Real Wedding – Emily & Matthew, Melbourne VIC
Emily and Matt set out with a clear vision in mind of how they wanted their wedding to look and feel. With a focus on weaving in their love of jazz music whilst emulating the look of jazz bars in New York, they settled on creating their theme of ‘cool, party jazz vibes’. They enlisted the help of Kath from Bow Creative, and with her expertise, everything they envisioned came to fruition seamlessly.
With their ceremony and reception spread across two venues, Emily and Matt had thought of every little detail to create a wonderful celebration to be enjoyed by all their friends and family. From organising a marching brass band to escort the guests from one location to the next to beautiful handwritten notes on bread plates for guests, everything was a reflection of them and their love to a tee, with Maegan Brown Moments and Artistic Films capturing it all exquisitely.
The meeting.
We matched on Bumble of all places, in May 2019, right before Em went away on a six-week euro girls vacation. I was so sure he would have forgotten about me by the time I got back, but instead, being European himself, he sent me travel tips along the way, and we kept in touch. Finally, six weeks later, we had our first date at Milk the Cow in Carlton, and within another six weeks, we knew it was the real deal!
The ‘one’.
Em – I am quite particular and like things clean and organised. Matt came over to cook me dinner after work before we moved in together and I found some insects in the back of my pantry that had gotten into all my dry goods. I know it wasn’t the appropriate time but I just couldn’t continue with the dinner date knowing there were insects crawling around my pantry! So Matt kept the dinner he had cooked warm on the stove and helped me clean out my entire pantry. The whole time I thought to myself – any other guy would have left – but not Matt. An hour and a half later we sat down to dinner and I knew he was a keeper!
Matt – I knew I wanted to marry Em when we came home after dinner and drinks and Em was wearing a floaty dress and she was dancing and singing to herself in the living room, looking so carefree and happy. I knew I just wanted to keep coming home and dancing together.
The proposal.
Our wedding planning and proposal story actually happened a bit in reverse! Matt worked in the wedding industry himself for a bit and had noticed post covid that all the great venues and vendors were booking up. So he came home one day and said to Em “Hey I think you should start looking at wedding venues”. I was so shocked I actually asked… “For who?!” We started looking at venues for over 12 months until we finally found our dream venue combo in the Melbourne Town Hall Portico Balcony (Epicure Events) for the ceremony and Melbourne State Library Ian Potter Queens Hall (Showtime Events) for the reception. We booked it in Jan, but Matt promised to give Em a proper proposal story so three months later he surprised her with a private boat cruise down the Yarra and popped the question with her grandmother’s ring outside the botanical gardens.
Planning process.
As mentioned above, Matt worked in the industry and had seen how booked up major venues and vendors were getting. So we started the search for our dream venue. Having family from all over the East Coast and the UK, we decided we wanted a Melbourne wedding centrally located to make it easier for out-of-town guests.
The planning process was not easy, though! I was working three jobs and completing my Masters whilst trying to plan an epic wedding. Thankfully I got the amazing Kath from Bow Creative on board early on to help refine my many, MANY pinterest boards into one epic streamlined vision of ‘Cool Jazz Party Vibes!’
We also had the stress of our wedding being one of the last of eight weddings we were attending in the 18 months prior. Whilst it was good initially to see other ideas, it did become stressful trying to make our wedding unique as we didn’t want our guests to be “all wedding’d out” by the time ours came around. However, we stuck to our guns and designed a wedding that was epically us, even though it was against tradition (got ready together, first look, no cake, surprise venue change, stayed with our bridal party), and it did not disappoint!
One thing we did was decide what our absolute non-negotiables – for Matt, an audio director, and Em, who loves to dance, our band and music selection was our big splurge and one of our earliest bookings after our venue. And boy, was it worth it – from the acoustic duo during the ceremony (Hey Jack), to the marching band up Swanston Street (Beat the Heat) to escort the guests from the Town Hall to the Library, and the eight-piece jazz band for the reception followed by DJ and Sax for the night owls (Like This Entertainment) – our guests are still raving about how the music and dancing was the best they have ever experienced!
One thing that did not go to plan was my wedding dress – I succumbed to pressure by a pushy salesperson to purchase a dress, which was nothing like what I had pictured because my Mum had flown from interstate for the appointment. The dress wasn’t in my size trying it on, and when it did arrive, it looked completely different! One thing they don’t tell you is that in most bridal designs, the dress pattern changes after you go above a size 12, which can drastically affect the look of the dress. After many tears, it was my hubby-to-be who encouraged me to go shopping on my own to find another dress. I found my dream wedding dress in Moonstruck Bride Fitzroy – all the slightly non-traditional, unique dresses of my dreams! Then I had the opposite problem of too many choices!
