Sam & Lucas

For Sam and Lucas, the city of Melbourne is filled with plenty of charm, and it is these urban streets and the famous gardens that set the scene for a celebration that was low key, intimate but incredible with beauty.
With Amanda Kilbourn Photography behind the camera, the focus for these two was on friends and family, on keeping their day relaxed and fun, but acknowledging the importance of what they were about to commit to and that? They nailed. Coupled with beautiful blooms (can we talk about that amazing cascading bouquet?) and plenty of dancefloor fun, this one definitely went down to be one for the ages.

And the proposal? Well, it wasn’t as much of a surprise as the groom would have liked, but the low key vibe was right on point for these two. He tells “The proposal itself was very low key. We were lying in bed before we went to sleep, and Sam turned over to face me, and I had the ring. The ring itself is another story. I got it with the help from Sam’s mum. Sam was already sleuthing that I was going to propose. To keep Sam calm I told her that I didn’t have a ring as yet and I would not be proposing without a ring. One day, after visiting Sam’s mum in hospital, I finally had the ring. It was in its box in my pocket. While driving home, Sam needed my phone so she reached into my pocket and felt something distinctly ring box-y. That was the second surprise blown.”

Sam and Lucas met in Carlton Gardens for a “first look”. Sam sharing “Our photographer Amanda coordinated and captured our expressions perfectly. I thought it was very helpful to be able to meet Lucas before the ceremony. We got to share a smile and a hug which calmed and centred me before I walked down the aisle.”

Sam was dressed in a beautiful long sleeve lace gown from Leah S Designs and carried a stunning cascade bouquet of flowers styled by Grown Florist. She shares “I chose a cascading bouquet with rich and vibrant colours. I did not choose the particular flowers to be in the bouquet but instead left that decision with the staff from Grown. I remember getting ready on my wedding day and it was when my flowers arrived looking just gorgeous that I felt like a true bride. I was beyond elated with what I received.”

Keeping with the urban vibes of their day, the couple chose St Andrews Conservatory for their wedding venue, Lucas sharing “St Andrews Conservatory is a really nice, intimate venue. I went there for a cousin’s confirmation celebration and I liked it so when it came to venues they were on the top of the list. What sold Sam was the exposed beams of the ceiling and the lanterns, which would glow when the sun went down. We were able to do both the ceremony and reception there. For the ceremony, we hired an arbour full of greenery. All of the staff there were great. They were really responsive, particularly the wedding coordinators who had to deal with us frequently changing our minds. During the reception, the staff were responsive not just to Sam and me, but to all of the guests.”

The processional was a last minute decision explains Lucas. “Sam walked down the aisle with her dad. She wasn’t going to originally, as instead of wanting to be ‘given away’, Sam and I wanted to go into our marriage together as a symbol of our equal standing. However, Sam had a change of heart and asked her dad. This was a good thing as I definitely would have stepped on the train of her dress. The song Sam entered with was Tokka by Agnes Obel.” Sam adding “I’d just like to point out that Lucas did step on my train numerous times during the night.”

Sam and Lucas chose Kate Morgan to officiate proceedings, telling “Our lovely celebrant was Kate Morgan. Kate was professional, well organised and very kind to Lucas and I. Kate guided us through every step of the way. At the end of the ceremony, Kate provided us with a transcript of the ceremony for us to keep. I was very nervous about the public display of affection at the end of the ceremony. I asked Lucas numerous times if we could high five rather than kiss, as I did on our first New Years celebration together. Neither time did this request fly with Lucas. Our ceremony was relaxed and had only the important and necessary legal parts to it. We had our closest family and friends surrounding us and cheering us on as we moved through the ceremony. Lucas and I wrote vows for each other, in which I could not refrain from using my nickname for Lucas – Lucia – which has consequently, to Lucas’s dismay, seen other members of Lucas’s family begin to call him Lucia.”

The newlyweds were thrilled when it was over, sharing “Our favourite part of wedding planning was when it ended. Now, this sounds horrible but while we had a fantastic night, loving every moment of our wedding day, we were so excited to start our everyday lives together.”

“Amanda Kilbourn was our photographer (with her husband as an assistant). Amanda was very kind to Lucas and I, from the moment we met her in her studio that very first time” tell the newlyweds. “We particularly liked that Amanda preferred to capture candid photographs rather than many posed ones.  They were both brilliant at finding the balance of being there for every moment but not even being seen by anyone at the same time!”

The day had plenty of nods to “peas in a pod” right down to the wedding cake decoration!

The newlyweds took to the dancefloor with a favourite song that had provided much comfort. Lucas explaining “Sam has a lot of trouble sleeping. Many nights we would listen to Joy Division on repeat as a way to help Sam wind down. As Joy Division is a band that means a lot to both of us and shares in many memories we chose a cover of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart by Broken Social Scene. As a way to disguise that I can’t dance, our family partook in an Italian tradition in which during the first dance our guests bind us in streamers by moving in circles around us both.” Guests wrapped the newlyweds in brightly coloured streamers as they danced.

Even family were honoured throughout the day in unique, heartfelt ways. Sam noting “A special moment that was included in our wedding was a request that was made by my father. My mother is unwell and my father, the generally unromantic but loyal and ever loving husband, surprised my mother by asking us to organise for the DJ to play their wedding song after the first dance.”

A big congratulations to you both Sam and Lucas! Thank you for sharing your beautiful story with us. Thank you also to Amanda Kilbourn Photography for sharing today’s beautiful day!