Like a sunflower drawn to the warmth of the sun, Christine and Luke were instantly drawn to each other. And like a sunflower, their wedding was bathed in the bright warmth of yellows and oranges. This sunshine-infused wedding had everything this couple wanted: a Traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony, karaoke-ing to Backstreet Boys and a midnight 2-minute noodle station. Thanks to Christine’s friend Alvin Wong from Doux Wedding Corp, who was in charge of photography for the day, we now get to share the experience of the bright, lively atmosphere from the day.

Just over four years ago, Christine moved around the corner from Luke’s, increasing the odds of them meeting on Happn. “I smiled when I viewed Luke’s profile with his gorgeous, coloured eyes and cheeky grin. Luke was captivated by my bright, beautiful energy and colourful personality that could be felt through my profile photos. The instant online attraction was more than enough for both of us to swipe right on the App that made it all Happn in December 2018,” Christine shared. “We met for dates around the western suburbs of Melbourne – drinks in Moonee Ponds, movies and shopping at Highpoint, dinner in Footscray. After Luke lent his free handyman services to build my ‘one-too-many’ pieces of furniture for the new house, cooked me meals and made me laugh until it hurt, our relationship became official, and Luke moved in a few months later.”

A few years passed, and in February of 2022, Luke whisked Christine away to Halls Gap, surprising her with a trip full of luxurious accommodation, activities, and food. “The next morning, I told Christine we were going on a winery tour. Christine was astonished when a limo pulled up to chauffeur us to the first destination. We were enjoying a fancy winery lunch when we were distracted by a loud helicopter landing in the nearby field. Christine watched in fascination as she had never seen a helicopter up close – and continued to observe the pilot walk up to them, and say ‘Luke?’ She gasped in delight when I nodded,” Luke described. “As we ascended and flew over the beautiful Grampians, the pilot and I chatted happily. Noticing that Christine was uncharacteristically quiet, I asked if she was ok. She responded with, “I think I need a bag”. The kind pilot calmly passed over a bag that Christine put to good use so his helicopter could remain free from remnants of her motion sickness. To Christine’s relief, we landed shortly after and were told we would be enjoying a picnic at Best Wines after a tour of the underground cellar. We walked around and viewed the large old barrels and dimly lit stone rooms until we were stopped by our guide. She apologised to us that she had forgotten to turn one room light on, which appeared to be locked by a dungeon-like gate. The guide left and Christine whipped out her phone and started to record one of her video blogs – saying something like, oh look, Luke’s about to lock me in a dark dungeon, when she saw through her phone screen that I was entering the now-lit dungeon room. She stopped recording, followed me into the room and opened her mouth to begin telling me off for trespassing. She caught sight of a vase of sunflowers, 2 wine glasses, a chocolate love heart and a sign that read, will you marry me? Christine turned to see me down on one knee, and then I asked her to marry me.”

Frankie from Salt Shaker Films is responsible for this wonderful highlights video and is a close friend of Christine’s. “We first met in 2016 as relatively new wedding vendors at a wedding, and I’m so proud of how our friendship and businesses have grown since then. Even though Frankie is now based in Sydney, he made a special trip to Melbourne to film our wedding and I will be forever grateful. Frankie was also wonderful with our family and guests. The best moments of our day were skilfully recorded and edited to provide us with a video that I still watch on almost a daily basis.”

Luke wore a simple cream blazer and vest, white shirt, black bow tie and pants, with black shoes. “We knew we didn’t want him in anything too formal or predominantly black because relaxed attire is more Luke’s style. Also, lighter colours were the preference to contrast with the colourful styling.” On his side of the wedding party, Luke had two of his best friends and his brother wearing the same attire but without the vest.

Christine and her bridesmaids had their makeup done by Makeup by Jane, who did such an amazing job that Christine nearly burst into tears. “I must mention Makeup by Jane, another Polka Dot Wedding favourite! Jane is one of Melbourne’s most sought-after makeup artists, and I’m so glad she was free to do my wedding makeup, along with my bridesmaids. I was her celebrant at her wedding last year, so it was special that we were involved in each other’s weddings! My bridesmaids cannot stop raving about her talent, demeanour, kindness and their own happiness in how they looked. When I was asked to look in the mirror after she had nearly finished my makeup, I had to work hard to not burst into tears because I didn’t know I could look like that! Jane is known for enhancing the beauty and natural features of her clients, to the relief and delight of their partners that can still recognise them.”