Style inspiration.
We knew straight away we were not the romantic, pastel and soft lace type of people. I love the glitz and glam of a sequin top (even on a Thursday!), and Matt also loves to dabble in coloured/patterned suits, so we started with our dress code to set the scene – Red Carpet Met Gala (Black Tie). Having a dress code and an image of what our guests and bridal party would look like then helped guide us in the style and venue choice for the wedding. Matt and I both love jazz – the moody, dark velvet jazz bars vibe – and even our couch at home is green velvet! Mixed with the industrial brick lanes of Melbourne and my favourite nighttime city – New York.
We were instantly drawn to Kath from Bow Creative for her moody style vibes and liberal use of black for weddings! Even our invitations were black! And the State Library provided the perfect Met Gala-worthy backdrop – which contrasted fabulously with the black tablecloths, neon lights and disco balls! Once we stumbled across Maegan Brown’s work (photographer), and saw that she had worked with Kath many times before, we knew we had found our dream team – Kath to execute the vision, and Maegan to capture it all!
Overall, I knew I wanted an epic party that was still special enough for a wedding, without the frills and lace!
One of the reasons our stylist Kath and I worked so well was because we both drew inspiration from non-wedding specific sources. A lot of inspiration came from furniture and architecture I loved or art and photography that captured the essence or vibe we were hoping to create. Whilst it is great to use inspiration from stylised shoots, real weddings may be more realistic with what is achievable in the time/budget allocated. But even then, proceed with caution – the Instagram algorithm can be a beast – taking you down a rabbit hole of bigger (and therefore more expensive) wedding inspo. I stuck to following only a few blogs/Instagram profiles in the early planning phases that showcased real weddings (such as Ivory Tribe!) to find my potential vendors. Then once I had locked in a vendor, I tried not to become overwhelmed by constant inspiration and unfollowed other related vendors.
It’s always helpful to remember that photographs only show a part of the story – no one is posting photos of the toilets, or the difficult back stair entry or the poor audiovisual specs – I read reviews on Google or other wedding websites and always asked for galleries or examples of real weddings ideally within my similar budget. That way, I knew my chosen vendor could also make my wedding look fabulous within my budget, not just an unlimited one.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony took place on the Portico Balcony of the Town Hall. I love that I walk past that building most weeks and can look up at the balcony from the street and picture us back there that day. We also loved the idea of providing an iconic Melbourne venue for all of our out-of-town guests.
Other special touches included having our dog Pickles greet the guests at the steps of the Town Hall and walk down the aisle with us. She certainly knows how to pose for the camera, too! We also had both our Mums be our witnesses, so they had a special part of the day.
Our celebrant, Benn, provided us with the most heartfelt and genuine ceremony, paying tribute to one of our dear friends – Matt’s groomsman who sadly passed three weeks prior to our wedding. Benn was so supportive during the lead-up and listened to all our questions and concerns. We didn’t find out until the day that he had actually married one of Matt’s Groomsmen during lockdown and one of Em’s friends who eloped, which made it extra special! We also had a family friend of Emily, who is a Minister, give a reading and a blessing.
The look.
Matt – I knew I wanted a velvet jacket from the get-go go and I also wanted to stand out – no black! I really wanted red as my team is Manchester United; however, my mother-in-law at the time pointed out that I looked a bit like an usher at the theatre. I had a lot of friends use Oscar Hunt, and they were recommended by our stylist, so I headed in (with Em to guide me of course!) and found the perfect dark green velvet for my jacket. I paired it with traditional black tux pants and a pleated tux shirt. I polished the look off with black velvet loafers from Aquilla and my lovely wife Em gifted me a golf Tissot watch and cufflinks on the day. Instead of a boutonniere, I chose to wear a gold bumblebee lapel brooch from Calibre, which belonged to my groomsman, who sadly passed away prior to our special day. We bought matching black Bee lapel brooches for the remaining groomsmen.
Em – Wedding dresses and I do not get along. I was dreading the day, being a size 14D and only 5’1. Everything that could have gone wrong almost did. From finding the one, only to having your mum and bride squad find it “meh”, to giving up after months of searching and being talked into buying a very expensive dress that totally was not me. I found my saving grace at Moonstruck Bride in Fitzroy, the place to be for any bride who wants something a bit different to completely non-traditional. I sat somewhere in between.
