"Love is beyond either condition: without spring, without autumn, it is always fresh." Rumi
To all our newly engaged couples. Congratulations! Be yourselves and create a wedding that truly reflects who you are together. We hope we inspire you and introduce you to the wonderful world of weddings.
28 January 2017
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, MELBOURNE, VIC
Photography by Kate Collingwood Photography & Blossom Daisy Creative
Styling by Georgeous
“Charlie had planned to propose during our overseas holiday but he was nervous about transporting the ring. I had also insisted we take one suitcase between us! Instead, Charlie proposed the night before we left. He picked me up from work and when we arrived home, our dog Wally was waiting by the door with a ring around his collar. Charlie got down on one knee beside him and proposed.”
With help from Amelia’s mum, within 48 hours of the proposal Amelia and Charlie had locked in their church for the ceremony, the Royal Botanic Gardens for the reception and their wedding planner Georgie Kay of Georgeous Weddings. “Charlie and I decided we wanted our wedding to be outside where we could celebrate both of our backgrounds. Charlie’s family is from the country so we wanted to bring the city landscape and the outdoors together.” Royal Botanic Gardens in the heart of Melbourne was the ideal venue for the couple’s vision.
“Our wedding cake was a traditional fruit cake with marzipan and icing which my mum and Charlie chose. The cake was made by my mum Karin, my aunty Lisa and myself. My sister was overseas but helped with assembly and ribbon selection when she arrived. Charlie was also a valuable taste tester! My mum chose the recipe by Stephanie Alexander and when we needed help with the icing we found a great tutorial online. The cake was served as part of the selection of treats for dessert.”
The wedding day was also Amelia’s twin brothers’ birthdays. “Tom and Piers were our MCs and we surprised them with cupcakes and candles before the formalities commenced.”
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“Our wedding planner Georgie was fantastic at translating our thoughts into contemporary and beautiful styling that represented us and was meaningful to our families. From the marquee design to the small details such as monogrammed coasters it was more than we could have imagined.”
Amelia and Charlie had custom lighting which featured large light shades of navy and green tartan on the outside and gold fabric on the inside. They were installed above the bridal table and were a surprise for Charlie’s family as a representation of their family tartan. In keeping with the colour scheme of shades of blue, gold and cream, the overall style featured bold navy accents and cream draping covered the ceiling. “We also had a flower wall of hydrangeas that spanned the width of the marquee.” Hydrangeas were the dominant flower of choice and brought the beauty of outdoors inside at both the wedding reception and at the ceremony. “It was a luxurious garden party.”
Amelia and Charlie’s reception marquee had a warm and inviting atmosphere with candles in a variety of crystal and gold lined glass holders and an abundance of flowers.
“Outdoor seating included a separate bar with high tables and bentwood stools, festoon lighting and blue velvet couches with cream coloured footstools. The marquee was positioned beside the lake and we watched the sun set over the gardens.”
OUR ADVICE | “There will be moments during the planning process that worry you, like getting the invitations out on time and the seating plan may be a topic of discussion for weeks but ultimately all of these concerns melt away on the day because what matters most is celebrating with your loved ones.
Create a timeline and checklist of dates you need items completed by. Having one master Excel list for your guest list, addresses and seating arrangements is also really helpful.”
MUSIC | “Music is very important to Charlie and we wanted it to be a major part of the day. Charlie worked with Rutherford Entertainment to choose the song list and we had acoustic guitarists at the ceremony and the reception drinks, followed by a DJ and saxophonist for the evening.”
Marini and Nicholas's dog surprised the newlyweds after the ceremony. "Our dog Oscar was brought to the church after our ceremony. He was wearing a bow tie!"
ALL LAUGHS | “We wanted our wedding to be relaxed and fun. We have the most wonderful memories. We still laugh about high-fiving each other at the altar after our vows. We also had a guest fall into the lake! Thinking the duckweed was grass he accidentally stepped right into the water! Thankfully he wasn’t hurt and had to wade through the duck weed to climb back out.”
SOMETHING BLUE | “Charlie wore his grandfather’s cufflinks and I wore my mum’s 18th birthday string of pearls with sapphire clasp that matched my engagement ring.” In keeping with the theme, Amelia’s bridesmaids wore navy lace dresses with jewelled belts and gold heels. Custom bowties and silk pocket squares were bought for the groomsmen featuring a navy, green and gold pattern. “They were bought by my mum during a trip to London from the Queen’s fabric supplier.” Amelia wore Watters’ ‘Catherine’ gown in ivory. A modern and sophisticated take on romance it features a sweetheart neckline with lace bodice finished with a satin ribbon at the waist and soft netting skirt.
gown: Watters, watters.com
shoes: Miu Miu
ceremony location: Swedish Church, Toorak
reception venue: The Royal Botanic Gardens, South Yarra, rbg.vic.gov.au
cater: Blakes Feasts, blakesfeast.com.au
planner, stylist & reception decorations: Gorgeous, georgeous.com.au
flowers & floral decorations: Celia Fox, ceciliafox.com.au
stationery: The Little Press, thelittlepress.net
groom & groomsmen: Melbourne Formal Hire formalwearofmelbourne.com.au
bridesmaids: Review, review-australia.com
music: Rutherford Entertainment rutherfordentertainment.com.au
videographer: Moon and Back moonandback.co
hair & make-up: Mr Spry mrspry.com.au
gift registry: Fenton and Fenton fentonandfenton.com.au
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