Francescka & Anton

We are such fans of beautiful weddings that are so centred on the story of the happy couple. Francescka and Anton met at a mutual friend’s birthday party during their high school years. So it made sense that friendship played a large role in their romantic winery wedding day captured by Photography By Sarah J . The couple chose a lunch time wedding, involving as many of their friends and family as possible – right down to asking their close parish priest to officiate the day.

Francescka chose a beautiful beaded gown from Gwendolynne , she tells “It was the first dress I tried on. I loved the intricate details of the beading and the feminine silhouette. I also felt really comfortable in the dress. I didn’t want to take it off. I had all of my fittings with Gwendolynne. She was so lovely to work with and I knew she was a safe pair of hands!”

Anton and Francescka chose Stones of the Yarra Valley  for their wedding, explaining “We had the ceremony at the chapel in the Stones of the Yarra Valley and had a lunchtime reception in the Barn on the same property. Stones is a beautiful vineyard in the Yarra Valley. We had seen many venues but none like this one. It had the right balance between nature and rustic charm with a great contemporary feel.”

Francescka walked down the aisle with her parents to “Angels” By The XX. “I think one of those most precious moments from the day was when I walked down the aisle. I had been pretty stressed leading up to the big day and was pretty nervous when I got there but as soon as I saw Anton at the end of the aisle, there was an overwhelming sense of calm.”

Father John Magri officiated the ceremony, the bride remembering “Our ceremony was held in the chapel. Our Parish Priest was the celebrant. It was really special to have someone close to the family as the celebrant. We come from a Filipino background and we were able to incorporate a few Filipino traditions into the ceremony. My mum, my aunt, Anton’s dad and his cousin gave readings. We also had Anton’s nieces as flower girls and my 6-month old nephew was our pageboy. We were both pretty emotional during the whole ceremony. It felt like the culmination of 10 years of joy and happiness rolled into one.”

Cecilia Fox created the floral arrangements for the day, including, bouquets of white and raspberry red blooms.

Of their photographer, the bride remarks “Our photographer was the extremely talented Sarah J Nalder. She was such a delight to work with. We felt really relaxed around her. So much so that we sometimes forgot she was photographing us. She captured every special moment in a beautiful way. We love all of our photos!”

A choreographed dance was the perfect way to kick off the lunch time reception. “We danced to Sam Smith and John Legend’s ‘Lay Me Down’. A close friend of mine is a dancer and she choreographed it. We really enjoyed learning it in the lead up to the wedding and it was great to share it with our friends and family on the day.”

The couple loved the time their friends and family took to create amazing speeches. “We loved every moment of the wedding but the speeches stood out as a highlight. It was an emotional roller coaster – lots of tears and laughter. We are very lucky to have such close and loving family and friends.”

Francescka and Anton chose C2 Films to capture a film of their day, the result? A moving beautiful film that captures the deep romance of the day.

Congratulations on your marriage Francescka and Anton! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Photography By Sarah J for sharing today’s celebration.