After three attempts to tie the knot, Kat and Dinuka bit the bullet and decided there was no better place to make it official, than the Victorian registry office. Ditching their plans for a big wedding, they instead invited their very favourite people, and favourite vendors, to join them for an official ceremony and a reception at their favourite restaurant. “Even if your wedding doesn’t turn out exactly as you had thought it would, it will still be an incredibly special day because it’s about you and your partner sharing your love! We would recommend to other couples to be flexible, open and just enjoy the day, however, it unfolds.”

It is to their vendor dream team that Kat and Dinuka remain incredibly grateful – especially after so many plan changes!  “Whilst we were not able to have the wedding we originally planned, we felt so lucky to have met and worked with some amazing vendors. Even the ones we didn’t get to work with in the end were so kind and focused on helping us achieve our perfect day and being married, even if it meant them not being involved.” Dinuka and Kat’s wedding photographer Nikki McCrone Photography made the most of the typically summer Melbourne weather and joined the newlyweds to tell their story through stunning imagery.

After meeting online through OkCupid, it took just two days for these two to meet up for a first date, the pair sharing  “Dinuka didn’t think it went so well as he thought Kat ran away after they said goodbye. Kat maintains it was due to the rain.”

Clearly, they soon hit it off, and many moons later, Dinuka surprised Kat with a proposal – all the way over in Geneva. “Kat was sent to Geneva for work for 6 months so we had been doing long distance. Dinuka got on a plane from Melbourne with a placeholder ring and a plan. On the day after arriving in Geneva, Dinuka proposed under a gorgeous tree at a place in Geneva that was very special to Kat. We had drinks with friends and a 3-week holiday in Europe afterwards to celebrate.
We chose the engagement ring together when we went to visit family in Sri Lanka about 6 months later.”

Dinuka went for colour for his wedding day attire, the newlyweds shared “Dinuka wore a custom shirt and jacket from Oscar Hunt with chinos and RM Williams boots and a pocket square from Camilla. In lieu of a ring, Dinuka got a Tudor Black Bay watch to commemorate, which he wore on the day.”

Kat’s elegant lace floor-length gown was from Hope & Ivy. The couple telling  “Kat had a formal wedding dress purchased for the previously cancelled events. Due to the time that had passed, she needed to find a more suitable dress for the smaller event. Kat purchased a dress from Hope & Ivy, a London-based boutique which was kindly altered by a close friend who also loaned her some blue earrings. Kat was keen to have some colour so wore blue velvet shoes from Bared Footwear.”

Her accessories were sentimental jewels. “On the day Kat’s mother gave her a locket that had belonged to her grandmother. A special gift to remember a beloved missing family member. It was particularly special to have my uncle Peter, a hairdresser, do Kat’s hair for the day.”

Kat was even given a special on the day surprise, thanks to careful planning from Dinuka. “Dinuka got ready with his best mate Kate before the ceremony. Kate was making video updates of this process and sending them through to Kat whilst she was getting ready. It was super funny and lovely.

Kat was getting her dress on when she was hurried out into another room to see my god-daughter, who I didn’t realise was coming from Sydney. Such a wonderful surprise. It was also super special to see her bonding with Dinuka’s niece and nephew. They are now wonderful friends!”

The community and support that these two surround themselves with, extends well beyond their guest list. “We warmly remember the love and support we got from the broader community after the event, as much as everyone would have loved to have been there, they were so thrilled for us that we were able to make the smaller event happen.”

Held in the Margaret Craig Room at Victorian Marriage Registry, the entrance to the wedding ceremony, was just as these two had planned their wedding- together! They tell “We walked down the aisle together. To be honest, we can’t remember the music that was playing, we were just so happy to be there. Kat definitely had a tear or two!”

“Our ceremony was short and simple with vows written by us. Everyone agreed that Dinuka’s vows were particularly special and heartfelt, given he is a man of few words and even fewer tears normally.
We had a running joke about shaking hands when we were pronounced married as it felt more formal, which we did just before our kiss.”

The couple added a very special something from Studio Melsky to their wedding ceremony, explaining “We wrote our vows on cards that were made by an artist friend, Studio Melsky. They were beautiful watercolour cards of Australian florals. Given Kat’s sister couldn’t make it to the wedding from interstate, we wanted to have her involved in some way. She was our vow proofreader prior to the day.”

“We didn’t have a wedding party but it was quite amazing as all of Kat’s girlfriends who attended all co-incidentally wore florals, which looked amazing!”

Wandering in the rain with just their photographer remains such a highlight for the newlyweds. “Our photographs with the incredible Nikki McCrone was an unexpected highlight of the day. We were both nervous about being in front of the camera but Nikki put us at ease and we had so much fun wandering the streets with her and having some time to ourselves as a newly married couple. The weather on the day was typical Melbourne, fine one minute and pouring with rain the next.

Nikki was an incredible photographer and had been such a pleasure to deal with through 3 postponements and a complete change of plans.”

Kat and Dinuka enlisted Flowers by Allie to create the vibrant and beautiful floral details for the day, “Kat was eager for a large and colourful bouquet with pinks and reds. We sent a mood board through to our florist and the amazing @flowersbyallie met the brief perfectly! We were linked in with Allie through a friend and was so grateful for her flexibility with our changing plans.

We wanted to have a hint of tropical florals in the bouquet (represented by a red Anthurium) to represent our time living in Thailand (2019-2021) and our location for our original wedding in 2020 in Sri Lanka.”

“We loved the pictures of us walking down the laneways of Melbourne leaning on each other. Our cue from Nikki was “pretend you’re drunk walking home from a big night out”! These turned out to be our favourite pics.”

The newlyweds invited the guests to join them for an intimate dinner at Fancy Hanks BBQ. “We loved sharing a delicious meal and cocktails with our family and friends. The team at Fancy Hanks were also amazing. They were so accommodating to us and our requirements not to mention the delicious foods and they gifted us with some hot sauces and meat rubs as we left.”

The best of congratulations to you both Dinuka and Kat! Thank you for sharing the stories of your day with us and thank you to Nikki McCrone Photography for sharing this one.