The day’s first event was a Chinese Tea Ceremony, but before that could happen Luke had to ‘prove his worth and love’ before he could be let inside to see Christine. “My bridesmaids subjected Luke and the groomsmen to a series of games/tasks. These included twerk pong, shooting impossible targets with Nerf guns, and karaoke-ing to Backstreet Boys. I was waiting indoors and my cousin thoughtfully video-called me so I could watch in amusement next to my lovely makeup artist, Jane,” she explained. Luke added, “As a punishment for failing to shoot the impossible targets, the groomsmen and I had to have a vodka shot. Little did we know, Christine’s dad had infused the vodka shot with his homegrown chilli which is extremely spicy. I will never forget how much I laughed when I watched my brother cough and splutter.”

With three of her best friends making up her wedding party, Christine knew she didn’t want them all to wear the same dress. “As our wedding was in Autumn, I asked for them to choose a dress in autumnal colours and the result was these three dresses in styles that each felt comfortable in – yellow, burgundy and orange.”

In honour of their Chinese background, Luke, Christine’s father and Christine herself wore cheongsam from Elusana – a traditional Chinese outfit for the tea ceremony. “We performed the tea ceremony, which was Luke and I offering tea to our elders as a sign of respect and to formalise recognition and acceptance into our new families. There were many laughs and also some tears (of happiness), and I’m so grateful we fit this special tradition into our day to pay homage to my Chinese ancestry. Special thanks to my friends from Oriental Luxe Weddings who provided all the decor that made our tea ceremony experience and photos just that bit more special and beautiful.”

After the tea ceremony, Christine went back inside to finish getting ready and step into the floral-adorned gown she found at The Sposa Group in Melbourne. “Originally, I really wanted a colourful wedding dress. But after some thought, given that I REALLY wanted the floristry and styling to be a colour explosion, I figured it would be safest to stick to a white dress. So I set about looking for a statement wedding dress with 3D flowers. I first saw my wedding dress on an Instagram reel from The Sposa Group – and my jaw dropped when I saw the dramatic train and detailed, delicate petals alongside floral embroidery on the ‘Amy’ dress,” she described. “My appointment at The Sposa Group was lovely, with Marianna supervising the consultation. I tried on a few different dresses and saved this one for last. As soon as I had it on, I knew this special Dylan Parienty Paris ‘Amy’ dress was the one! I’m so glad I listened to my bridesmaids to also get the matching cape. I was never keen on wearing a veil; this was a unique alternative. I thought I would only wear the cape for our wedding portrait shots and was debating whether to even wear it for the ceremony. I ended up wearing it the whole night until I changed into my dancing dress! It was hard to shed the feeling of royalty while I was wearing my magnificent cape!”

Before heading to the ceremony, Luke and Christine met next to the Footscray Community Arts Centre for a first look and some pre-ceremony portraits with their photographer Doux Wedding Corp. “I first met Alvin when we worked at a wedding together in December 2018 (around the same time I met Luke!) I loved his easygoing and friendly manner and had many laughs with him. Over the years, we worked more and more together at other weddings, and he has become a dear friend. I even had the privilege of signing his marriage certificate!”

With a list full of friends and contacts already in the wedding industry, Christine could contact her connections directly to book them in. “The other favourite part was having The Goodsmiths do the rest of the planning, styling and coordination for us! I’m so glad we had them on board so they could execute our wedding vision and we could concentrate on enjoying ourselves!”

As a wedding vendor herself, Christine had some difficulty looking for their venue – as she wanted to get married somewhere she hadn’t worked! “I’ve been a fan of the Nudo Events venues, having worked at The Wool Mill, The Ivory and Two Ton Max before. Then we discovered one of their other venues – Gather & Tailor in West Melbourne. We knew it would be our venue after our visit. It offered the rustic and blank canvas warehouse style that we wanted. It accommodated our guest size and still had generous room for a dance floor upstairs for the reception. And the downstairs area provided ample space for our ceremony. The plentiful free parking for our guests was definitely a plus!”

