Hannah & Joey

Imagine a couple so relaxed on their wedding day! Hannah and Joey blew it out of the ball park as they got ready together with their kids, embraced silly photos and celebrated with their nearest and dearest as they said ‘I do’! Simply the best! Choosing Melbourne cafe Friends of Mine to host their wedding soiree, Pierre Curry was there to capture all of the special moments. Not to mention, the fabulous dance floor that kicked off post dinner! The Bride shares their incredible day and fills us in on all the moments that make your heart melt. 

We met as housemates 9 years ago. We’ve lived together for as long as we’ve known each other. We started out at friends but quickly turned into something more. After a few years we were joined by our first son, Jed, and then by our youngest, Archer. The story of us has been a beautiful whirlwind as we’ve grown together, made a family and now finally chosen to get married.

Our wedding was relaxed, light-hearted, fun, non-traditional!

We got ready together at Crown towers. The bride’s family were also there while we got ready which included 4 kids under 6 so we needed a bit of space! Friends of Mine was chosen because of the size and feel of the space. We wanted the space to fit the style of us. We’ve spent many hours in cafe’s during our relationship, so having it in a cafe suited us.

We loved how the space at Friends of Mine transformed into an elegant and intimate wedding venue. It was important to us to have the ceremony at the same location as the reception so that our guests didn’t have to move around in between and so the night flowed from one thing to the next. Friends of mine was able to host the ceremony and seamlessly transition to drinks/canapés, to sit down dinner and then to dance floor!

An heirloom on the day was my grandmothers wedding band. Cousins who have been married before me have also worn the ring. It was very special (a beautiful picture was taken of me holding the ring while we were getting ready).

I wore pants and a top from Zimmermann. I didn’t want to wear a ‘wedding dress’ but was open to trying different things. I chose the outfit on the one and only day I went shopping with my sister, my mum and my cousin. The girls at Zimmermann in Armadale were so lovely and helpful, it was a really nice experience.

Joey wore suit and shoes by Wolf Kanat. He wanted something different from your traditional wedding suit. He wore a navy suit, white shirt and apricot tie. I think he had more trips and time spent shopping for his outfit than I did for mine!

We walked in together to ‘I got you’ by Amy Shark.

We wanted our ceremony to be as relaxed and informal as possible. We wanted it to be a reflection of us. Our celebrant, Megan Watson, absolutely nailed the ceremony. There was the perfect balance between light and fun and serious when it needed to be. Our guests stood around us so we were conscious that we didn’t want to make it too long. No formal readings, just our surprise vows to each other.

We have a tradition on my side of the family that at any big occasion (Christmas, easter, family events) that we toast to absent friends. There are some very special people in our lives that would’ve really loved to have been a part of our special day but have sadly passed away.

It was really important to us that our ‘absent friends’ toast was included. My cousin Ben did this toast after the speeches and before the dance floor kicked off!

Our vows were probably our most favourite part of the day!

We didn’t have a bridal party. Our boys handed us the rings during the ceremony but that was it!

Our photographer was Pierre Curry. I can’t even convey how happy we were to find him. From the moment we met him, he put us at ease, had fun with the kids and just did such an amazing job of capturing day so fantastically.

Even receiving the photo’s after the big day was a really fun experience. There was so much thought and creativity put into how the photos were delivered. We couldn’t recommend Pierre highly enough. Many of our guests commented on how great he was as well.

We only had 3 main vendors, Megan our celebrant, Pierre our photographer and Alex the event planner at Friends of Mine. They were all a dream to work with. I felt very safe in their hands and had no stress of wondering how the day would go as they were all such professionals and experienced in their fields. I really loved seeing the ceremony come together by Megan. It was a really lovely time spent reflecting on our relationship and the love we have for one another.

The flower arrangements at the venue were created by my cousin Bron who used to be a wedding florist. The table arrangements were provided by Friends of Mine, we just told them the colour and theme that we were after which was white and leafy green.

I think my favourite photo of the day would have to be one of the very last ones of me dancing with my family. It shows how much fun everyone was having. I also really love the picture of our boys clapping after the ceremony. They both look so happy. So difficult to pick a favourite, we really loved all of our photos.

Our advice to future couples? Don’t sweat the small stuff. It will all come together on the day. Guests just want to see you happy and having a great time, not the tiny details.

Ms Zebra Says: Congratulations to this gorgeous couple! What a fun night – spent laughing and with great friends! We wish you all the best for your happy future together.