The owners Amelia and Martine could not have been more helpful. It was the first time I had really felt comfortable and heard trying on bridal gowns, and not like they were trying to rush you out. I was able to take photos, come back with a friend, and even come back and try on the sample with my potential shoe/veil options until my dress arrived. Wanting a bit more coverage for the ceremony, the girls at Moonstruck advised me to order some extra fabric, which their recommended seamstress made into a beautiful removable one-shoulder topper to give my dress two looks! I paired it with a dream splurge – Jimmy Choos (who can resist 50% off!) and a Forever New glow mesh bag that matched my bridesmaids. Matt bought me a Swarovski bracelet, and I topped it off with statement earrings from Narvi.
I knew I wouldn’t last in a corset dress all day and wanted to dance the night away comfortably. I fell in love with a sequined topper from Anna Campbell. As much as I would have loved the matching skirt, the budget had been breached already, having to replace mistake dress number one! I had attempted to have a skirt made, but that turned out to be a disaster – ten days before my wedding, and it hadn’t been finished! This led to a panic purchase of every possible ivory satin slip skirt I could get my hands on. I ended up wearing one from The Iconic that I took to a tailor two days before my wedding to add a thigh-high split. In the end, it was perfect! And I love that I can wear it again.
Favourite moments.
Surprising all our guests with a venue change and marching brass band (Beat the Heat) to escort them up Swanston Street. Everyone was dancing and having a great time. My Mum had tied ribbons on 50 tambourines which my bridesmaids handed out to guests as they exited the town hall – we all had so much fun, it was the perfect way to ramp up from the ceremony to the reception.
If I can choose a second, it would be having a first look. We loved that we woke up together with our bridal party and got ready together on the day. It helped settle nerves as well as enabled us to have some quiet time together before being pulled in a million different directions as you do as the couple of the hour!
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage, to us, is a lifelong commitment to support and be there for one another. Matt and I truly see ourselves as a team, and a partnership – a problem shared is a problem halved in how we go about our day-to-day lives. However, we still fully support each other’s independent hobbies, interests and friends. That’s what makes time spent together even more special, if our cups are full by pursuing our own passions (whether that be playing futsal with mates for Matt, or taking pottery classes with girlfriends for Em) we are going to be able to devote more energy and time to one another.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Hold my Girl by George Ezra (Acoustic)
Exit Aisle: Teenage Dirtbag by Wheetus (Acoustic)
Reception Entry: Everybody Needs Somebody to Love by Blues Brothers
First Dance: Don’t Stop by Queen
Funny stories or near disasters.
We had a great idea of handwriting on every guest’s bread and butter plate instead of a bonbonerie or a card. We wanted black bread and butter plates to go with our aesthetic, and purchasing them in the January sales was going to be cheaper than hiring them, so we thought, why not take it one step further?
Whilst the idea was an absolute hit amongst our guests who are displaying them (or using them!) in their homes, I had grossly underestimated how long it would take to handwrite on 100 plates. Cut to 2 am the MORNING of our wedding; we were still madly writing on the last few plates! Our guests’ reactions to their personal messages and the wow factor they brought to our table settings were worth it, though!
Planning surprises.
I was surprised how easy it is to get sucked into all the shows and the glitz of a wedding. Instagram and Pinterest can be so addictive and I wish I had set myself clearer boundaries on scrolling time. The lead-up to your day should be exciting and fun, not filled with stress and feeling overwhelmed. Comparison culture can suck the joy out of planning your own day, so make sure every month to have a reset, sit with your fiance and remember what your values are, not just in the day itself but in your marriage, as that is what it is really all about.
Words of wisdom.
The day goes by so fast. Make sure you carve out some time, even if it is only ten minutes, to spend with your partner. Have a drink somewhere private, have a private dance behind the stage, or stand up on the balcony and look down at all your guests having the best time celebrating you.
Things will go wrong. Most of these things no one else will even notice. No event is without its hiccups, so allow an extra 15-20min block (or two – depending on how many formalities you have planned) to allow for hiccups or delays. It will make your day so much less stressful.
If you can afford it – hire a wedding planner. We only hired a stylist as our venues provided fabulous on-the-day people – but particularly if you are spread across two venues, there ends up being a lot of admin across all your suppliers. When it becomes stressful rather than fun, it can take away some of the magic of planning your day – so if you’re dreaming big, do yourself a favour and get someone to take care of all the admin so you can spend your time doing all the fun things!
