Australian French Fusion Wedding in Melbourne

Before Darebin Parklands became the setting for Emily and Albin’s wedding ceremony, it was where they walked through lockdown together. They’d only been a couple for two months when Melbourne shut down, and those daily walks quickly became a much-loved part of their lives. So when it came time to choose where they’d get married, the answer was already right there. Their celebration began beneath the trees before moving to Rupert on Rupert for dinner, speeches in English and French, and, most importantly, a very busy dance floor.

And then there was Leo Farrell, their photographer, who Emily says made two people who aren’t exactly natural in front of a camera feel completely at ease. His photographs caught every tear, every bout of laughter, all the quiet glances and dance-floor chaos without ever making the day feel staged exactly what Emily and Albin had hoped for!

Set up by their friends who met by chance on a plane, Albin and Emily have Sarah, Coline and Angela to thank! From December 2nd 2019 to the 11th, Emily had no idea her friends were conspiring to set her up with the attractive Frenchman waiting back in Melbourne. “We all met at Arbory Afloat for drinks. Albin and I were – not so subtly – introduced to each other by Angela, and talked for the rest of the night. The rest is history. Now married five years later. Angela’s speech at the wedding was a poem about how we met. It was beautiful to hear.”

After Albin organised a weekend away in the Great Otway National Park, Emily was suspicious. That suspicion only grew the closer they hiked to Platypus Beach on Lake Elizabeth, and Albin became quieter and quieter. “Once we reached Platypus Beach, Albin proposed with a ring he’d designed himself!” she explained.

Albin worked with Oscar Hunt to tailor-make his wedding suit, in his favourite signature colour: a deep green.

His wedding party was made up of his brother Hugo and his best friend Geoffrey. Both were wearing hired suits that the couple paid for and let them pick out themselves. It just so happened that they both picked out beautiful blue tones in different styles.

Emily’s wedding party included her best friends Dana and Lauren, who she’s known since they were all 12 years old! Each wore a stunning blue dress they picked out themselves, in a light and dark colourway.

For her own look, Emily found an incredible off-the-rack Anna Campbell piece, with delicate floral appliqués. Made all the more perfect with subtle alterations done by Hanh from Artistic Styling. She finished off her look with a borrowed veil and gorgeous shoes from Bared Footwear. “I’d been following Anna Campbell’s designs for over ten years and always dreamed of wearing one of her dresses. I’d been to two other bridal stores with my mum and friends and found a dress I liked at each, but I wasn’t fully convinced by either,” Emily explained.

“I couldn’t resist going to Anna Campbell, even though I knew most of the dresses would be out of my budget – I knew I’d regret not going. I took my mother with me to try dresses on and fell in love with most of the new collection, but fell hardest for the one off the rack that, amazingly, was also within budget. It took me a little time to decide it was the dress for me and go back to buy it, as I was overwhelmed by choice and stuck in decision paralysis by that stage. I’m so glad I chose it: I fell even more in love with it on the day. I did have a second dress ready for dancing later in the evening, but I loved the wedding dress so much I didn’t want to take it off, and stayed in it for the whole night.”

Their park ceremony was in the beautiful Darebin Parklands, as they walked here nearly every day during lockdowns to get to know each other more. “Albin moved in with me in February 2020, after being together for two months, which happened to be the month before the lockdowns began, so our relationship was thrown in the deep end early on. If anything, it accelerated things, and we grew very close, very quickly. Our walks in the park were the highlight of our days and helped us get through that tough time. The park itself makes you feel like you’re in the countryside: it doesn’t feel like the middle of a large city. We love the sound of the river running through it and the birdsong, especially the kookaburras, which are one of my favourite birds.”

With her parents on either arm, Emily walked through the park and into their ceremony. “My parents have been married for 54 years, and Albin and I first met on their 48th wedding anniversary. I’m the youngest of their six children,” Emily shared.

“Our acoustic guitarist, Dhiv, who I used to go to uni with, sang “To Love Somebody” (Bee Gees version) as we walked down the aisle, and “Lovely Day” (Bill Withers version) as we exited. We were thrilled to have Dhiv sing at our wedding; he made the early stages of the reception so special too!”

Their ceremony was officiated by a family friend who had also worked on Emily’s sister’s wedding, and lasted less than 30 minutes – very important in Melbourne’s summer. “Albin and I each wrote our own vows, and said them first in English, then in French. My French is a bit rough, so reading my vows aloud in another language, in front of everyone, was nerve-wracking – I was glad I went first.”

The most special detail from their ceremony? The wedding bands that Emily and Albin made for each other! “This felt really special and very meaningful and was another beautiful thing we enjoyed doing together before our wedding.”

While both Albin and Emily love looking at photos, they don’t necessarily love having their photos taken. That’s why finding a photographer who would make them feel super comfortable was their top priority when the search started. “We’re so grateful my best friend recommended Leo Farrell – a documentary photographer.

From the very beginning, Leo was calm, organised and genuinely invested in making sure our day was well documented and flowed beautifully. On the day itself, he made us feel completely comfortable and relaxed, which is saying a lot, since neither of us is particularly natural in front of a camera. He blended in so effortlessly while still capturing every important moment,” Emily explained.

