Carla & Matt

This glamorous St Kilda wedding is a modern masterpiece, featuring a stunning Vera Wang gown, pillars of flowers at the ceremony and a gorgeous Viktoria Novak crown! These are just a few of the beautiful details that we absolutely adore, captured by Fennel & Fox Photography.

Although it was not love at first sight, Carla explains, ”I always tell people that I didn’t like Matt very much at the start, but he says he always had a soft spot for me.” Having known each other for years, what is meant to be will always be, and the two eventually fell in love.

Falling in love with the perfect gown is a glorious moment, and Carla tells of how she found her dream dress whilst on a holiday in the USA. ”I thought it would be cheeky to book an appointment at Vera Wang on Rodeo Drive, just to see what was there. I instantly fell in love with a beautiful ball gown – the skirt was voluminous, white and made with raw silk and the bodice black with a mesh back. It was modern and classic, and the black an homage to my mother’s own wedding dress 30 years earlier. I called mum and said I needed a deposit right away, that I’d found the dress!” The bride changed into a Zimmermann gown at the reception, with the groom wearing a tuxedo from Rhodes & Beckett, shirt by Givenchy and an Alexander McQueen pocket square and bow tie.

Wanting the ceremony to represent the couple’s approach to marriage, Carla shares, ”It was short and simple, we wrote our own vows and encouraged the audience to applaud when we called for marriage equality for everyone. Our whole playlist was Kanye West, and we signed the registry to ‘Gold Digger’. We loved making the guests laugh and being a bit tongue in cheek!”

The father of the bride walked Carla down the aisle to a Kanye West song, ‘Devil In A New Dress’.

The bride and groom were delighted with their chosen venue, The Deck At Circa, and share ”Our wedding organiser was incredible, it was the perfect experience! We were married at 5pm, right after the jets flew overhead as part of the Grand Prix celebrations. As soon as the ceremony was over, canapes and drinks were served.” Carla’s favourite cocktail is an espresso martini, and these were offered to guests on the night.

Capturing the day beautifully was Ursula from Fennel & Fox Photography. The bride remembers, ”Ursula was beyond a dream. She picked up our vibe instantly and knew we were wanted something edgy and modern. She was relaxed and calming, and knew how to make me feel comfortable.” The bridal party had their group photos taken in Catani Gardens and along the beachfront, sheltering from the rain with an umbrella bought just minutes before. Carla’s best friend Kaitlin was the Maid of Honour, and wore a Bianca Spender silver gown.

White Moss created the warm Autumnal blooms for Carla and Matt’s big day, with the bride rating the flowers as perfect! She shares, ”I wanted flowers that would pop against my black and white dress, our black wedding cake and the screens that my mum constructed to stand behind us during the ceremony. I loved our black wedding cake, and it tasted so good we had to ask if we could put some aside to save. It was so delicious and fresh it was disappearing fast!” The wedding cake was created by Vanilla.

Choosing a more traditional tune for their first dance, Carla and Matt selected Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’. The bride shares, ”We took 6 dance lessons to get the moves right, and while I thought that the dance lessons were a gateway to early divorce, it payed off and looked perfect on the night.”

Thank you to our beautiful bride and groom, and congratulations on your wedding day! And thank you to Fennel & Fox Photography for sharing your stunning images of this beautiful celebration!