Michelle & Clint

I am always a fan when couples mix styles and this chic wedding at the George Ballroom blends a stunning, historic setting with a black tie, modern elements to create a day that I think some might say was perfectly “Michelle and Clint”. Captured beautifully by Jackson Grant, Michelle explains their style, “Our wedding was minimal, but it felt grand and inviting due to the location. It suited our old, classic style yet complimented the modern look with our outfits and settings.”

After meeting on Tinder, it was in New York that Clint popped the question. Michelle notes, “I was always talking about New York and the memories I had created during my times visiting. Clint, being the person that he is, decided that for my 30th he would take me back as he had never been.
Little did I know (but had secretly expected so I had my nails painted just-in-case) that he would get down on one knee in Central Park – he had been trying to find the Love Bridge, but his directions were off and I was starting to fret that we were going to miss our ‘important dinner booking’ so he took me behind a boulder where it was just us and got down on one knee.”

The bride’s dear friend, the designer behind House of Ezis, worked to make the stunning wedding gown. Michelle explains, “My dress was designed and made by a friend Andrzej Pytel who owns House of Ezis in Brisbane. Andrzej made the experience so welcoming, he was patient with me and kept me up to date on the entire process due to living in a different state. I wanted something non-traditional yet showed my personality as a bride. As soon as I tried on the dress, I knew I had found the one.”

Michelle and Clint chose St Kilda’s The George Ballroom for their day, noting, “As soon as we walked into the George Ballroom we knew we had found our venue; the grand walls, the years of paint coming through the walls and the feeling we got when we first walked in I’ll never forget. The way that Phoebe and her team changed the ballroom around in two hours from the ceremony to reception was just incredible. The look on everyone’s face when they first walked in was exactly what we had anticipated.”

 

The bride walked down the aisle with her parents to a very special song. She explains, “The song I chose for walking down the aisle was ‘Alive and Kicking’ by Simple Minds. It holds a special place in both mine and my mum’s hearts due to the meaning behind it.” She continues, “She would always tell me the story about the time she first felt me kick. After being taken aback by that she turned on the car radio and ‘Alive and Kicking’ was playing. Being 26 and pregnant with her first baby the whole experience was overwhelming. I asked both my mum and dad if they would walk me down the aisle. Even though my parents had separated when I was young, I wanted them to both share the experience with me being their first daughter of two to get married.”

Fox Celebrations officiated the ceremony. Michelle remembers, “Our ceremony was intimate. Our celebrant was fantastic leading up to the big day and ensured he tailored his words to suit our style but still kept it light and relevant.
Our dear friend Mara gave a reading called ‘Let there be Love’ which she had made into a jigsaw puzzle for us as our wedding gift.”

 

Of their photographer, the bride tells, “Jackson was a bride’s dream come true; his enthusiasm on the day was simply amazing. He was engaging, polite and simply fun! He made the entire day so special and he captured really special moments which we will hold onto forever!”

 

Steven Gabriel Maccora created arrangements of red orchids and white roses. Michelle tells, “I gave our florist Steven Maccora free range for the day – after seeing Steven’s work for years, I knew we were in capable hands. For the table setting, we had red orchids and for the bouquet, we had a small bunch of traditional white roses.”

 

The speeches were a favourite of the bride, who remarks, “I loved the beautiful words Clint’s father and best mate said about Clint acknowledging him and his incredible work ethic. We wanted our parents to feel a part of the day. During all of the planning, Clint made sure they were included in as many aspects of the day as possible.”

The newlyweds kicked off the evening of dancing with “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie.

Michelle tells, “One particular story is from the very end of the night. It was the last dance and everyone had created a circle around Clint and I to wish us off. Daryl Braithwaite’s ‘Horses’ was playing and out of nowhere, right on cue to the lyrics ‘and if you fall, I’ll pick you up, I’ll pick you up’ I slipped, fell on my face and tore my dress!”

Congratulations on your marriage Michelle and Clint! Thank you for taking the time to share your stories with us. Thank you also to Jackson Grant for sharing this beautiful day with us.