Vibrant Winery Wedding at Zonzo Estate

In a tucked-away corner of the Yarra Valley, with the sun beaming down and the air thick with summer scent, Gabrielle and Michael vowed forever in a way that felt tender, joyful, and deeply personal. Their wedding was not a performance, but an offering of memories, shared values, and the simple and powerful act of looking someone in the eye and saying, “You are my home.” From hand-written cards exchanged before the ceremony to family-made bomboniere and a dance choreographed just for the two of them, every touchpoint told the story of two people who genuinely know and love each other.

It was a day designed not just to impress, but to connect – with each other, with their loved ones, and with the little moments that make life extraordinary. Capturing it all was the ever-brilliant Alex Motta, whose photographs hold the quiet magic of the day, the looks, the light, the laughter, like memories gently preserved in amber.

What started as a chance encounter in early 2018 led to the beautiful life Michael and Gabrielle have created together! At 2am in a souvlaki shop in Fitzroy, Michael and Gab crossed paths for the first time. “Michael recognised Gabrielle through mutual friends, approached and hoped to talk to her. Gabrielle had no idea who Michael was at the time, but he left an impression. A short while later, Michael worked up the courage to ask Gabrielle on a first date. Moral of the story: never say no to a souvlaki at the end of the night. You might just meet the love of your life!”

Flash forward five years, where Michael is dragging Gabrielle out of bed super early one morning so she can witness the iconic sunrise from Florence’s Piazzale de Michelangelo. “As it turned out, I had underestimated the time it would take to walk there. Gabrielle was starting to lead the charge, almost breaking into a run because “if we got up this early, we’d better not miss it!”. We made it just in time. As the sun started to come up, I dropped to one knee and caught Gabrielle completely by surprise. I popped the question with a beautiful antique ring gifted from my Yiayia with her blessing,” Michael recalls.

Gabrielle added, “Michael remains proud of the fact that I hadn’t suspected anything up to that moment. The day ahead was filled with perfect blue skies under the Tuscan sun – we wandered around sampling Florentine pastries, coffee (lots of it after the early start), taking in Renaissance art at the palace and finally, climbing to the top of the Duomo to watch the sunset. We loved having that special, magical day all to ourselves, and we were so excited to wake up the next day and share the news on video calls with our family and friends.”

This wedding had an incredible vendor dream team, one that Michael and Gabrielle will eternally be grateful for. But a standout vendor they wanted to shout out was their videographers, Emily and Eddie from Mim Media! “They were exceptional. They worked seamlessly alongside Alex and captured so many special big and little moments from the day. We’ve watched our highlight reel and full video on repeat for weeks!”

Michael chose a classic ivory tuxedo with black accents, all custom-designed by YSG Tailors. “He opted for the ivory jacket (rather than the traditional black) as he wanted to wear a tuxedo that fit the theme of a vibrant, poppy summer wedding in the Yarra Valley. YSG didn’t miss a beat; they crafted the perfect tuxedo that fit Michael perfectly, produced with the very finest materials,” Gabrielle explained.

Something Michael and Gabrielle have done their whole relationship is writing personal cards, sometimes for special occasions and sometimes just because. So it was only fitting that they exchanged cards on the morning of their vibrant wedding. “Reading each other’s words was calming and steadying, and made us look forward even more to that first moment when we’d lock eyes down the aisle. Gabrielle also surprised me with a watch, engraved with a special message and their wedding date,” Michael shared.

His wedding party included his four groomsmen – his brother, and his three best friends from primary, secondary and university. The party wore traditional black tuxedos from Ferrari Formalwear, perfectly contrasting Michael’s ivory look.

Matching Michael, Gabrielle also chose something classic, with more of a feminine, elegant twist. Her choice? This stunning Georgia Young Couture gown with a draping bodice detail and slightly asymmetric shoulders. “Georgia was the first designer I thought of when starting the search for a dress, and the Butter gown, which I chose for my day, was the very first option I tried on. The process of having the dress custom-made right in Brunswick was really special, and it fit like a glove on the day. Georgia’s studio was such a thoughtfully designed and gorgeous space where I felt instantly comfortable during my fittings,” she explained.

To complete her look, Gabrielle incorporated a couple of sentimental heirlooms into her accessories. She wore a pearl necklace, fashioned into a bracelet, that has been worn by the women in her family for generations, along with a set of heirloom baroque pearl earrings borrowed from her aunt. Her mum lovingly handmade her stunning cathedral veil, hand-adorned with pearls along its length. “It was just perfect, flowing exactly how I had imagined – and all the more special knowing it was handcrafted by my mum.”

