Real Wedding – Kelly & Luke, Geelong VIC
After a comical yet sentimental proposal, Kelly and Luke tied the knot at a simple and stylish ceremony in Geelong’s Botanical Gardens. A fabulous celebration followed at Zigfrids where Alice, from Say It With Flowers, added a beautiful, botanical touch to the venue. Dressed in a gorgeous rose gold gown, Kelly danced the night away with her new hubby Luke, opting for more of an epic dance off, as opposed to a traditional first dance! All the fun was snapped by photographer, Eric Ronald.
In Kelly’s words…
The meeting.
We met at Spleen Bar in Melbourne at a mutual friend’s resignation party in March, 2008. Our friend had told us both that we needed to meet each other. Neither of us thought much of it, as it was a bit like a setup, but when we met we clicked straight away. We haven’t really been apart since then! I also must mention that on this particular night, Luke had lost a bet with his housemates and had an arrow shaved into his belly hair which was quite funny! (Luke referenced this in his proposal years later.)
The ‘one’.
Probably when we first said “I love you” in my share house in Fitzroy, but looking back it was really from day one, as our relationship happened very naturally and easy, and I don’t think there was ever any doubt in either of our minds.
The proposal.
We were out for an early dinner at Mrs Hyde before a show at Geelong Performing Arts Center. While we were enjoying drinks in the late afternoon sunshine, I said to Luke “I love hanging out with you.” We were running a little late for the show but Luke insisted that we walk through Johnston Park and look at the trees, and I said “OK, but let’s make it quick”. So, in the middle of the park Luke said, “You know how you said you love hanging out with me? How would you like to spend the rest of your life with me?” and then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes, then he pulled up his shirt to reveal a ‘ring’ that he had shaved into his belly hair, obviously referring back to the night we met! He also produced a wearable ring, which was a purple rubber eyeball ring that he bought for 20 cents from our young neighbour. I wore that ring for a couple of days until it broke. We agreed not to bother with a proper engagement ring and would just get wedding rings.
The planning.
Someone gave us the advice to book in the venue, photographer and celebrant early, because these book out quite quickly. We ended up choosing our wedding date based on our photographer’s availability, and then chose the venues and managed to find an available celebrant after that. The rest of the decisions about the day happened based on availability on that date and local proximity, etc.
Style inspiration.
We wanted a laid back, informal and relaxed wedding, which was to be more of a party than anything else. We looked for venues where we could envisage that working. Ideally we would liked to have had the ceremony and reception at the one venue but we couldn’t find the perfect place. Once we had decided on the gardens for the ceremony and Zigfrids for the reception, we then had more of an idea of the vibe of the day and the decisions on the rest of the elements flowed from there. We didn’t worry too much about a certain style or theme, we just chose things that we liked, that worked with the style of the locations and the colours of our outfits. Our florist and bridesmaid, Alice, did an amazing job with the flowers; the colours and style of the flowers at the ceremony and reception really brought everything together.
The dress.
I initially thought I would wear a much more casual dress, like something knee or tea length. I knew I didn’t want to spend a lot on it so I wasn’t really looking in bridal stores. My mum, my bridesmaids and I went shopping in Melbourne, looking in formal wear stores and Myer, where I tried on a few full length evening dresses that weren’t quite right, but made me want a full length dress. I then searched further online and found White Runway in Prahran, which had quite a few affordable options, so I booked an appointment to try some dresses on. I had spied the sequined dress on their website along with some others. The assistant was really helpful and suggested quite a few dresses which we narrowed down to the same dress in silver or rose gold. In the end, it was my bridesmaid Alice that helped me make the decision to go for the rose gold dress, as she said “It looks like you’re glowing!” My other bridesmaid Zoë added “Your bum looks amazing!” Sold!
Favourite moment.
Our favourite moment was when we read our vows at the ceremony. We wrote our own individual vows and made them heartfelt, honest and humorous, which is reflective of us and our relationship. Luke and I both felt like it was only us there at that moment.
Traditions.
We didn’t have any traditions as such but we did have our good friend Adam do a reading, which was nice. He chose to read the lyrics to The Luckiest by Ben Folds which is one of our favourite songs.
The meaning of marriage.
It means sharing a life, supporting each other through good and bad times, and being proud to have this person by your side.
Wedding soundtrack.
Pre-ceremony – To Know Him is To Love Him by Amy Winehouse; Compass by Jamie Lidell; Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Aisle – Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
Unplanned major dance (it wasn’t the first of the evening, but definitely most memorable), Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
Funny stories/ near disasters?
I think our dance to Uptown Funk at the reception was pretty funny, as it was completely unplanned and it was almost like a dance off rather than a dance together! Luke absolutely nailed these amazing moves which my uncle Frankie has not stopped talking about it and always asks us to recreate it (not that either of us can even remember how we danced at the time!).
Planning suprises.
I didn’t expect the amount of stress, to be honest. A friend warned me about the stress and now it all makes sense! I thought I would be totally relaxed about it all but I definitely had some bridezilla days, a meltdown or two, and then post wedding blues. It is a big project that you work on for a long time, you want to make sure everything is right, and then it is over in one day, you can’t possibly remember it all and you wonder why you worried so much.
Words of wisdom.
Focus on the things that are important to you on your day, don’t worry about little things or other people’s expectations. There are no rules. Take care of each other throughout the process and accept help when you can. Take the time to enjoy your wedding day as it will be over in a flash!
KELLY AND LUKES TRIBE
Ceremony venue / location: Geelong Botanical Gardens
Reception venue / location: Zigfrids Dining Hall and Bar. Donna at Zigfrids was really helpful and enthusiastic about planning our function and the food and service on the day was amazing.
Celebrant/Officiant: Jess Kerr
Photography: Eric Ronald. We are so fortunate to have such stunning artistic photos of our day and Eric is a legend.
Videography: Weekend Films. Our wedding footage is very special to us and Julia & Matt did an amazing job. We are so pleased with the quality, editing and attention to detail.
Styling and Hire: Peppa & Peach. Shannon was a huge help to us in setup and hire and provided a fantastic service.
Florist: Alice Guest at Say It With Flowers. Alice created beautiful and stylish bouquets, corsages and buttonholes and uniquely fabulous displays for the reception, highly recommended.
Hair and Make Up: Berdi and High Glam Beauty
The Dress: White Runway
Veil / head wear: Mimco hair comb
Jewellery/Accessories: Jolie & Deen earrings
Shoes: Siren
Rings: Annie Broadway. Annie was so patient and understanding during the process of making our custom rings and we love them.
Bridesmaids dresses: Review
Grooms suit: Roger David
Grooms Shoes: Hype DC
Bow ties / ties: The Tie Bar
Catering: Zigfrids Dining Hall and Bar, with beer supplied by the magnificent Forrest Brewing Company.
Cake / Cake topper: Cupcakes were made by my talented cousin Jacqui Robins. The cake topper was bought by my mum long before we were engaged, and I added red curly woollen hair to it.
Stationery / Signage: Invitations and guest book were designed by myself using a portrait of us drawn by a young girl we met on holiday in Vietnam. Printed by Fleetwood Print Group.
Entertainment: DJ from Geelong Entertainment Services
Honeymoon: Planned by ourselves – Portland Oregon, New York and New Orleans, USA
