When you show up for Melbourne, Melbourne shows up for you. This became clear to Larissa and Houman as they floated through the CBD in their newly married bliss and found themselves being congratulated from every angle. With their two best friends and Scout from It’s Beautiful Here by their sides, this charming elopement perfectly encapsulates everything Larissa and Houman love.

It was December of 2019 when Houman and Larissa matched on Bumble, and within a few months, the world was shutting down. They made the snap decision to move in together and romantically ride out the lockdowns together. “We figured quarantine was the quickest way to work out if we were truly compatible! It was a huge risk, I think our family & friends thought we were mad, but it paid off. When COVID slowed down and we had to resume somewhat normal lives, we missed each other so much each day!”

About six months before Houman proposed, he and Larissa had gone through the process of picking out the engagement ring together. “He held onto the ring for a few weeks as he wasn’t sure how to propose in the way that was the truest to us as a couple. In the end, on a normal Friday, he booked our favourite restaurant and told me to get dressed up. Then, when I was ready, he was waiting for me in our living room on one knee. He had decided that proposing in our home, which we had purchased together, just the two of us (with our golden retriever, Alfie, of course!) and then sharing a meal at our favourite restaurant was the best way to honour our love. It was perfect!” Larissa shared.

As any Melbournian knows, in winter sleeves are a MUST! As Larissa began her search for the dress, she knew she wanted something with long sleeves but a shorter hemline. “I didn’t want the dress to be long either, as I was worried it would swallow me up. I did a whole heap of digging around on Pinterest to find inspo and came across Clem Bridal in Sydney. They had exactly what I was looking for! Something that cinched my waist was very structured and warm, with long sleeves and hitting just above the knee. I emailed them my measurements, and they custom-made a dress for me in a month! The insane part is that we only decided to get married eight weeks before the date, so I was a little stressed. The dress arrived and fit like a glove, and only needed a hemline lift. I was so lucky and couldn’t be happier with it!” she explained.

“For accessories, I want to keep it classic and minimal too. I went with a pair of Mejuri pearl earrings I already owned, a classic two-tiered ivory vale from Little White Couture, and ivory pointed sling backs with a BLOCK HEEL (so important!) from Siren Shoes. I also just LOVED my hair and makeup done by Sasha, it was exactly what I envisioned!”

According to Larissa, Houman is a certified diva! Using their winter elopement as an excuse to custom-design his dream suit with the Oscar Hunt team. “I have to say that the suit-making and fitting experience was brilliant, and we both really enjoyed the process. It worked out perfectly! The fabric was so rich and dark that he could wear a tuxedo shirt and bow tie on the day without having to actually purchase a tuxedo suit that he would never wear again. After the ceremony, he changed into a plain white shirt and undid a few buttons for a more casual dinner look. So now he has the suit to wear on special occasions, and he can get the most out of it,” Larissa gushed.

“I just loved our looks! I’m not too proud to say that I think we both looked incredible! I went into the day with a really clear vision for the aesthetic I wanted, and it just came out better than I could have ever imagined. The hair & makeup, dress, veil, shoes and suit were all just so perfect for the vibe I wanted to create and our personalities.”

For Larissa and Houman, the top five things that made their charming winter elopement so special and heartwarming were:

“1. We got ready together in the hotel room – drinking champagne, eating snacks and dancing around. It was so fun!

2. The whole day was so intimate and true to us as a couple.

3. We had so much fun, felt present in each moment and were completely stress-free.

4. We made a weekend of it, staying three nights at the Sofitel – so it felt like a mini-holiday.

5. We had a beautiful celebration dinner at Gimlet with our best friends.”

As their only two guests and witnesses, the couple asked their closest friends (James and Andrew) to join them. “Both of our families are spread across Australian and international cities, so when we made the decision to elope, we knew none of our family would be in attendance. James and Andrew are the people we wanted to witness the ceremony and have a fun & bougie dinner with afterwards. They wore suits to the ceremony, too, which was so nice. We all looked so good together!”