In a collection of mismatched pink Aje dresses, Gabrielle’s wedding party, which was made up of her best friends, stood by her side throughout the day. “It was important to me for my bridesmaids to wear something that they loved and felt comfortable in, so they each chose their own dress in the colour palette.”

One of the reasons Michael and Gabrielle chose a late summer wedding was because of the breathtaking abundance of flowers to choose from. With the help of Floral Architecture, they picked out a mix of dahlias, hydrangeas, reflexed roses and lisianthus in a palette of pinks, peaches, lemon and vibrant pops of rouge. “We went heavy on the florals with minimal foliage – we wanted to bring all the summer colour to our day. My bouquet was just perfect – bright, lush and heavy on petals. My bridesmaids each carried gorgeous en masse bouquets that each featured one of the flowers from my bouquet,” she explained. “We were lucky to have the wonderful Blossoms by Annie press and dry my bouquet into a beautiful, unique piece of art that now lives on our kitchen wall, reminding us of those incredible flowers. We can’t recommend Annie more!”

For the ceremony florals, they wanted something that would draw the eye upwards against the Capella windows. “Floral Architecture did an incredible job creating floral towers that framed the view at the altar, and kept all the florals looking fresh (even with the 38-degree heat).”

Nestled in the breathtaking Yarra Valley, Zonzo Estate was the wedding venue for this celebration. “When we first visited, we were immediately taken by the Capella, a modern, architectural ceremony space with floor-to-ceiling windows gazing onto the rolling hills and lush vineyard.”

Gabrielle’s mum and bridesmaids walked down the aisle to “At Last” by Etta James, performed acoustically by their musicians, Melbourne Entertainment Co. “Gabrielle’s mum said she loved walking first because it meant she could take her spot in the front row and watch Gabrielle and her father walk in together,” Michael remarked.

Gabrielle then walked down the aisle with her dad to an acoustic version of “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers. In this moment, Alex Motta captured one of Michael and Gabrielle’s favourite shots. “Alex Motta’s work is so impressive that it’s hard to choose, but the photo of Michael at the end of the aisle when he first saw Gabrielle enter the ceremony, along with photos of us each looking at the other while we each read our vows. We love how much feeling Alex captured in our eyes, and those photos take us right back to all the emotion of the moment.”

Their goal for the ceremony was for it to be a balanced blend of heartfelt and personal, with a bit of light-hearted comedic relief. And they picked the perfect celebrant to execute their wishes! Megan from Marry Me Megan had everyone in the room in tears – from both the laughter and the sentimental kind. “She captured our story and personalities so well. We were so grateful for Megan’s calm, helpful guidance in the lead up to the day – she put us completely at ease in writing our vows, and we can’t recommend her highly enough,” Gabrielle explained.

They wrote their own vows for the ceremony, which gave them the perfect chance to reflect on their relationship and their future! “It felt like we each had a secret project we were working on! We also surprised our mums on the day by asking them to be our witnesses, which was a touching moment to share with them amidst it all.”

The best piece of advice Michael and Gabrielle have for future couples planning their own wedding is this: “Don’t worry about the weather – it really is the ultimate exercise in letting go. The forecast for our day went from 25 degrees and sunny to 38 degrees and thunderstorms. We ended up with a very hot day (no rain – thankfully!) but wouldn’t change a thing, watching the sun go down and seeing all our loved ones dancing outside under the lights on such a balmy night is something that we’ll never forget.”

While the newlyweds had a mini photo session post-ceremony, their guests spilled out onto the sun-drenched lawn to enjoy the cocktail hour, complete with a Zoncello spritz tower! This portion of the afternoon was Michael and Gabrielle’s favourite, as it was the best opportunity to be present with their loved ones. “With that in mind, we kept photos short and sweet after the ceremony so that we could take the opportunity to join the cocktail hour and mingle with our guests. The cocktail hour perfectly encapsulated the vibrant feeling of the day, with the sun draped over the lush lawn and vineyard, acoustic tunes drifting through the air in the background, and Zoncello spritz flowing. A truly memorable moment, and one that we were very grateful to be able to soak up together.”

