Real Wedding – Alix & Tim, Fitzroy VIC
Alix and Tim chose the gorgeous grounds of the Fitzroy Gardens to say their I-do’s, followed by a beautiful celebration true to their own style.
With a city vibe, oozing elegance and romance, their big day was all about hosting a great party, with great food with a sophisticated vibe. They allowed the glamorous greenery do the talking in their reception space which didn’t require any additional styling and when they hit the dance-floor , they danced til they almost dropped.
They trusted their Tribe to bring the talent and boy did they bring it, including fabulous photographer Briars Atlas.
In their words…
The meeting.
We met on the first day of University, but were friends for three years before we ended up together.
The proposal.
It was very sweet, after making up a story to cover for going to my parents to ask their blessing, Tim made a delicious three-course Sunday lunch including a roast duck at home. I started doing a duck impression when he asked me to please be quiet because he had something important to ask. Then he popped the big question and we were both so excited we barely touched our food before calling everyone!
The process.
We wanted to stay in the city, and have a garden ceremony, but weren’t sure on the exact location. We went for a big walk one day into the Fitzroy Gardens and came across an epic tree and decided that would be the spot.
For the reception we wanted somewhere that would hold a great party, serve great food and have a sophisticated but romantic vibe, and Rupert on Rupert ticked all those boxes, plus the team there was awesome to work with. We loved all the greenery and indoor plants, and that the venue was a beautiful space already which didn’t need any additional styling/decorations.
Style inspiration.
We didn’t have a set theme but made sure that each decision for vendors/clothes and decorations felt like it represented us. We didn’t want to get carried away with what we thought a wedding should look like, but chose everything because we loved it.
We loved making our invitations, which included little illustrations by Alix of important parts of our life as a couple. Getting 3D scans of ourselves for our cake toppers was really fun, we had to dress in semi-bridal attire and go into to Officeworks at 9am on a Sunday which was a real experience.
The dress.
I went shopping for one day with my mum and bridesmaids, I thought I knew what I wanted but the style I was thinking of did not suit me at all! The assistants in the stores had a much better idea about what would work.
I thought I wanted a really minimalist style with no beading or lace, maybe short, or a jumpsuit, but in the end I chose a Rachel Gilbert dress that is almost entirely sequins!
Favourite moments.
Too many to choose one! The speeches were amazing. We had a lot of them, (12!!?!?) but the speakers were really incredible, I think our hearts almost burst by the time they were done.
I think my favourite moment was the first dance. We were a bit awkward about being the centre of attention during the dance, but after one chorus, everyone came in paired off and slow danced together, it was really packed, and everyone was swaying like sea anemones. It was so romantic! I don’t think we’ve ever been in a mass slow dance before.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle song: Your arms around me by Jens Lekman
Recessional song: Divine by Sebastien Tellier
First dance: Fistful of Love by Antony and the Johnsons
Funny stories (or near disasters).
We both have very similar taste so making decisions was very natural and we booked our main vendors in quickly. Three weeks out from the wedding however we found out that our celebrant had let their license lapse, and could no longer legally conduct our ceremony. Luckily our family friend Sarah is a celebrant and she was able to step in and be there on the day. It ended up being perfect however, as we had a familiar face standing next to us who knew us both so well.
Meaning of marriage.
We wanted the wedding to be a chance to stand up in front of our friends and family and let them know how much we love each other.
Marriage to us means being there for each other at all times, to celebrate our differences and see the world together.
Funny stories (or near disasters).
We forgot the key to our Airbnb on the wedding night! We also didn’t have the key to our home. Tim’s poor Dad had to do a 1am run to get it for us, which we are very grateful for because we would have been homeless otherwise.
Words of wisdom.
Enjoy it! It’s meant to be fun. Also outsource as much as you can so you can concentrate on the fun stuff.
All about a city vibe? Check out Ross and Lauren’s romantic and rain-filled celebration.
ALIX & TIM’S TRIBE
Ceremony venue: Fitzroy Gardens
Reception venue: Rupert on Rupert, Collingwood – The team at Rupert on Rupert were incredible and so much fun.
Photographer: Briars Atlas – Briars Atlas was amazing, the photos really capture our memories of the day. We couldn’t be happier with them!
Celebrant: Family friend, Sarah Scott – Sarah our celebrant stepped in with very short notice and was absolutely perfect.
Florist: Alix made the bouquets with her Aunty and Mum
Hair: LVRS Hair Salon – My hairdressers Meika and Jaimie at LVRS kindly let the bridal party and makeup artist takeover their salon for the morning of the big day, and they created such a relaxed but fun ambience.
Make-up: Marie Douros Make Up Artist
The dress: Rachel Gilbert
Shoes: Custom shoes from Shoes of Prey
Accessories: Mimco earrings
Rings: Lucy Folk
Bridesmaid dresses: The girls chose them themselves – Shona Joy, Reformation, and Grace and Hart
Menswear: P Johnson Tailors
Groom’s shoes: Crockett and Jones
Flower girl outfits: Cyrillus, Switzerland
Stationery: Tim and Alix
Catering: Rupert on Rupert, Collingwood
Cake: Four cakes from Beatrix in North Melbourne – Red Velvet, Pistachio Cream, Flourless Cocoa Torte and Coconut Shag.
Cake topper: We got 3D scanned at Officeworks and then used 3D printers to make lifelike miniatures of ourselves.
Decorative elements: Our ceremony was under a big beautiful tree in the Fitzroy Gardens so we kept decorations minimal – we modified some big round mirrors with lasercut letters spelling our name and Alix’s illustration of her engagement ring.
Lighting / sound hire: BHSS
Entertainment: DJ friend, Ashley Mortimer