All the flowers for the ceremony were these sunshine-infused yellows (Christine’s favourite colour!), with lots of different types of florals and colour variations. “The ceremony backdrop was an installation across the staircase. We wanted a dramatic moment, interesting shapes and bold forms. Anatomy of Flowers certainly delivered a piece of art for Luke and I to be married in front of!”

With her (proud) dad on her arm, Christine walked down the aisle to “Stay With You” by John Legend. As a wedding celebrant herself, Christine resigned herself to finding another celebrant to take charge of their ceremony. “I’m a fan of delivering personalised ceremonies with heart and humour, but Luke wasn’t about to let me ‘celebrant’ our own wedding.”

The wonderful Emily Carr has a similar style to Christine, so she was happily brought in by the couple. “While Luke and I personally didn’t cry, I know some of our friends and loved ones were teary while they watched me walk down the aisle! Emily retold our story with grace and smiles to plenty of laughter. Luke and I love to tease each other, so our vows definitely contained this sentiment, but they also held our heartfelt promises to each other in marriage.”

One of Christine’s favourite photos is the first kiss, backdropped by the sunny yellow florals. After their first kiss, they walked back down the aisle together while their guests showered them in the colourful eco-confetti from The Whole Bride.

Christine couldn’t have been happier with Alvin’s photography skills, which shines through in her love for the final products. “On the wedding day, he went above and beyond to capture our precious moments. When we were tired from taking photos, we were uplifted to continue doing so by his infectious energy and enthusiasm. Importantly, he was wonderful with our family. And I think the photos displayed here speak volumes about his work!”

Their goal for the reception styling was to greet guests with a colour explosion surprise. “Our 5 long tables were decorated with a bright, bold and vibrant mix of colours and flowers. We wanted each arrangement to be unique, and also incorporate colourful fruits in the mix. I loved our table florals so much and made sure people took them home when the wedding ended! The tables were also styled with blue, pink, orange and yellow pillar candles in varying heights to add a delightful ambience.” The table numbers were made by Luke from a combination of Kmart light-up numbers and wooden backings to match the other styling elements.

Another nod to Christine’s heritage was the Asian wedding banquet, consisting of 8-courses from Crystal Palace Catering. After food, it was time for the speeches, with Christine’s father’s speech making Luke emotional. “Christine’s dad nearly made me cry with his tearful speech! He danced up to do his speech – he even jumped on a chair! Now everyone asks whether he is attending our parties.”

For the reception, Christine changed into a yellow strapless number from Leo Lin. She stated, “I was set on wearing something yellow – my favourite colour – for at least a portion of the evening. It was fun and perfect to dance the night away in!”

Their first dance was a combination of four dances, taking inspiration from a professional dancing couple they enjoy watching on Instagram. “We chose four of our favourite dances that we thought we would be able to somewhat mimic and off we went to practice and do our best! Shoutout and thanks to our wonderful DJ Som, who put the song clips together seamlessly! The songs were 1. Love is in the Air, 2. September, 3. How Deep is Your Love & 4. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. We put them in this order so we would start with a slower song, then surprise our guests with a fast music change, before going slow again and ending on the high that a Motown banger like Ain’t No Mountain High Enough would give and then delightfully declared that the dance floor was open!”

DJ Som is another standout in the long list of vendors this couple adores. “Som is another good friend of mine, and he definitely kept the dance floor on fire! I had so many compliments about how awesome my DJ was for weeks after the wedding. Even friends who don’t normally like to dance were happy to have a boogie because of his song choices and reading of the mood and atmosphere!”

If there’s one thing everyone knows about Christine – it’s her obsession with 2-minute cup noodles. “I was adamant that I would have a cup noodle station at the reception! We brought along plenty of noodle cups and chopsticks and a hot water dispenser. The station was set up later in the night after all the main courses had been served, and it was a hit with several people lining up for their late cup noodle feed!”

Congratulations Christine and Luke on this warm, sunshine-infused wedding! And a huge thanks to Alvin from Doux for capturing and sharing this beautiful day with us.