Classic Melbourne Wedding At Carousel

Need a little glamour to kickstart your Wednesday? Today let us introduce you to Esther and David. With a bow tie and a stunning couture gown in tow, these two blended their Jewish and Indian heritage and came up with a wedding day that was not only truly theirs but also packed full of fun. Our bride Esther explaining “Our style was elegant, classic, contemporary and romantic. We wanted our wedding to embrace & celebrate both of our rich cultural backgrounds.” Today, we’re sharing their story with all the beautiful imagery captured by Sandy Rogulic

It was a mutual friend that brought these two together, Esther fills us in. “We met through friends. My girlfriend invited me to a gathering one night and I met Dave that night. Initially, we dated for a few months & went our separate ways. Then only to reconnect again about a year later and the rest is history!”

And on the couple’s fourth anniversary, David decided the time was right to propose. “To celebrate our 4th anniversary, Dave took me on a beautiful picnic at the Botanic Gardens. He had organised an amazing spread of food, champagne & even a photographer to capture the proposal. We were enjoying our gorgeous day in the sun when he popped the question with the most stunning ring that he had designed! The photographer had been hiding out of sight the entire time to capture this beautiful moment. It was all a surprise to me, including the location. Then we celebrated with dinner in the city and a surprise hotel staycation. It was the most romantic gesture ever & it still feels so surreal!”

David chose a dark navy blue Hugo Boss tuxedo, while his groomsmen donned versions from Jack London with white jackets.

Esther worked with Craig Braybrook Couture on a custom couture gown. She shares “Craig is absolutely incredible & created my dream dress! He was an absolute pleasure to work with. I chose a fitted gown, with a lengthy train & a veil. I wanted the dress to have a modern & feminine feel to it and in the end, it was exactly what I had in mind!”

Esther and David chose Kamesburgh Gardens for their wedding ceremony. Esther telling “We knew we wanted a garden wedding & these gardens were perfect as they had a private estate feel to them.”

The bride walked down the aisle with both of her parents to John Legend’s “All of Me”. “The song is simply beautiful & I feel something every time I hear it. It was an instrumental version played by a saxophone & keyboard. Both of my parents walked me down the aisle. I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

David shares “With so much happening around me during the day and all the nerves building up, my favourite memory is when the ceremony began, as I saw Esther walking down the aisle, so beautiful, and angelic in her white dress, all my nerves subsided. There was a moment of clarity and so much joy, time just paused. There were so many moments throughout the day but this memory will last forever.”

The ceremony was a beautiful blend of both David’s Jewish and Esther’s Indian cultures, officiated by Alan Jacobs. Esther explaining “We worked with our celebrant to include important readings and traditions from both of our religions and cultures.
I am Indian & Christian while Dave is Jewish. We incorporated important Bible readings and cultural symbolism, like Dave tying a necklace around my neck.
We had Jewish symbolism like the chuppah, me circling Dave & the breaking of the glass.
It was important for us to acknowledge and celebrate traditions from both sides.”

“Our photographer, Sandy was an absolute gem!” exclaims Esther of the couple’s memory taker. “Ever since we met her, she made us feel comfortable & at ease. It was important for us to vibe with our vendors & we felt that with Sandy from the start. She brought a lot of energy and excitement to the day, which made our day so fun & relaxed! Also, she is incredibly talented & her work is amazing!”

Esther’s advice if you have yet to tie the knot? “If you choose not to have a wedding coordinator, ask someone to keep track of the time as the day will fly by so quickly. Also, as the day goes so quickly, arrange a time during the reception to take a moment with your new wife or husband to take it all in & absorb the day that is your wedding day.”

A glam reception started in the late afternoon at Carousel. “We wanted a beautiful indoor/outdoor space and you cannot go past Carousel by the Albert Park Lake,” says Esther. And because you are going to want to know about those blooms, they were styled by Lulu Bird. “Our florist Lulu Bird, created the most perfect flower arrangements for our day! We wanted soft colours as we wanted a very romantic & classic feel. We worked with a colour palette of soft pinks, soft corals, whites, green foliage with pops of gold.”

Esther and David added little sentimental touches throughout the day. “I loved planning all the small details & incorporating our beautiful cultures into the wedding. We included small details like gold elephants as our place card holders and teas (Moroccan & Indian flavours) as bonbonnieres for our guests. I loved the fact that we poured so much of ourselves into planning it as it was truly a magical day.”

Getting dinner right for these two was crucial. Their wedding was catered by food&desire. “The food was very important for us. We wanted it to reflect our cultural backgrounds, so we opted for an Indian-Western fusion menu.”

There was a surprise first dance for these two, the bride remembers. “We danced to ‘All my life’ by K-Ci and JoJo. Halfway through our dance, we switched it up to ‘The way you make me feel’ by Michael Jackson. It was so fun to start with something romantic & then switch to something fun and play characters. We loved our first dance!”

And in keeping with tradition, Esther and David both changed during the reception for even more dancing! Esther remarking “I changed my outfit halfway through our reception into a lehenga, which is a traditional two-piece Indian outfit. This dress was also custom made & so glamorous – it was gold with intricate handwork & beading all through it. David also changed his outfit halfway through the reception into a sherwani, which is an Indian outfit. It matched my lehenga!”

The dance floor was a good one thanks to wedding band The White Tree. Esther reminiscing “We had the most incredible day overall. Speeches from our family were incredible, our first dance was a special moment as we had spent hours practising it. The energy of the entire day & night was simply magic.”