Colourful Wedding in Cape Schanck

As we slowly creep into our warmer months here in Australia, we can start to turn our attention back to the summer weddings and sunshine-infused celebrations. Like Matt and Olivia’s colourful wedding, which was full of Italian inspiration, lemon decor, and colourful styling. Captured by Motta Weddings and Ryan Adams, set at the beautiful RACV Resort in Cape Schanck, this celebration is one we’re excited to dive into!

Matt’s sister is a hairdresser, and one day after she’d done Olivia’s hair, she ran home to tell Matt about the amazing girl she’d met – and how much he’d love her! “We started talking soon after, and that was it!”

In 2022, Matt and Olivia purchased their first home together. When she met Matt at their house for the final inspection, she walked in and found him on one knee surrounded by candles! “It was just the two of us in our first home. It was very special,” she recalled.

Matt wore this classic black suit with an ivory shirt and black bowtie he purchased from Panther’s Menswear in Gippsland. “He is pretty decisive, so he went in, found a nice suit and called it a day!”

Olivia wore a Hera Couture dress with this gorgeous full skirt and strapless design. “I loved the modern flare which the top of my dress had along with the pockets! I had a long train as we ordered more fabric to make my headband so that was cut off from the train. We were left with heaps of fabric, but I liked the long train, so we kept it! Definitely recommend Bluebell Bridal!”

Her wedding party wore these colourful lemon-toned dresses from Hansen & Gretel, a beautiful nod to her Italian heritage that continues throughout the day! “I had gifted both of them personalised name necklaces on different occasions, so they wore them on the day. Necklaces were from Oak & Luna.”

This colourful bouquet was made by the talented Ione from Oh Hello Petal, who also styled the whole day and created all the beautiful florals you’ll see later! “I wanted bright colours as pink is my favourite colour, and I loved warm hues of red and orange as well. Ione thoughtfully researched both Matt’s and mine Italian heritage and styled our florals along with centrepieces and tables to resemble Italian florals, fruits, and architecture.”

The three photos hanging from her bouquet are part of a custom pin designed with Luxe Keepsake Co – holding photos of her two grandmothers and Matt’s Nonno, who had passed away prior to the wedding. “I also had my mum’s blue bow from her wedding dress pinned into the heart of mine as my something old and blue. Ione included grapes as part of our table decor to honour Matt’s late Nonno as he had his own vineyard and made wine.”

Their venue for the day was the beautiful RACV Resort in Cape Schanck, with their ceremony in the secluded Tea Tree Gardens. Surrounded by luscious greenery and an adorable little pond.

She walked down the aisle with her dad, as Stephen Sanchez’s “Something About Her” was sung live by the talented Liz Violi from Connotations.

Olivia and Matt had always wanted their ceremony to be equal parts traditional and religious. So they had two readings and prayers of the faithful included throughout the proceedings.

In a genius stroke of DIY creativity, Olivia had kept all the flowers from her birthday and engagement, as well as petals from the gardens of her family and friends, to dry them out and preserve them for the wedding! These were then used as confetti at the end of the ceremony.

Alex Motta was the photographer for this colourful wedding, and he did an incredible job capturing the love and connection throughout! “He made us feel so comfortable and at ease, directed us so naturally. It was the easiest process. Alex also delivered us with a sneak peek the next morning, of 116 images. We were so impressed! We also had a content creator through Alex, which was the best decision ever. We love looking at those little candid moments. I always wanted to choose Alex after he photographed my cousin Katherine and Damien’s wedding back in 2019!”

When the wedding photos look this good, it’s no surprise that Olivia couldn’t pick her favourite! “I love the photo of Matt and his two groomsmen (my 2 brothers) crying as they saw me. That makes me tear up every time. There’s a photo of Matt and I walking back after we got photos taken overlooking the water. I was holding my dress, and Matt was holding my bouquet; we were just walking with our heads down, talking about the day so far. Also love the photo of us after the ceremony when everyone had left and we are just standing up on the platform with our flowers behind us,” Olivia shared.

Their reception was held in the Great Southern Ballroom at the resort. “We loved the venue because of its stunning features, guest capacity, and the fact that our guests were able to book accommodation there as well.”

All of this beautiful stationery, from the labels to the menus, was designed by Eliza Svikulis! Their adorable vintage-inspired cake was made by Torte by Mirjana. Olivia also added little lemon beads onto the tags for the guest favours – the limoncello bottles. “I really loved being hands-on and doing things such as drying the flower petals, tying the ribbons around the limoncello bottles and gluing on the beads. I printed out all of our labels for our invitations too and they were a bit fun and different! It was fun being creative and researching so many different amazing ideas.”

For their first dance, Olivia and Matt danced to Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You”, performed by the Connotations. “During our first dance, the ladies in our families tied streamers around us, which is an Italian tradition. We also danced to the Tarantella which is an Italian dance where you hold hands and dance in one big crazy circle. So much fun!”

Matt and Olivia loved every single one of their vendor dream team – and wouldn’t have changed a single selection. “They all took our wishes into consideration, and I trusted them and their creative powers to create the most amazing day possible. I can’t choose one favourite!”