Victoria and Marlon took us antiquing through Melbourne’s Waverley Antique Bazaar for their engagement shoot (and told us the story of the San Francisco proposal that started it all). Now they’re back, this time celebrating with family and friends at Grow Event Space in Cheltenham, where garden surrounds, second-hand finds and plenty of personal touches shaped the day.

Captured by Packing Light Photography, their wedding is full of the kind of moments that stick with you, from handwritten letters for every guest, live illustrations and a cake topper inspired by their very-missed pup, and you’ve got a celebration filled with nostalgic moments!

Earlier this year, we had the privilege of sharing Victoria and Marlon’s beautiful engagement shoot at the Waverley Antique Bazaar in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs – you can read all about how they met and their adorable San Francisco engagement here!

Marlon had two of his childhood best friends and a cousin in his wedding party. Each wearing a charcoal suit and matching green ties. “We didn’t realise this until the day of, but we had accidentally ordered two children’s ties for the groomsmen. No one noticed when the jackets were buttoned, and they took them off at the reception!”

For his own attire, Marlon wore a timeless black tuxedo with sharp lapels for that classic look. “I bought him a ‘Marlin’ tie clip as a surprise that he wore on the day,” Victoria shared.

Victoria had three of her closest friends, all of whom she met at different stages of her life. They wore beautiful sage green dresses that matched the groomsmen’s ties.

She had always dreamed of wearing a white dress for her wedding, so she went all in on that! Finding this beautiful Luv Bridal piece with her friends and family was her favourite part of their wedding planning. “I had an off-the-shoulder satin white gown with a train and basque waistline. I also wore my mum’s old white gold ring as my something borrowed,” Victoria shared.

The ‘green’ theme of the day wasn’t just about the colour, but also buying items second-hand (like these beautiful flowers!) and designing things themselves. “I got some faux flowers off Facebook Marketplace that had been used for a few weddings previously! Reduce, reuse, recycle!”

There was no venue more perfect for their green, garden-inspired wedding than Grow Event Space in Cheltenham. In fact, there were three huge reasons that Victoria and Marlon picked the space:

“1. It was a plant nursery, so had a garden attached for outdoor photos (we were supposed to get married in the garden too, but it rained)

2. We had one of our early dates at that plant nursery to buy a little Christmas tree

3. It was close to my childhood home where my parents still live, so I could get ready there with my family present!”

With her parents on either arm, Victoria walked down the petal-lined aisle as “Carillon” by Sky floated through the space. “It was a song we found from a random record purchase from a second-hand shop,” she explained.

They wanted the ceremony to be light and fun, and with the help of their talented celebrant, Married by Miri, they had exactly that! “We aren’t religious, so we wanted it to feel like a celebration of both of us joining together.”

The best piece of advice Marlon and Victoria wanted to share with couples in the planning stage is this: “It’s your day! Do what makes you happy on your wedding day.”

Andy and Alysha from Packing Light Photography captured Victoria and Marlon’s engagement, and we’re so excited to see them back to capture this beautiful wedding! “They are amazing at making you feel comfortable. Taking photos can be awkward in public, but they are so skilled at making it a silly, fun time. They were also so dedicated the whole night and worked amazingly as a team,” they shared.

As a professional graphic designer herself, Victoria designed all of the signs – from the place numbers, invitations and all the other paper pieces. “We also wrote handwritten notes to all our guests that were at the tables waiting in an envelope attached to their place card.”

As another fun treat for guests, Victoria and Marlon hired live illustrator Angharad to capture guests in her art style! “She stayed past her scheduled time to finish all her requests!”

The top five things that made this green garden-inspired wedding so unique to Victoria and Marlon included:

“1. Making it as stress-less as possible; if we didn’t want to do something (e.g. first dance, public cake cutting), we just didn’t do it.

2. Us both getting ready for the day surrounded by close friends and family.

3. Our dog couldn’t be there (he’s too anxious), so we had a little model dog on our cake that looked like him.

4. Having a moment after the cake cutting to eat cake together alone

5. One of my friends baked me a chocolate chip cookie that she brought from Brisbane in her purse and gave to me to eat at the wedding!”

Congratulations, Victoria and Marlon, on your beautiful wedding – we’re so excited to share this one! Thanks to Packing Light Photography for sharing both of these stories with us.