“When we received our photos, we were absolutely blown away. Leo captured so many beautiful moments; the big emotions, the quiet in-between glances, the laughter, the energy of the dance floor, everything. What we especially love is how he captured so many little details in every photo without anything feeling busy or overwhelming. The images feel full and rich, yet still natural and effortless. We were also so surprised (and grateful) at how quickly he sent them through. Being able to relive our entire day so soon after was incredibly special. Looking through them truly feels like stepping back into the day all over again.”

The five things that truly made Emily and Albin’s fusion wedding so special were:

“1. Having all our nearest and dearest there to celebrate with us: especially that Albin’s family made it all the way from France.

2. Our incredible photographer and having the beautiful photos to remember it all by.

3. Beautiful, meaningful locations.

4. The family and friends involved in so many different aspects of the day

5. Getting ready at Emily’s parents’ house where her family grew up.”

Rupert on Rupert in Collingwood was the spot for this reception, with their long communal dining tables perfect for the lively conversation over the delicious dinner. “We found this venue after our friends Sarah, Cyril and Spencer suggested we look at it. We went to one of their menu tasting nights and fell in love; the chic warehouse vibe, the plants, the delicious food. Good food was important to us. We’d considered a more DIY-style wedding, but soon realised how much extra work that would involve logistically – work neither of us had the capacity for, as I was completing my Graduate Diploma in Midwifery and Albin was taking on more of my day-to-day responsibilities so I could focus on the course. Having a venue that could organise and manage it all for us was a huge relief, and we knew our day would be far more relaxed and enjoyable without having to worry about the details ourselves,” Emily shared.

“Katie and Mali from Rupert on Rupert were an absolute dream to work with. They helped us every step of the way, with great advice, tips and suggestions throughout. They really know how to plan a good reception, including making sure we had ten minutes to ourselves. They went above and beyond and made it all seem effortless.”

As an industrial designer with some graphic design experience under his belt, Albin undertook a massive DIY task of designing the invitations, menus and the wedding website with a fusion of influences to represent them both. “He used a kookaburra, gum nuts and eucalyptus leaves to represent me and Australia, and his own favourite bird, the crane, alongside the Genepi flower and plant (both found in Savoie, France) to represent himself and France. The invitations were designed by Albin and made and embossed by Cocorico Letterpress, a small business in France that uses old embossing machines to press the design into each one.”

Four of their friends came together to create all of these beautiful flowers for Albin and Emily! “The main overseer was my friend Cyril, who used to work at his family’s flower business at the market in France and has since returned to it. Our other friends, Sarah, Spencer, and Ben, helped Cyril put it all together. My brief was “fun and colourful,” and they far exceeded my expectations. I really love what they did, and it made the day extra special – I almost wasn’t going to have flowers beyond my bouquet, but they went above and beyond for me.”

Having all of their friends and family in one place celebrating together had to be the best part of the whole wedding for Emily and Albin. “It was all very nice; the day was packed with positive emotions, tears, everything coming together after months of preparation in the best possible way. We knew it wasn’t going to be perfect, and we embraced it as it went. Our favourite part was watching everyone enjoy dinner together at Rupert on Rupert. And then the dancing!”

Over dinner, guests were treated to a variety of speeches, in both English and French! “Albin also loved hearing all the speeches from His mum, brother, best friend, Angie, Dana, Emily’s mum, dad, and brother. It was so heartwarming to hear their stories of us.”

The advice Emily and Albin want to share with you was actually shared with them first, so here’s a golden nugget passed from couple to couple: “Make sure you take a little time out during the day just for the two of you, to breathe and really be present, and appreciate the significance of the day. For us, that happened during the walk with Leo around the park for photos – it didn’t feel like a photoshoot; it felt like we could just be ourselves, with the space to take it all in and slow down for a minute. It was exactly what we needed,” Emily shared.

“Our other piece of advice: stay close to each other during the reception, as it’s easy to get separated – make a conscious effort to greet guests together.”

Emily’s sister, Katie, is a pâtissière, so there was no better expert to make their wedding cake than her! It was a beautiful lemon chiffon cake with lemon mascarpone mousse and curd. “She’s made cakes for all my special birthdays and occasions over the years, so it was extra special to have her make our wedding cake too.”

Their first dance was to “A Donde Vas” by Alfredo Linares, with a choreographed routine courtesy of Steph from Secret Garden of Dance. “We weren’t even sure we’d do a first dance at all, as Albin really doesn’t enjoy the spotlight – but we wanted to learn something together and spend some quality time in the lead-up to the wedding. Steph choreographed the perfect routine for us, one that felt natural and comfortable, and somehow gave us the confidence to perform it on the night. The lessons also gave us beautiful time to connect during a very busy lead-up to the wedding. We couldn’t recommend Steph and Secret Garden of Dance more highly!”

The main thing Emily and Albin wanted for their ceremony was a bumping dance floor and for their guests to finish the night dancing with them. And with DJ James from Little Wolf, they had just that! “Having a DJ was the best way to make that happen; he played all the right songs to keep us on the dance floor.”