Bright and Chic Melbourne CBD Wedding

A 38-degree day in March, in Melbourne, is certainly not what this gorgeous couple expected on their Autumn wedding day! However, they embraced the heat to say ‘I do’ in a special ceremony. Bride Emily shares all the details and Melbourne moments that were captured by talent, photographer Kas Richards. She even breaks all the rules to let us in on their best-kept secret…

For years and years we told everyone that we ‘met in a bar in Geelong’. Corey and I put together this story, which we recited every time the question of how we met was asked. The name of the bar, the time we met, what his pick up line was, what the weather was like that day, what we were wearing, what we were drinking. Well guys, truth is, Corey and I didn’t meet at a bar in Geelong. We met somewhere that starts with ‘T’ and ends in ‘inder’…but pretend we never told you that!

My dress was made and designed by Jack Sullivan. I was lucky that Jack had flown down from Brisbane for a visit at my local boutique. As soon as he pulled out the ‘Amanda’ dress, I knew it was the one. We worked away on alterations and changes over the next few months until it was a perfect fit. On the day I felt amazing in all it’s beaded, sequinned glory! I tossed up for weeks about adding sleeves to the gown, however, when the universe gave us a 38 degree wedding day, I was very glad I made the choice to leave them off!

Corey and the boys wore suits made and tailored by the Menz Club. Corey was adamant, for months and months, that he wouldn’t wear a bow tie on the day. Little did he know, a bride always gets her way! In the end he was so happy with the way all the suits turned out and even admitted that the suit and bow tie made him feel a million bucks.

Our Wedding was on the 2nd of March 2019 – and it was 38 degrees, might I add! We had a traditional Catholic Ceremony, which was held at St Mary’s Church in Ascot Vale followed by a formal reception at Alto Event Space.

This was the church where I went to Primary School, so it held many fond childhood memories. Faith is very important to our families, especially mine, so we wanted to marry in a place that had importance to us both. We also think the inside of the church is spectacular and one of the best in our area. We are so happy with the way our ceremony photos turned out. The brick walls of the church also allowed a cool welcome relief for us and our guests from the 38 degree heat outside. Corey and I hope to one day baptise our children in the same church.

We loved our entire wedding gallery, however our favourite photos would have to be the candid shots of our bridal party. There is also one of Corey and I standing in the arch/door way of church ruins. This church is in Moonee Ponds and unfortunately burned down some time ago. It was the church my Mum and Dad married in 30 years ago! An iconic wedding photo from their day is a shot of the two of them standing in that same archway. We thought it would be pretty special to replicate it and we were so happy with the way the photos turned out.

Our stylist Paula (The Small Things Co) was able to recommend an amazing florist to bring our floral dreams to life – Viv from Flos Botanical Studio worked absolute magic! From our bridal bouquets to the table arrangement, every single flower was of the highest quality. We went with bold pinks and purples for our flowers. We also got Viv to construct a greenery installation on our reception ceiling which was made of 40 metres of leafy garland. Ah-mazing!

Early on in the wedding planning process we were looking at having a HUGE bridal party – literally think my big fat hillbilly wedding style. In the end we chose 3 of our closest friends to have stand beside us as we made it official. I had my sister and my 2 best friends and Corey had his brother and his 2 best friends. We count our lucky stars to have such amazing friends and family and it was a tough decision to only go with 3 each. However, we got our loved ones involved in our day in other ways, which made it all the more special.

When we first met with The Small Things Co about managing and styling our day, our brief was luxe, bold and structured. We think the brief was more than met! We wanted our wedding day to be a true reflection of our love and individual personalities, so it was always going to be loud, modern and fun! Corey and I honestly could not wipe the smiles off our faces all day. From our first glance from opposite ends of the aisle, to sharing in our first meal together as husband and wife surrounded by our friends and family, the whole day was an absolute dream come true.

A month before our big day my Pop unfortunately passed away from cancer. He had been sick with Alzheimer’s for quite some time however he had been recently diagnosed with cancer in his final few months. We honoured Pop, and a number of other family members and friends touched by cancer, through our wedding favours.

Corey and I made a donation to the Cancer Council of Victoria on behalf of each of our guests. In return we were able to gift each of our guests a customised card detailing the donation details along with a silver daffodil lapel. It was so touching to see so many of our guests with the lapels on their suit jackets or dresses throughout the night. Our favours and the meaning behind them were one of my favourite details of the day. If any other couple are struggling with favour/bonbonniere ideas, I would recommend looking into making a donation to a charity or organisation that is close to their heart on their guest’s behalf.

Our photographer Kas Richards waved her magic wand and worked magic all damn day! Our photo gallery is such a beautiful keepsake and we constantly go through it together reliving all the memories. Kas, and her second photographer Selena, were amazing on the day. They made us feel comfortable and calm in the nervy moments and also boosted our excitement and made the process fun after the formalities of the ceremony were all over.

We had an amazing Wedding Stylist/Planner in Paula (and Tom!) from the Small Things Co, who were an absolute pleasure to work with. We came to Paula with a rough idea of how we wanted our wedding to look and she worked wonders to make our whole styling the stuff of dreams! Paula was also able to recommend some incredible suppliers.

From stationary (special shoutout to the amazing Demi from Petite Paper Co), to florals, to linen hire, candles, cake, lighting and entertainment.. we didn’t have to worry about a thing. I honestly think TSTC was the best investment we made for our day and we would recommend them one million times over. They made the whole process so simple, stress free and most importantly, fun! To be honest, we’re actually super sad it’s over! Paula and Tom went above and beyond for us and we could not have been happier with their overall service, professionalism, knowledge and support.

Asked if there was any advice to give other couples who are planning their wedding, Emily admitted – Just do you! Don’t try and please anyone else, just do you and what makes you both happy. It’s your day, make it yours.