Lean on your suppliers. In the end, three to four of our suppliers were all on each other’s “recommended supplier” list. Whilst this ended up being a coincidence, as we had already made a list of our dream suppliers, I am so glad we had a team behind us that knew each other and had worked together before. Without a doubt, it helped pull off some tricky timelines and last-minute changes, leading to a pretty seamless day!
Finally, take dance lessons. Even if you don’t want to do a long dance, the final six weeks in the lead up to the wedding can be so hectic, it was so nice to switch off and just be with each other for half an hour and do something fun together. It brought us even closer together right before the big day.
If you’re looking for talented photographers such as Maegan Brown Moments to capture your day, head over to our directory here.
EMILY & MATTHEW’S VENDORS
Ceremony venue: Portico Balcony, Melbourne Town Hall – Kevin who was the venue manager on the day was fantastic! At our rehearsal he thought of so many small details I had forgotten and helped me pull it all together for the perfect ceremony.
Reception venue: The State Library Victoria – Chloe our Wedding Producer was absolutely fabulous every step of the way and I cannot thank her enough. She had the patience of a saint and was professional throughout, it was like having an extra bridesmaid on the day! The services provided by Showtime were second to none. They took care of every single detail with ease. From rearranging seating to cater for a last minute guest no show, to running my lipstick from one end of the library to the other for photo touch ups, to helping pack up all our supplies on the night – they are the dream team.
Celebrant: Benn Stone – Melbourne Cityside Celebrant – From the moment we met Benn, I knew he was the perfect mix of warm, lighthearted and professional. He goes above and beyond in the service he provides – he even helped pack down our ceremony whilst we were taking photos!
Photography: Maegan Brown Moments – Wow. Just Wow. If you are after photos that capture the essence, feelings and vibes of the day – this chick is the bomb! We didn’t want your standard stuffy posed photos (that so wasn’t us), and Maegan nailed the brief. She was a great sidekick on the day too, keeping energies high whilst also remaining calm throughout the flurry of it all. She is also full of amazing wedding day and timeline tips!
Videography: Artistic Films – Again, we were very much after a video that enabled us to relive the vibe of the day – capturing our heartfelt ceremony but also the excitement, fun and love that kept us partying into the night. Alper was very reasonably priced and produced multiple videos that absolutely nailed our brief perfectly.
Styling: Bow Creative – After working with Kath on my wedding, I now wish I could change careers and work with Kath on weddings every day! Kath is worth every penny you invest in her services, balancing budgets and quality – her spreadsheets are a thing of dreams. Kath made our tight bump in/out across two venues seamless, and executed the most spectacular wedding that felt so authentically us.
Florist: Tweed Twigs – Graham was fantastic to deal with – his image board alone had me swooning. No flowers Matt ever brings home will compare! I still have two large dried bunches on my dining table six months later. He pulled off an amazing vision and softened two very large spaces on a very modest budget. Am forever grateful.
Hair: Tonic Agency – Valentina
Make-up: Tonic Agency – Valentina (Bride), Private Artist – Nikki Di Matteo (bridesmaids)
The dress(es): Moonstruck Bride – Masha Gown by Truvelle. The girls at Moonstruck are so authentic and made me feel truly relaxed and special when trying on gowns. One of the few places to carry many gowns in two sizes, as well as knowing their product inside and out. With their expert advice, I was able to finally get the dress of my dreams and ordered some extra fabric to make a removable topper for the ceremony.
Second Look: Leo Topper – Anna Campbell & Chancery Skirt from The Iconic
Veil: Moonstruck Bride – Alexandra Veil by Alca Line Bride
Shoes: Hers – Jimmy Choo, Him – Aquila
Rings: Hers – Family Airloom + Valoren Jewellery , Him – Uniform Black
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Azazie – Blair Velvet (Black)
Suits: Groom – Oscar Hunt, Groomsmen – Joe Black (Myer)
Bow ties: Groom – Calibre, Groomsmen – Myer
Catering: Showtime Events Group
Stationery / Signage: Invitations – Ink Heart Paper and State of Elliot
Entertainment: Ceremony: Hey Jack – “ Kindred” Duo, Swanston Street escort – Beat the Heat Brass Band @beattheheatbrassband, Reception – Like this Entertainment Deluxe Band
Honeymoon: Shangri-La, Fiji
Other: Recovery – Melbourne City Bowls Club
