Giordana & Daniel

We simply adore this classic and simple Sandringham Yacht Club wedding! Complete with fresh white and green bouquets, an elegant Mariana Hardwick gown and the Melbourne sunset of our DREAMS, every moment is divine. Perla Photography captured the day.

Giordana and Daniel met through the bride’s cousin, who was also a close friend of the groom. After a slow burn romance, the couple fell in love and the rest, as they say, is history! The bride shares how Daniel made it forever, telling, ”Daniel proposed to me on vacation in Koh Samui, Thailand in 2016. Whilst being led down to our private villa, I walked into the room first to find 32 roses (one for each month spent together) and a ring on the bed. Daniel dropped to one knee, and of course, the answer was ‘yes!’.”

Wanting a simple, elegant and and classic day, the bride chose a made-to-measure Mariana Hardwick gown. She shares, ”I chose the gown for its simplicity. After having tried on a number of dresses at a number of stores I picked a dress that I really liked and decided was the one. However, when I went back a few weeks later to try the dress on again and process the order, I saw ‘the dress’ newly displayed on the mannequin behind in the mirror reflection and immediately changed my mind. I tried the dress on once and put through the order on the same day without any hesitation. The staff and designers at Mariana Hardwick were all so helpful through the whole process and made the experience so special. I am fortunate to have had my Nonna’s engagement ring given to me when she passed. I wore this on our wedding day as my something old.” The groom and groomsmen wore Peter Jackson navy suits with a black bow tie, white pocket square and black patent leather shoes.

Family played a large part in Giordana and Daniel’s day, with their favourite photos taken being of their grandparents. Of the venue for the ceremony, the bride tells, ”We chose Star Of The Sea College Chapel. I went to school there and always believed the chapel to be so amazing with its stained glass windows. We wanted to have a Catholic wedding however both felt it quite overwhelming to get married in a large church we both didn’t know or recognise. The chapel was both small and intimate, and somewhere I had a connection to. I was walked down the aisle by both my mum and dad to Hearts and Colors version of ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’. We wanted the ceremony to be short and sweet and we didn’t write any of our own vows.” The couple included several readings from the Bible, along with Prayers of the Faithful, read by family members.

Continuing the classic and elegant theme, the bride chose white flowers with greenery. She shares, ”Our flowers were done by Debbie O’Neill. The bridesmaids’ bouquets where the exact same as the brides except smaller. We had two vases of flowers at the altar of the chapel. The same style and flowers were used throughout the whole wedding. Debbie did a phenomenal job, I could not have ever imagined them to be so beautiful, particularly with the bridal bouquet. She went above and beyond on the day and made the venue look amazing. She included my favourite flower (tulips) on the bridal table and cake table, none of which I asked for.”

Along with simple and gorgeous, Giordana and Daniel wanted their day to be fun and were thrilled with how it was captured. The bride shares, ”We chose Perla Photography to be our wedding photographer and it was one of the best decisions that we made. Perla display such simple yet beautiful photography, showing not only the bride and groom but candid photos of the guests. We wanted our photos natural and light-hearted and that is exactly what Perla captured for us. Having such a big group of guests, we made sure to have more than one photographer so we could have photos of the guests throughout the day and night. We didn’t only want photos of ourselves. Perla Photography and Carl TV both made the day feel fun and stress free. There were moments when we forgot they were there filming. It all felt so natural.”

Already over the moon with their wedding day, the bride and groom were gifted a stunning sunset to end the occasion. They remember, ”We were so lucky with the weather, especially having our wedding in May. There was a point prior to the reception when we were taking photos at the Yacht Club Marina, where we managed to capture the perfect sunset on our right, and rainbow on our left. It truly took our breath away!”

In choosing a reception venue, the couple only looked at one. The bride tells, ”Sandringham Yacht Club was the first and only venue we looked at. My mum has a connection with the Yacht Club as she used to sail there before I was born. It was her idea we go and have a look and we both loved the venue itself (the room didn’t need much if anything at all to look stunning), its amazing views of the bay and city in the distance and the service provided. The team, particularly Melissa, provided great support and service throughout the planning leading up to the day and on the day itself.” The couple incorporated gold from the invitations through to the candle holders on the tables, with white and gold bonbonniere cookies for their guests. They also decorated with fairy lights, which they say, ”topped off and completed the room and made everything look so special.”

The newlyweds had their first dance to ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ by Frank Sinatra. The bride shares, ”We had no dance lessons leading up to the day, maybe a few trials in our living room the week before.” The couple gave personalised wooden coasters from JiMi Official to their guests, using them also for name placements on the table.

Thank you to our beautiful bride and groom for sharing your wedding with us and congratulations! Thank you also to Perla Photography for your photographs.