Their ceremony at the Victorian Marriage Registry was only a mere formality, opting for the standard vows and no readings. “I know this won’t be a popular opinion, but it’s how we felt. We knew the ceremony would only take around 15 minutes, so it was probably the least important part of the day for us. We were much more interested in taking beautiful photos, having a drink, eating a slice of pizza and enjoying champagne in our room. I will say that after our photographer finished, we read very long, personal vows to each other that we had prepared. It was just the two of us, crying in bed, recalling our loveliest memories and professing our deep love for each other over champagne and cake. It was kind of perfect!”

Their flowers were a gift from James and Andrew, sourced from the Larkspur Flowers in Daylesford. “The only direction I gave was white & green, and they must include white roses and eucalyptus. I was so thrilled with how they turned out and it was nice to not have to worry about arranging them myself!”

One of their main goals for the elopement was to feature Melbourne as much as possible, as it’s where both Larissa and Houman have chosen to live, away from their families. “I just didn’t realise at the time how much Melbourne would love us back! We had the 4 pm slot on a Friday and spent around two hours walking from different photo locations around the Paris end of Collins after 4:30 pm. Everyone we walked past congratulated us, people were woo-ing out the windows of passing cars, giving us standing ovations outside pubs and trams full of people were cheering while the driver rang the bell over and over for us. It was such a beautiful feeling and really added to how special and fun our day was!”

Every date night, Larissa and Houman have gone on, there has been one constant – their signature cocktails! For Larissa that would be a dirty martini and for Houman a negroni. “We just really wanted to make sure that we had photos with our signature cocktails. It was such a fun and meaningful inclusion for us!” explained Larissa.

Houman added, “It was just such a magical day. I feel like we spent the whole day smiling and laughing so hard our cheeks were hurting, and I woke up the next day feeling so happy that we had decided to elope. I really wish I could relive the whole experience, because it was just so amazing. I loved every detail that Larissa planned, all the beautiful photos Scout took and the fun memories we have. For me though, the best part of the day was finally sitting down to have a negroni at 1806 after the ceremony!”

From all the beautiful shots from their winter elopement, the ones that feel most ‘them’ to Larissa are the photos of her and Houman at Pizza Pizza Pizza. “The shot of me eating a slice of pizza and Houman giving me the thumbs up in the background. We love a supportive king! The one of us holding hands, looking into each others eyes in the garden of Parliament House is a fav too!”

Instead of the ceremony taking centre stage, Houman and Larissa wanted to focus on their favourite locations across Melbourne. “The day was more about the best locations to get photos taken that matched the vibe we wanted. In the end, we went with 1806 for the bar photos, Pizza Pizza Pizza for the fun photos, and then back to our room at the Sofitel for cake and champagne. This felt really true to us and was so, so much fun!”

Scout from It’s Beautiful Here captured Larissa and Houman’s charming elopement in their signature romantic and real style. “Where can we start!? From the very beginning, Scout just ‘got it’. She could understand and see our vision, and knew how important the photos were to us, as they were the only thing we would be able to share with our family. On the day, Scout made us feel so comfortable, special, beautiful and seen. We also just had so much fun together – walking around the city, sharing stories and giggling. She captured our essence and love so thoughtfully, that I really can’t imagine what the day would have been like without her!”

To finish out their day, Larissa and Houman headed back to their hotel to celebrate in style (and comfort)! It was also where they were able to honour their adorable golden retriever, Alfie. “Sounds silly, but it was logistically impossible to have our golden retriever Alfie take part in our day. So I went on Amazon and ordered a little cake topper that looks just like him to have on our cake made by Mali Bakes.”

Larissa and Houman want to leave this piece of advice for other couples planning their own days: “Just do what works for you for your wedding. We were engaged for over two years with decision paralysis on what kind of wedding to have, and trying to figure out a location and timeline that worked best for all our dispersed family members. In the end, we realised it’s OUR DAY and did exactly what we wanted in the way that was best for us. We were unapologetic about it and now know it’s the best decision we’ve ever made.”

Thanks to It’s Beautiful Here for not only capturing these beautiful moments but also for sharing them with us. And huge congratulations are in order for Houman and Larissa on your incredible elopement!