Old-World Glamour and a Champagne Tower at The Trust
A timeless celebration of old-world glamour, thoughtful details and heartfelt moments, Jess and Evan’s wedding at The Trust Melbourne was a beautiful reflection of who they are.
Falling in love with the venue’s 1920s architecture and elegant character, the couple embraced a classic black-tie aesthetic with a palette of white florals, soft sage and deep green accents. From the floral-filled ceremony to the champagne tower, every detail felt refined, romantic and intentional.
Jess’ bridal look perfectly captured the timeless elegance of the day, with a beautiful strapless gown paired with a dramatic long veil from The Bridal Curator that added a touch of romance and grandeur as she walked down the aisle.
Captured beautifully by Evia Zacharia, Jess and Evan’s wedding is a reminder that the most memorable celebrations aren’t just about how a day looks – they’re about how it feels.
The meeting.
We met in Peru in January 2017 while gallivanting across South America on a Contiki tour. After returning to our homes in Melbourne (Jess) and Newcastle (Evan), we realised our summer fling was worth a shot at something more. From a year and a half long distance to uprooting our lives, first to Wagga and then Albury, we got married in the city where we became official.
The proposal.
We set off for a two-month adventure in 2024. On the last night of this incredible trip across the Mediterranean and Jordan, Evan got down on one knee in Santorini and popped the question Jess had been dying to receive all trip.
Planning process.
Jess: I’ve dreamt of getting married for quite some time, long before Evan popped the question, so I knew what I wanted. Once we got engaged, the saving of inspiration really ramped up, especially when we locked in our venue in December 2024. We visited a few venues across Melbourne and loved aspects of them all but as soon as we entered the doors of The Trust, we just knew this was it. The architecture, wrap-around bar, size of the venue and gorgeous 1920s old world glamour were major selling points.
Because I had saved so much inspiration and was quite organised, I found the journey smooth and quite easy to be honest. I couldn’t wait to receive the run sheet and I even loved doing the seating plan, having it ready months before our wedding planner requested it!
Style inspiration.
I was drawn to classic, old-world glamour, with a palette of predominantly white, sage and pops of dark green. Many of the images I saved featured styling from past weddings at The Trust, which helped with inspiration.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was the perfect blend of us and our loved ones. We chose not to have a bridal party, but that didn’t mean we left out the people who mean the most to us.
Our mums were our witnesses for the signing of the registry, while my aunty sang Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours). Evan’s best mate took on the role of ring bearer, and my good friend made sure my dress looked perfect before and after I walked down the aisle. We also asked a close friend we met in Wagga to be the MC for our reception.
The outfits.
I had a dress saved for years that I thought was the one. When I went to the Bridal Curator to try it on, as well as some others, I realised that although it was beautiful, the off-the-shoulder feature meant I couldn’t put my hands up – which when you look at the photos, is something I do a lot. After trying on five dresses, the lady who assisted us chose a surprise dress that was the ‘this is the one’ dress.
We chose black-tie for our wedding attire to fit the venue but emphasised in our invitations that we wanted our guests to embrace colour.
It also meant Evan could stand out in his own tux, so we chose a three-piece suit with a low-cut vest, which was perfect. I also came across a velvet tuxedo with a satin bow tie from a groom featured in a past wedding at The Trust. While this wasn’t something The Suit Concierge currently offered, they were happy to create it for us and loved the finished product so much that they suggested it may become something they offer in the future.
Favourite moment.
This is a tough question to answer, as the day was perfect. We chose to do our first look photos earlier in the day, which meant that once the ceremony began, we could move straight into canapés and then the reception.
While Evan had already seen me, waiting to walk down the aisle was the moment when everything became truly real. I found it incredibly emotional. The significance of the day didn’t fully hit me until that moment – it was just Dad and me, our song started playing, and I could catch glimpses of our favourite people waiting for us.
It was also a highlight for Dad, who had been looking forward to that moment for months, telling all his friends how excited he was to walk me down the aisle.
For Evan, the highlight was simply being together throughout the day—the aisle, our first look, our first dance and celebrating at the reception alongside our closest friends. His words were simple: it was just a wonderful day, and he loved it all.
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage, to us, means an unwavering commitment to each other and choosing one another every day.
Wedding soundtrack.
Our aisle song was Lemon to My Lime by The Grogans. We had an acoustic musician perform it, but we couldn’t find any covers of the song in the lead-up, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect on the day. Alex from Lark played it beautifully – it sounded just like the original and was honestly the perfect song for Evan and I.
For our reception entrance, we wanted to make a statement, so we chose Let Me Entertain You by Robbie Williams.
Our first dance was to my favourite dancefloor and karaoke song, Dancing in the Moonlight. It’s a song I always request and one that gets everyone up and dancing, so it felt like the perfect way to open the dancefloor.
Words of wisdom.
A lot of the advice we received in the lead-up was to make sure we took time during the day just for the two of us. Evan and I really feel like we found the perfect balance – we spent meaningful time together, captured the extra photos and footage we wanted after the reception formalities, and still had the chance to celebrate and connect with every one of our guests.
For us, this was especially important because at least half of our guests travelled to Melbourne for the wedding. We decided to host a casual dinner and drinks catch-up the night before for those who could make it, which meant we could avoid spending the wedding day having lots of reunions and instead focus on celebrating with our loved ones.
It was also a wonderful opportunity for guests who didn’t know many people to meet others before the wedding, making everyone feel more comfortable and connected on the day.
Jessica and Evan’s Vendors
Ceremony and reception venue: The Trust
Celebrant: Megan Thompson
Photography: Evia Zachariah
Videography: Annette and Dani
Styling: The Goodsmiths
Florist: Anatomy of Flowers
Hair and makeup: Casey Malady – Tonic
The dress: Michelle de Lacy, dressmaker
Veil : The Bridal Curator
Earrings: Calista by Harper Jewellery
Shoes: Bared
Rings: Novita Diamonds for Jess
Suit and accessories: The Suit Concierge
Catering and bar: Nudo
Favours: As we were flying off on our honeymoon a couple days after the wedding, we didn’t want our beautiful flowers to go to waste. We decided to have a flower station at our reception so our guests could take our flowers home. They were repurposed into bouquets and featured in our guests’ homes – which was loved by them and us too.
Cake: Cakes by The Mess (gluten free goodness)
Stationery / Signage: The Goodsmiths
Entertainment: Lark Music – we had acoustic for ceremony and canape hour, then a five-piece band for reception – was just amazing.
