If a late night reception in the heart of Melbourne with a pitstop at Melbourne Fashion Fest doesn’t scream After Dark issue – we don’t know what does! When Annika and Jack started planning their wedding, it became pretty clear early on that they both really wanted something convenient and easy, so they did just that. Everything was fashion-forward and chic to the max. Captured street style by Molly Burmeister, with a stunning blue Georgia Hardinge dress, the reception at Pepes and their canine children in attendance at the ceremony.

Jack and Annika matched online in late 2019, and after only a few messages, Annika stopped responding. Thankfully, Jack didn’t give up and messaged again – and they haven’t stopped since! “We went out for about a month and decided we were probably better off as friends. COVID lockdowns hit, and we were in each other’s 5 km bubble, so we would go to Bunnings and build things in the yard together. After about a year and a half of being friends, we looked at each other and said, “What are we doing?” We bought a house together and got a dog 5 months later,” Annika shared.

After getting back from a busy day at Australian Fashion Week, all Annika wanted to do was sleep away the exhaustion. Unfortunately for her, Jack had other plans. “He said he got us tickets to Cirque du Soleil and then was taking me out for a drink in the city. I thought it was strange we were going all the way into the city, but I pushed through my exhaustion. We got to the top of the Arts Centre, and I said, “You better not be doing what I think you’re doing, because I don’t have my nails done!” Well, he did it!” she explained.

“We then quickly realised he had left his phone in the Uber, and it was too late for restaurants to be open on a Sunday night, so we got home, ordered GYG and ate it on our couch. A very fitting chaotic story for us!”

When it came to Annika’s looks throughout their urban wedding, the main thing she wanted was something she’d be able to wear again and again.

She hadn’t picked something out to wear for the ceremony until the morning of, finding this chic slip dress in the back of her wardrobe! “I had a few options of dresses that felt like ‘me’, but going through my wardrobe, I found a silk slip dress I ordered on Etsy a few years previous, and that was the winner!”

Jack wasn’t too fussed about what he would wear on the day, and found this snazzy blue suit from Men’s Suit Warehouse. The perfect pop of colour to complement Melbourne’s urban landscape.

The original plan for the ceremony was for it to be at the same spot at the Arts Centre Jack had proposed. However, when they arrived that morning with their guests, the whole area had been boarded off for construction. As a Type-B person, Annika shook it off and gathered everyone across the road for a garden ceremony instead.

A formal wedding party didn’t really fit into the relaxed vibe of the day, so instead, Annika and Jack gave all their guests one dress code: Upstage the Bride! “I didn’t want anyone to feel like they needed to buy something new or feel uncomfortable, so it was easy for everyone to dress how they wanted,” she explained.

Simple and small – the two perfect words to describe Jack and Annika’s ceremony. With only 15 of their closest friends and family in attendance, plus their two dogs, it was exactly how they’d pictured it. “We wrote our own vows and just had a really special, intimate ceremony,” Annika shared.

“One of the highlights was being able to have our dogs, Frank and Stacey, at the ceremony. They’re so special to us!”

While they didn’t originally plan to have any flowers, Samantha from Pampas Palms offered to create Annika’s bouquet and a flower stand! “They matched the colours of my dress and accessories, and I’m so glad we did!”

Annika’s wedding band and engagement rings are actually her grandma’s, something she’d received from her husband in the 40s. “It’s been really special for me to be able to carry them around and continue their use.”

Molly Burmeister was the photographer for Annika and Jack – and boy did she nail the brief! “My photographer was Molly Burmeister, who, in my opinion, is one of the greatest photographers Australia has to offer. I wanted my photos to look like Street Style pics from Fashion Week, and that’s exactly what she delivered! She made everyone feel so comfortable and happy to have their picture taken. She also shoots with a film camera too, which absolutely was a highlight!”

Their reception was held the next night at Melbourne’s iconic Pepes Italian & Liquor! This time, Annika wore this incredible Georgia Hardinge pleated blue dress. “I had been eyeing her pieces for months and finally decided on a pleated blue full-length dress. The experience was simply me sitting on my couch and pressing ‘confirm order’!”

Annika had all of her friends in the hotel room the hour before the reception, putting together all the boxes for their custom chocolate gifts. “A perfect example of my Type B personality and my beautiful friendships,” she shared.

“One of the only things I cared about was giving people something they could actually use and appreciate. I worked with Small Dream Sweets to come up with a custom chocolate flavour and made sure everyone had a nice professional photo from Molly!”

Their other party favour took two years of green thumbs to pull off! “We spent two summers growing different herbs in the garden to dry, blend, and then turn into a seasoning salt. Everything cost about $100 for everyone’s gift!”

Instead of a formal first dance, Annika and Jack had three songs queued up as their unofficial love playlist:

1. Mark Henry’s WWE Entrance Music

2. “Titanium” by Sia

3. “Untouched” by The Veronicas.

Pepes was an easy choice for their reception venue – and for Annika, it was love at first sight. “I visited Pepe’s with a friend and fell in love with the venue. It was an easy choice to pick their event space because it was so central. They had great food and drink options, their communication was fantastic, and it was just easy! It was also close enough to me to leave the reception and pop into Melbourne Fashion Fest for a cheeky appearance in my wedding dress!”

When planning their wedding, Annika and Jack quickly realised convenience and ease were top priorities for both of them, and everything else just fell in place. “Honestly, I enjoyed how relaxed it was. Jack and I sat down and discussed what the three most important things were to us, and quickly realised that convenience and ease were at the top for both of us. It made every decision easy to make when we had this in mind.”

The top five things that made their fashionable urban wedding so much fun were:

“1. Having our dogs at the ceremony

2. The theme being “Try to Upstage the Bride”

3. Our custom chocolates and homemade seasoned salt as party favours

4. My blue dress and maroon shoes

5. Leaving the reception to go to Fashion Fest!”

If there was any advice Annika wanted to leave for couples planning their own celebrations it would be this: “The best thing we did was sit down and figure out what was important to each of us. It made it so easy to base decisions around and be on the same page!”

Congratulations, Annika and Jack! Thanks to Molly Burmeister Photography for capturing such a beautiful collection of moments from their celebrations.