All of the stunning invitations, on-the-day signage, stationery and wedding favours were all DIY’d by Gabrielle and Michael. “In a nod to Michael’s Greek and Macedonian heritage, we handmade bomboniere (sugar almonds wrapped in tulle). It was very much a collective effort – we spent more than a few days around the table with Michael’s family, painstakingly counting almonds and tying off the little tulle parcels. To bring it all together, Gabrielle’s mum made special ceramic heart charms to decorate the bomboniere.”

The reception space was equally as breathtaking as the ceremony Capella, with beautiful open spaces, warm lighting and heritage features. “The large windows allow the views and the outside festoon lights to filter in. We really loved the outdoor space – it made the perfect setting for our balmy summer wedding as we danced away into the night under the lights,” Gabrielle explained. “The food at Zonzo was one of the big draw cards – a shared Italian feast incorporating antipasti, pizza, roast and topped off with cannoli. We had so much great feedback from our guests. The Zonzo team were exceptional throughout the process, working seamlessly with our vendors and keeping things running so smoothly on the day.”

The five things that made this vibrant winery wedding so special to Gabrielle and Michael were:

“1. Planning it together – every decision was very much a joint one, and it meant that we were able to craft a day that genuinely felt like us, and honoured our shared history and future together, and most of all, was just so much fun.

2. Bringing all of our families and friends together – it was so special for all our relatives and different friendship groups to meet We were so lucky to have friends and family joining us from across the country and overseas to celebrate with us, we felt so much love and were so touched by the effort they made to be there. It was an especially surreal moment to see them all arm-in-arm on the dance floor, dancing to traditional Greek and Macedonian music. We kept saying to each other that the wedding day felt like a ‘pinch me’ moment.

3. Learning a dance to perform as our first dance – it was such a fun thing to do together and we still practice it at home for fun. We were so fortunate that the weather held out and we got to perform it under the stars and lights with all our loved ones cheering us on.

4. It was fun to choose songs for each of the key moments of the day. We pick songs that hold special meaning for us and love listening to them now to bring all the memories flooding back.

5. We were so grateful for our bridal parties – our closest friends, who were by our side throughout the whole process. Having a later ceremony at 5pm also meant that we were able to spend the day with them before the festivities kicked off. It was special to share that day with them.”

Motta Weddings captured Gabrielle and Michael’s vibrant wedding in all of its breathtaking glory, all while winning the hearts of the couple. “Alex Motta is something of a legend in the Yarra Valley. Each time we met with our vendors and mentioned that Alex was our photographer, we got the same response without fail: “he’s the best”. And Alex did not disappoint – he certainly is the best in class,” they gushed.

“Not only was the photography exceptional, Alex was also professional, energetic, super efficient and provided clear direction to ensure that we felt comfortable and at ease in front of the camera. He listened to what was important to us on the day – spending time with each other and our guests in the moment – and helped us plan a timeline that meant we didn’t miss too much of the party. Thank you, Alex!”

“Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli was their first dance song, a song they used to dance around the house to during lockdown. “We wanted something fun, romantic and classical but high energy. We took a handful of lessons with the incredible Theresa at The Wedding Dance AU (we definitely needed them!) and then practiced the dance every night in our living room in the lead up to the wedding, which ended up being so much fun – most nights it just turned into a dance party for two,” Michael shared. “We were lucky with the weather – we were able to perform the dance was performed outside under the stars and festoon lights in the balmy summer night air. We were a bit nervous in the minutes before the dance, but somehow it went off without a hitch – we even drew a few oohs and ahs from the audience when I lifted Gabrielle in the air and spun her around during the chorus!”

After their first dance, the couple included a dance with their parents. Gabrielle grabbed her dad and Michael grabbed his mum as “Stand By Me” by Ben E King floated through the air. “Michael even brought his Yiayia out onto the dance floor for a spin; a special moment that will live long in the memory.”

As the night wore on, Gabrielle thought it time to switch into her dancing dress, a gorgeous Aje mini! “It was so fun to surprise Michael with a second look, and it was the perfect outfit for dancing the rest of the night away (and fun to show off my beautiful shoes!).”

The final tradition for the night was a Greek and Macedonian dance during the final hours of the reception, led by Michael’s parents. “The dancing paid tribute to Michael’s background and was the perfect way to bring our families together, with all guests linking arms and dancing their way through the warm summer evening outside under their lights. More than one guest was seen kicking off their shoes so that they could join in!”