Real Wedding – Chantel & Tim, Melbourne VIC
Chantel and Tim harnessed the magic of Melbourne to add an enchanting, urban edge to their carefully curated nuptials.
From the architecture to the atmosphere, the pair wanted a wedding that embodied the very best of their hometown.
The city streets hummed, and tram bells rang in the distance, as skilful storyteller Megan Thompson married the long-time loves on the Portico balcony of Town Hall.
The building’s iconic columns were softened by showstopping florals with pops of purple while a Melbourne Entertainment Co string trio transported guests to another world.
A treat for the senses so all-encompassing could only be captured by a photographer as brilliant as Maegan Brown Moments. Experience every artfully elevated moment below.
The meeting.
We met the old-fashioned way, at a mutual friends birthday party in 2016. Tim took pretty much the whole night to muster up the courage to talk to me.
The ‘one’.
It wasn’t an immediate ‘this is the one’. Over time we spent more and more time together until it eventually felt weird to be apart and we couldn’t imagine life without one another.
The proposal.
Tim proposed on a holiday in Seville, Spain. We were on a gondola in the main square, my brother was rowing the boat and capturing the moment.
Planning process.
One of the first things we did after we got engaged (besides celebrate) was find the perfect wedding planner and we found that in Sonya Uribe from Evenio. She made the whole planning process super easy, fun and (genuinely) stress-free! The hardest part was having to sit back and count down the days until the wedding.
Style inspiration.
We both live in, and love, Melbourne and everything it encompasses – the hustle and bustle of the city, the architecture, the gardens and the general energy and atmosphere so we wanted a wedding that was iconically Melbourne. At the same time, we wanted something intimate and personal that reflected us and our relationship. We did this by incorporating small easter eggs throughout the wedding –a photo of our dog Coco on the party favors and the napkins, photos of our deceased family members as charms on my bouquet, menus with ‘bon appetite’ and ‘cheers’ written in Spanish (since Tim proposed in Spain), embroidery from my mum’s wedding dress embroidered onto the underskirt of my dress.
The most useful inspiration was real weddings. The most helpful weddings were those that happened in the same venues as ours so we could envision the space and what it would look like when it was full of people/decorations etc. We ended up choosing a lot of the suppliers that had already worked in our venues because they knew the space and had done great things with it.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was a fairytale. We got married on the Portico balcony at Melbourne Town Hall. The busy streets were quietly humming away beneath us and the trams were ringing bells in the distance. The beautiful strong columns of the Town Hall were softened by flowers that lined the aisle, and the string trio played classical music that transported us into a completely different world. Even though we got married at the start of winter, the sun poked its head out exactly as the ceremony started to bathe the flowers and the guests in a gentle warmth.
The outfits.
Our outfits were very minimal and we tried to avoid trends that would date in ten years. We spent hours trawling through inspiration to figure out what we did and didn’t like. Chantel went with a classic Vera Wang (and knew it was the one because both her bridesmaid and mother-in-law gasped as soon as she tried it on). Tim wanted something classic as well, but with a hint of something that would make him stand out from the groomsmen – he opted for a classic black and white tux with a velvet jacket.
Favourite moments.
It’s a tie between two moments. The first was playing rock-paper-scissors at the ceremony to see who would read their vows first. We both drew scissors on the first go (definitely not planned!!). The second was the walk we took around the city after the ceremony to get to the reception. People everywhere were clapping for us and yelling congratulations, trams were dinging their bells for us, cars were tooting – we felt like celebrities!
Meaning of marriage.
Standing by and supporting each other through the good, the bad and the ugly.
Wedding soundtrack.
Walking down the aisle – Pachelbel – Canon
Reception entry – Let’s Get Loud – J Lo
First dance – Mash up of At Last by Etta James and Groove is in the Heart by Deee-Lite
Funny stories or near disasters.
Two almost-disasters happened at the ceremony – a protest was occurring on Swanston Street out the front of the Melbourne Town Hall, luckily this was before the ceremony had started and they were gone within a few minutes. A busker was also sitting below the balcony at Melbourne Town Hall singing and they could be heard from the balcony where our ceremony was. The staff at Melbourne Town Hall were wonderful and asked the busker to move on and he did. We were very lucky. We wanted an iconic Melbourne ceremony and I guess that was part of it!!
Planning surprises.
How much of an emotional rollercoaster it would be. You feel everything at once – happy, excited, stressed, nervous, all of it!
Words of wisdom.
Don’t plan a wedding for your guests – plan it for you. Have fun! It’s so easy to become stressed out and to feel all sorts of negative emotions. Enjoy the fiancé bubble – the time will fly by so quickly. At the end of the day, your wedding will be perfect regardless of what happens because it’s YOUR wedding. If shit hits the fan, it’s a great story to tell later on.
For more chic city inspiration, read about Chanel & Mark’s Melbourne nuptials.
CHANTEL & TIM’S SUPPLIERS
We had a wedding planner who sourced all of our suppliers (and saved us hours of research and stress). If you’re looking for a wedding planning process that is actually fun and easy – that’s the way to go.
Ceremony venue: Melbourne Town Hall
Reception venue: Alto Event Space
Celebrant: Megan Thompson
Photography: Maegan Brown Moments
Videography: Luca Zarik
Wedding Planning, Styling & Coordination – Evenio Australia
Additional styling: Oh Honey Weddings
Florist: Sassafras Wedding
Hair: Jodie Porter MUA
Make-up: Zoe O’ Meara MUA
The dress & veil: Raffaele Ciuca Bridal
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Rings: Larsen Jewellery
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Meshki, Pretty Woman Bridal
Suits & ties: Men’s Suit Warehouse
Catering & bar: Damm Fine Food
Favours: Custom Favours
Cake: Mad About Cakes Australia
Stationery / Signage: Studio Nard
Entertainment: Melbourne Entertainment Co
Transport: Always Classic Cars
Décor: Complete Function Hire; Décor It Studio
Audio book = The Message Co
Cannoli cart = Cannoleria by That’s Amore
Rigging/lighting = Technical Events
