Romantic Pope Joan Wedding - Polka Dot Wedding

Amanda & Sam

If there is one thing Melbourne loves, it’s cafes, so the romantic Pope Joan wedding of Amanda and Sam, complete with urban city backdrops, trams and of course – espresso martinis had me at hello. The couple chose Farrah Allan to capture their city wedding day.

The love story of Amanda and Sam had synchronicity to their own wedding day. “Like all good love stories, Sam and I met after one too many drinks at a nightclub. We were both there to see Melbourne band, the Vaudeville Smash. It was such a fun night. Two of our wedding guests organised Vaudeville Smash to play during our ceremony as our wedding gift.”

Amanda chose a gown from Mariana Hardwick with a sash from Bride La Boheme. She tells ” I wore the “Ashley” dress by Mariana Hardwick. I knew I wanted to wear an ivory lace dress and I fell in love with it straight away. The lace silhouette was so flattering. I knew I wanted something that I could feel comfortable (and beautiful!) in all day. I tried a number of dresses on before I tried on my wedding dress, but they always felt too stiff or too formal. Once I tried on my wedding dress, I knew it was “the one”. The team at Mariana Hardwick was excellent as well and the tailoring of the dress was exquisite.”

The bride’s sister made the jewellery pieces for the day. “The most special detail of my wedding was wearing the jewellery created by my very talented sister (and maid of honour) Julia of Julia Storey Jewels. She made Sam and my wedding rings, my wedding cuffs and the bridesmaid necklaces.”

Treasury Gardens, East Melbourne was chosen for the ceremony, Amanda remarking, “Sam and I absolutely love living in Melbourne and we wanted our wedding to reflect that. The ceremony was held at the Treasury Gardens, East Melbourne. We held the wedding at a paved enclave to the side of the gardens, beside the JFK memorial. It is a gorgeous spot and a bit more private than other parts of the gardens.”

Tom Collins Cocktail Caravan served up cocktails in the garden to kick off the party.

A very special part of the ceremony was Vaudeville Smash performing. Amanda tells, “Two of our wedding guests organised Vaudeville Smash to play during our ceremony as our wedding gift. It was so special having them there after they played the night we met.”

Soulmate Ceremonies officiated the ceremony, Amanda remembering, “We wanted our ceremony to symbolise a modern love story about equal partnership. We wanted all of our guests to celebrate our wedding. It was very important to us that we include a section in our ceremony about our support of gay and lesbian couples’ right to marry and our celebrant delivered it perfectly. My mother read a section from the book Milly Molly Mandy by Joan Lankester Brisley (1928) – a bedtime story that she used to read to me when I was a child. Sam’s father read the Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee reading (author unknown).”

“One of my family’s traditions is for guests to place horseshoes on the bride’s arms as she walks down the aisle at the end of the wedding ceremony as a symbol of good luck. My godmother made Sam and I a special horseshoe out of French lace and I also wore the same horseshoes that my parents wore at their wedding 35 years ago.”

Pomp and Splendour created the deeply toned floral arrangements for the day, Amanda noting “I loved the gorgeous flower crown from Pomp and Splendour (I squealed when I put it on). The colour palette was so dreamy.”

Of their photographer, Amanda remarks, “Farrah Allan was an absolute pleasure to work with. She had the perfect combination of artistic vision and organisation. I 100% trusted everything she did on the day and all the shots are so beautiful.”

“The guests traveled by tram between the Treasury Gardens and Pope Joan, which we think that added to the Melbourne flavour of the day.”

Pope Joan hosted the urban feel reception, Amanda explaining, “We held our wedding reception at Pope Joan. It was important to us that guests could enjoy excellent food and wine, and effortlessly mingle amongst themselves. Pope Joan felt like a glamorous backyard party with the exposed brick walls, rustic garden and hanging festoon lighting. The staff were excellent and looked after everyone all night.”

“Sam & I kept the DIY details to a minimum but kept our IKEA obsession alive and well. We spray painted a bunch of IKEA vases and op shop glasses gold and filled them with flowers at the ceremony. My mum created black and white table runners using IKEA fabric. We also re-purposed an IKEA terrarium as our wishing well.”

Top Dog Entertainment started the dance floor off, the bride remembering, “All of my vendors were amazing so I can’t choose one. All the vendors understood our vision of the day and the vibe we wanted to create. They worked with us throughout the whole process. Choosing great vendors are the key to having a great wedding. As for my favourite part of the wedding planning, I enjoyed choosing our ultimate wedding playlist. We compiled it throughout the year leading up to the wedding, adding songs that we heard at parties, other weddings and when we were out and about. Top Dog Entertainment transformed that list from an iPod playlist to dance floor magic.”

Sticky Fingers Bakery crafted the delicious wedding cake which was served before espresso martinis rounded out the evening.

Of their first dance, the bride remembers, “The first dance was fun but, to be honest, a little awkward! We danced to Justice D.A.N.C.E. because it is a fun song that we hoped would get the dancefloor started.”