Chic & Modern Warehouse Wedding

Bridget & Joe

I fell in love with the pared-back nature of Bridget & Joe’s chic & modern Melbourne warehouse wedding. Set in the now-closed Laurens Hall, the pair wanted a day that was, in the bride’s words, “A nice mix of natural soft tones with lots of green foliage and small bursts of colour. Our wedding was really a reflection of us. It was very relaxed, full of love and I guess, encouraged all our friends and family to mingle together.”

Captured beautifully by Madeline Druce, the day was beautifully crafted to create many magical memories.

Bridget tells “Joe and I met at work! I was the receptionist and he was (at the time) a student Town Planner. After a few stationery orders and emails back and forth…the rest is history!”

Keeping her look modern, the bride chose the Houghton “Duncan” gown, from The Bridal Atelier, telling “I still have daydreams about how gorgeous it was. It was so simple and elegant and I fell in love with it from the moment I saw it.

I had pre-booked a few appointments to try on gowns (leaving time for plenty of laughing and discussion and food and coffee in between!) It was an incredible day and very helpful having my girls with me. It came down to two dresses, but I couldn’t stop thinking about my beloved “Duncan” so it was a no-brainer. It was classic and modern and I instantly felt comfortable when I put it on. I didn’t want to wear something that wasn’t “me”.”

Bridget notes “My two bridesmaids surprised me with a limo on the big day to get to the wedding!! It was SO FUN! We even had an old-school playlist of my favourite songs. Plenty of champagne and disco dancing to calm the nerves!”

The desire for minimal, earthy styling led to garlands of greenery and an amazing hanging installation at the reception created by Gillian Pollard. The bride explaining “I had the gorgeous Gillian Pollard helping me create my vision for the big day. We had succulents as our central theme but also incorporated herbaceous foliage such as olive, rosemary and mint, mixed with some bright roses, lisianthus, dahlias, cosmos and scabiosa.

Bridget & Joe were married by Georgia Mills, the bride walking down the aisle with both of her parents to ‘Lovely Day’ by Alt J. Bridget remarking “The ceremony was chilled and full of plenty of laughs (and mention of our gorgeous Labrador, Hugo). Our amazing celebrant, Georgia Mills made it very relaxed and made us and our guests feel instantly at ease – she is a total pro! I entered with my mum and dad on either side and couldn’t stop smiling at all my friends and family. I thought I would cry, but didn’t! I think I was too busy thinking about not tripping over!”

It was at the (now closed) venue of Laurens Hall, that the pair celebrated, explaining “We were married and had our ceremony at Lauren’s Hall. When we went there we fell in love instantly! It was in North Melbourne which was nice and close to home. We just knew that the venue was perfect for us and couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else!

There is something beautifully enchanting about the space and we were in love from the moment we walked in the doors! The space combined raw timber, fresh foliage and a touch of industrial steel for a bold contemporary feel. It truly was magical having our wedding there.”

Of their photographer, Bridget gushes “I couldn’t recommend Maddie highly enough. She is one in a million and you would be crazy not to have her for your wedding. I miss her incredibly now it’s all over!”

With the bride and groom creating the stationery for the day – they also made the favours! Guests were gifted pots of succulents, Bridget noting “My mum and I got 170+ succulents off Gumtree! We potted them up in little silver buckets and printed stickers that said ‘Bridge and Joe, 17th March 2017’. Following the wedding, we love seeing photos of them that we were sent, in everyone’s backyards. It makes everyone think back to what a fun day it was.”

Guests dined on a feast of shared platters (catered by Fresh Fork)and sipped on Aperol Spritzes at three long tables under a stunning chandelier of greenery created by Gillian Pollard. Bridget explaining “The one thing I wanted more than anything was a huge hanging green installation over the long tables. Gillian went over and above to make more incredible than I ever imaged. It was hanging off a 6-metre ladder and included mixed foliages and tropical leaves. We also incorporated hanging globes filled with fairy lights. It was total magic.

Paul from Fresh Fork was also absolutely incredible. After everything was finished we felt like we had made a good friend (as with everyone else involved), Paul’s fresh approach and love for food and bringing everyone together were exactly what we wanted for our wedding. People are still speaking about the food to this day.”

Bridget tells “I love how everything came back to Joe and I. All the details for the day – we pretty much decided on together. We really put all our ideas and creative thinking together, and it was perfect.”

The newlyweds skipped the first dance, instead, the bride danced with her father to The Temptations “My Girl”. She remembers “Everyone was in a big circle around us, and at the end, everyone joined us on the dance floor. It was incredible.”