling, “Heide Museum of Modern Art is a large, beautiful space with lovely gardens – native, English and a kitchen garden used by the Cafe!. We chose to get married under the beautiful old oak tree at the top of the property. On the day of the wedding, this tree was the most magnificent back drop.”

“The ceremony was held under the big oak tree. It was the most magnificent spring Melbourne day and the tree provided lovely shade from the sunshine. Champagne was being served to guests as they arrived and soft acoustic guitar music was playing. While family and friends were waiting for my arrival they were chatting among themselves and enjoying the beautiful weather.”

Of her walk down the aisle, Katrina walked as Carla Troiano Wedding Band played, she remembers, “I walked arm in arm with both my parents. My best friend, Carla, welcomed us to the ceremony by singing her own acoustic version of Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking out loud”.

Janet Hussey officiated the ceremony, the bride remarking, “We selected Janet Hussey to perform our wedding ceremony and she was the most perfect person for the job! She was loving, light hearted and has a smile to light up the darkest of rooms. She performed the ceremony with sincerity and in a down to earth manner that appealed to both us. No readings were selected however we both wished to recognise equal rights to marriage.”

Celebrations continued at Cafe Heide, the bride remembering, “We had a lunch reception on site at Cafe Heide. It serves delicious, modern Australian food. We opted for the stand up canape selection for our guests as this was a means to enjoy a variety of dishes and cater for all our guests.”

There were a few special touches for the day, the bride telling, “Luca hand made a beautiful wooden table which was a centrepiece table for the lunch reception. The table was made with blackbutt (Australian hardwood) and features bronze details and features. We now use it everyday as our dining table in our home. Luca also designed and created the stationery used for their wedding.”

Of their photographer, Katrina notes, “Without a doubt I knew from the beginning that I wanted to use Love Katie and Sarah as I loved their work. Katie was the primary photographer on the day. She has a magnificent eye and without fail captures some of the most beautiful moments. She was relaxed and was always with a smile on her face. She was playful with guests and captured little special details of the day.”