A festival, carnival-style wedding is always one that gets us excited. Pizza from a truck, live caricatures, all the colour under the starlight? Hello magic! And hello to the story of Lexie and Bianca. This was a day that was just as fun as their life together. The pair, who fell in love at first sight as “check out chicks” while working at a supermarket, fell hard and fast, and celebrated their day in a way they described as “rustic carnival style with a relaxed atmosphere”.

Emot Wedding Photography and Videography were behind the camera for this one.  A day that is every bit as fun as it sounds, and, every bit as heartfelt.

So love at first sight? We know you want the story! Luckily for you, Bianca shared every detail. “We met in 2014 as ‘check out chicks’ in an IGA store. It was my first shift and I was standing with my till in my hands and walking up to Bianca, I said “Hi, I’m here to take over register 6”, as she turned around it was clear to me then that she was going to be in my life forever. Since then we have been inseparable. We have travelled together, survived and flourished in 2 years of lockdown in Melbourne and continue to love each other more and more every day.”

The proposal? As utterly fun and as utterly personal as the rest of their story! Bianca fills us in “We went to a cabin in a little suburb called Olinda which is where we had gone for our very first getaway as a couple about 5 years ago. It is a beautiful self-contained cottage with a built-in fireplace, and an outdoor spa and is decorated in a 19th-century style of decor.

Lexie and I love doing jigsaw puzzles so I had a custom-made jigsaw puzzle ordered with a picture of us on it. It also had a hidden message on it that spelt out ‘will you marry me?’ but this was written in a ‘secret code’ we had used to write to each other with when we first met at Ritchies IGA. The pieces containing this secret message were put in individual envelopes and hidden around the cottage. They contained clues leading her to the next puzzle piece until she had found them all. She then decoded the message and it spelt out ‘will you marry me?’ and she said yes!”

Bianca found her lace and tulle, tea-length gown at Sunset Bridal. “I saw my dress and fell in love with it. I knew I wanted to have it altered to suit my height and personality, as I would have tripped over a long train if I had one!”

Lexie, who made her wedding veil, found her romantic wedding gown at Ferrari Formal. She tells”I had to look for a wedding dress during the lockdown in 2021; I was becoming stressed that I hadn’t found a dress yet. As soon as I walked in and saw this dress on the mannequin, I knew it was my dream dress! I could not have been happier with it, I felt like a princess all day!”

Both brides walked down the aisle to “Lifetime” by Justin Bieber. Bianca accompanied by her mother and grandmother, and Lexie with her parents.

The garden ceremony was officiated by Cate Howell. “Our ceremony was outside on a small sloping grass hill surrounded by gumtrees. We wanted it to have a very relaxed feel and make sure it didn’t go for too long! Both of our Mums did a reading, Lexie’s Mum read The Prophet by Kahil Gibran and Bianca’s Mum wrote her passage called The Gospel by Mandy.

We had a Celtic handfasting ceremony. Each of our bridesmaids and flower girl put a ribbon in the colour of their dress over our hands and then our celebrant tied them together and we ‘tied the knot’.”

The blooms on the day were locally grown natives. “Our flowers were all native and were sourced by a local who grows her flowers on her property in Baxter. We wanted natives and also had some colourful roses to add some bright colour into the wedding.”

“The weather was perfect. No wind and about 27 degrees. It was the last weekend before daylight saving ended which meant that we were able to sit outside and enjoy that vibe until the sun when down.”

The entire day was held at The Log Cabin Ranch. The couple even hired glamping tents from Happy Glamper. “The venue that was chosen matched our needs perfectly. It was nestled in the Dandenong Ranges in a suburb called Monbulk and was surrounded by beautiful gumtrees and a calming atmosphere. It was run by a beautiful couple called Courtney and Mark and they were there the whole time to satisfy all of our wants and needs.”

The ceremony was held outside and the reception was a few steps away which included the lawn area set up with a few tables and chairs, food trucks, games and activities. There was also a barn-style area with beautiful festoon lights on the roof which was used as the dance floor.

On site, accommodation was provided to guests in a bunk-style setup, similar to a school camp. This allowed guests to stay the night and join us the following morning for breakfast. The option was also provided where guests could opt to stay in glamping tents that would be set up Happy Glamper.”

The festival’s fun vibes continued with live caricatures by artist Funny Caricatures. Says Bianca “Amin is a very talented artist and our guests had lots of fun getting a cartoon drawn of themselves! He was so popular we had to hire him for another 2 hours because so many people were wanting a caricature done! He was very easy to communicate with and professional.”

The newlyweds were blown away by their wedding photographer, Bianca explaining  “I won a photography package through Emot Wedding Photography and was astounded at the quality of photos and also the calm nature of our photographer Dhyan. He took a lot of candid shots which is exactly what we were after.”

 

Festival vibe at the wedding? Of course, it meant food trucks! Lexie and Bianca hiring an ice cream cart and a pizza truck from Gather Round to cater a delicious dinner. They tell “The Pizza Wagon was the best choice we could have made for our wedding! The pizzas were amazing and all of our guests were commenting about how delicious they were and how they were coming out so quickly!”

The couple’s wedding cake was made by Bianca’s cousin, and her grandmother also stepped in to do the ceremony and reception decoration.

A first dance flash mob? Sounds like our kind of fun! Bianca explains “We decided to make our first dance light-hearted and we did a flash mob to One Direction’s ‘What Makes You Beautiful’.
Lexie and I started the dance by ourselves and then our bridesmaids came in and then the rest of our guests were encouraged to join. Although they didn’t know the dance they all joined in and it was a huge success!”

Take heed of pieces of advice from Bianca to you, as you plan your wedding day! “Keep the guest list small.  Delegate the small jobs that take up time.  Communicate and make decisions with each other to make sure both parties are aware of the set-up/schedule.  Have someone give you a time check regularly to avoid being stressed about time limits.”

The biggest of congratulations to you both on your marriage Bianca & Lexie! What an honour to be able to tell your story. Thank you both and thank you to Emot Wedding Photography and Videography for sharing today’s images with us!