Dreamy Summer Wedding at The George Ballroom

This love story started with the right swipe at the wrong time, and slowly grew into the beautiful partnership it is today. With Libby and Phil in multiple dreamy outfits, their adorable dog Kobe by their side, and so much love pouring from their guests’ laughter-filled seats, this is a day they’ll never forget. Captured by Rachel May Photography and C2 Films, there is no shortage of dream-like shots from this celebration.

Libby and Phil met on Hinge during the infamous COVID lockdowns, and serendipitously only matched the day before he moved to Mildura for work – moving him outside of the bubble range. So they spent the next month only chatting over the phone before finally being able to meet in person. “Phil then sent me a boyfriend application with a request for a face-to-face interview after I shared a meme about not wasting my time. He said: You will be surprised to know that we share a very similar perception of time, as in my life, every 60 seconds, a minute passes. I would not waste your time because I myself am also very time poor,” shared Libby.

Phil started the new year with a bang (and not the firework kind) and proposed to Libby with a personal and intimate moment. “He proposed to me at a park on the eve of NYE on a summer night (it was still bright outside). We had some cherries and champagne previously, and brought our dog out with us. Phil actually got on two knees at first, and we joke that he was practically begging me to marry him.”

Phil opted for a classic black tux and bow tie for the ceremony, and later changed into an ivory jacket for the reception. Both suits were made by the talented team over at Oscar Hunt.

Instead of picking a Best Man, Phil had both of his best friends share the role equally as groomsmen.

Libby wore a ceremony gown and a reception gown, both beautifully figure-hugging, with long, flowing trains. Her ceremony gown was from Eternal Bridal, made from stunning Mikado silk, and her reception gown was from Jane Hill Bridal, featuring delicate lace. “The Maid of Honour was Hayley, my best friend, and the bridesmaids were good friends Carrie and Michelle.”

The dreamy florals were a combination of Libby’s favourite flowers – roses, hydrangeas, delphiniums and baby’s breath. “I love flowers, so I had meticulously drawn up a plan of what I wanted, and Hailey Paige Flowers, my florist, delivered. My bridal bouquet consisted of orchids and roses, and the bridesmaid bouquets were white roses en masse.”

The George Ballroom was the perfect venue for this dreamy summer wedding, with the ability to book out the whole venue plus the bar downstairs for the cocktail hour. “There is something about The George Ballroom that immediately stood out to me when I was venue hunting, and I’ll confess I started looking at venues before Phil proposed!” Libby explained.

As an acoustic rendition of “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski played, Libby walked down the aisle with her dad. “It was one of the best moments I have lived!”

With the help of their celebrant, Paul Bonadio, their ceremony was personal, sentimental and lighthearted. “Paul lightly roasted us and our love story; it was very funny. But we also read our own vows, which had some more sentimental and tear-jerking moments.”

Another special feature of their day was the opportunity to include Kobe (their adorable dog) in the festivities!

Rachel May Photography was the photographer for Libby and Phil’s dreamy summer wedding. “Rachel was introduced to me by a mutual friend long before we got engaged. I loved her candid style of photography, and her photos all look stunning. She has an incredible talent for capturing all of the emotions, details and experiences of the day in a photograph, and somehow manages to make you look great too, even if you are mid-laugh!” Libby shared.

Aside from their Gelato Messina cart, Libby’s favourite detail of their summer wedding was the photography results. “In all seriousness, we still look at the photos from the day and are able to re-live this time with such happiness so definitely our photographer Rachel. She also played a huge role in setting up the itinerary for the day, which was the original draft I went on to plan the day’s events.”

Cake testing, picking gelato flavours, and menu creation were some of Libby’s favourite parts of the planning process. “I really did enjoy the whole process, from choosing the vendors, looking at inspo, and discussing with Phil and friends, even though I often went with the opposite of what Phil chose, where it didn’t matter to him (he commented that I should match my wedding eyeshadow to the colour of the venue wall – green/blue). But he had strong opinions about having a full floral arch for some reason rather than an asymmetrical floral stand, so we went with that!”

When it came to the five things that really stood out to Libby from the day, she said:

“1. I felt very special having my family and best friends with me in the days leading up to and on the day.

2. My family came over from KL, and some of Phil’s relatives from Shanghai also visited, so we had a big week of lunches and dinners leading up to the wedding day, which was fun.

3. Phil wrote me a mini note on the morning of that he had his groomsmen deliver to me.

4. One of my favourite moments of the day was getting ready in the morning with my bridesmaids and our MUA, Jane, and Hairstylist, Jenn. I rented an apartment in the same building as our venue that weekend, on the same floor, which served as our ‘base’. The groomsmen got ready at another Airbnb close by.

5. Our beloved baby (dog) Kobe was at our ceremony as the ring bearer. He is the sweetest, most adorable Cavalier King Charles spaniel that our venue manager could not say no to being there.”

Every couple is different, so naturally, their weddings and planning processes will vary. This fact is why Libby doesn’t have specific advice for couples planning their own weddings, but she does want to share this piece of wisdom: “I will say, we don’t regret anything we did do for our wedding and are glad we did all those things! i.e., get that ivory jacket even if you don’t think you’ll get much wear out of it after, take that helicopter to get your pre-wedding photos on top of a mountain – it’s worth it. I don’t see us getting another opportunity to do this stuff in the foreseeable future!”

Their first dance was to “Turn Me On” by Norah Jones, which quickly transitioned into a faster dance to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli.