Patty & Pete

It was a bright Summer’s day when Patty and Pete said their ‘I do’s’. The ceremony, in a traditional Greek Orthodox church, was filled with tradition, but it paved the way for champagne and cakes in the park, and a relaxed and joyous celebration at a favourite Melbourne cafe – where the food would be good, the atmosphere relaxed and the scene set for an amazing party. It was all captured beautiful by photographer Jerome Cole.

Says Patty “We met 11 years ago at a friend’s house party when we were 18 and have been inseparable ever since.”

 

The groom and groomsmen were dressed in dapper navy suits with black detailing from Briggins.

The bride chose a beautifully cut, chic gown from The Bridal Atelier along with an embellished veil. Telling “I tried on probably 10 dresses in total and in the end I went for a style that I was never expecting. I always wanted something simple and elegant but it fitted so well, I knew it was the one as soon as I as I put in on.” She added a gold crown from Viktoria Novak to complete the look.

Cecilia Fox styled the floral arrangements for the day, Patty telling “I wanted flowers that were wild, organic, white and green. I really didn’t want anything with too much structure.”

Patty walked down the aisle with her parent’s to Etta James’ “At Last”.

The couple were married at St Demetrios Orthodox Church . The bride explained “It was a traditional long Greek ceremony, in the same church as my parents got married.”

After the ceremony, guests gathered for champagne, tarts and pastries at the nearby Victoria Gardens, Patty noting “We dressed and catered for our own garden party at Victoria Gardens. Being hospitality people we ensured the food was on point!”

Of their photographer, the bride tells “Jerome Cole was recommended by a friend. His work exceeded our expectations. Really getting involved at our event and capturing the moment perfectly. Going through the photos collectively they all tell the story so well. He was so involved, made sure he gave us direction on where to look, position and when to be natural. At the reception he was working up a sweat, he was on chairs and getting around the loose crowd to get the perfect shot. A very talented individual. I cried the first time I saw them. I think my entire family did too.”

The couple sourced cheese from Calendar Cheese Company to create a cheese wedding cake. Patty noting “Our wedding cake was definitely a highlight. We had wheels of our favourite cheese – we both love and live on it! It was a gift that kept on giving we had so much cheese remaining. We had an after party and it was really handy to have all that leftover cheese!”

 

Dancing was a huge part of the night, Patty noting “We had lots of Greek traditions – dancing, music, our ceremony was Greek Orthodox and having a bouzouki all night long was fun. We broke a lot of Greek traditions and paved our own way to ensure we kept our guests guessing. We really didn’t want a traditional wedding but still kept a lot of the traditions intact as well.”

Patty and Pete chose East Elevation for their reception, Patty noting “We wanted something really relaxed, evoked an inviting atmosphere and somewhere that does incredible food. East Elevation ticked all the boxes they were outstanding to deal with and incredibly accommodating. We wanted to deviate from your traditional chicken and beef offering. We had roaming canapes, a huge grazing table (that included our wedding cake) and shared mains that were sumptuous and plentiful. The potted desserts were a real hit too!”

Guests were gifted homemade muesli, Patty noting “Our party favours were homemade muesli so breakfast was on us! The muesli also came with a vintage teaspoon from around the world.”

As was chosen for the walk down the aisle, “At Last” by Etta James played again for the first dance – the significance of the song making it the only choice for the couple.

Patty notes “We weren’t expecting to be dancing on chairs by the end of the night and having ouzo all night long. The two bands were exceptional – incorporating Greek and English music seamlessly. even though they weren’t from the same group.”

Congratulations Patty and Pete! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us! Thank you also to Jerome Cole Photography for sharing today’s celebration.