Real Wedding - Angela & Chris, South Yarra VIC

September 8, 2024 In Garden, Latest Posts, Luxe, Most Popular, Outdoor, Pastel, Real Weddings, Victoria, Yellow By Ivory Tribe

Real Wedding – Angela & Chris, South Yarra VIC

Setting out to create an epic party, seamlessly woven with meaningful traditional elements and underpinned with exquisite style, Angela and Chris created a wedding day that looks as incredible as it felt.

Key to their carefully considered planning was their belief that the day should be a true representation of them and who they are, without pretence. They also took time to consider how to make the celebration an enjoyable event and experience for their guests.

Take this beautiful philosophy and add in the skills of EVSKI Events, Wild Flos and Gardens House and you have a dream mix. Leaning into a palette of soft lemon, warm neutral accents and splashes of greenery to incorporate the garden surrounds brought to life a chic, ethereal and effortless elegance.

We love Angela and Chris’ approach to their ultra-fresh, perfectly on-point celebrations, captured with dreamy artistry by Fern and Stone Photography. Scroll on for each impeccably elevated detail.

The meeting.

We met eight years ago when we were both in our early 20s. A close friend of mine who knew of Chris had mentioned to me that she thought Chris and I would make a great couple, and funnily enough, Chris had already added me on socials that very same week! Chris then organised an (impressive!) first date, and from there, we both had the gut feeling we were each other’s soul mates.

The one.

We’ve both always said that on our very first date, we mutually shared the feeling that we had found ‘that someone special’ in each other. I felt as though I had already known Chris my entire life, and we both felt so comfortable in each other’s presence. We shared the same energy, values, likes/dislikes – it felt so easy. Growing together really solidified our relationship, and ultimately, when I knew his happiness was my happiness and vice versa, we knew we wanted to be together forever.

The proposal.

Chris planned a really beautiful getaway to the Barossa Valley (I thought it was just a winter weekend away!). He pretended that we were staying at a mediocre hotel; however, he surprised me when we pulled into The Kingsford – the most magical homestead in the Barossa.

Chris still played along with the idea that we were only wine-tasting and doing a quick tour of the place. Little did I know, the ‘tour guide’ walked us to the most breathtaking set up outside – a candle-lit area with two chairs, a fire pit, blankets and of course, vino, overlooking the picturesque pasture and rolling hills.

I cried with happiness before Chris asked me to marry him! I was just in awe of the whole location and setting. It was the sweetest proposal. The night continued with celebrations, with a private dinner in the homestead cellar, accompanied by our very own sommelier. One of the best nights of our lives.

Planning process.

Planning a wedding was exactly what I imagined it to be – exciting, blissful, joyous and, of course, at times, a little stressful! However, coming from a marketing & PR background myself, I am naturally quite an organised person, which I definitely think helped with the overall planning process!

Chis and I both knew we wanted to have our ceremony in a church, followed by a reception within a marquee. We wanted the idea of an indoor/outdoor wedding reception in a secluded area where guests would be free to roam around and enjoy themselves in nature – hence our easy decision with the beautiful Gardens House (Royal Botanical Gardens). We were sold on the first site visit and booked in the last date available for 2023! Atlantic Group was super accommodating with all our needs for our day and went above and beyond to ensure they were easily met.

In terms of styling, we were fortunate enough to have one of my best friends (and also bridesmaid) who is an event stylist, to manage the florals, stationery, signage etc. Natalie is super talented and has an amazing style of her own and an eye for detail; the whole process was so seamless. She absolutely nailed the styling; we are forever grateful to have her vision and ours come together to fruition.

A few other elements were important to us, which were photography and videography, and ensuring everything we did or incorporated had a personal touch to it, i.e. a family member as our MC to resonate with our guests, a close friend singing our entrance and first dance song, a charity close to our hearts as our favours, and our most-loved cocktails for apertivo hour- just to name a few!.

In the lead-up, we were both so excited and quite relaxed, as we knew we were in safe hands with all our wonderful suppliers. We really just couldn’t wait to get married and share the day with all our loved ones.

Style inspiration.

The inspiration behind the style of our wedding, in a few words, was chic, ethereal and effortless elegance. Our stylist, Natalie, suggested incorporating soft yellows, whites/nudes and splashes of green, which all came together so beautifully. I ensured the styling complemented my bridal look and bridal party, and it’s exactly what we achieved.

Overall, Chris and I wanted our wedding to be one big party with a mixture of traditional elements, literally a representation of us as people; we were true to ourselves and didn’t try to be anything we weren’t. We took time to consider what would make the wedding an enjoyable event and experience for our guests.

I took inspiration from Instagram mostly – pages like Ivory Tribe, Pinterest and word of mouth for particular suppliers. A lot of my inspiration came from real weddings (mostly based abroad!).

The ceremony.

With both of us having European backgrounds, there were certain traditional elements we wanted to incorporate into our day. We chose the most incredible church in Melbourne – St Patrick’s Cathedral. We both loved the architecture and atmosphere the church provided. I had stayed across the road at the Park Hyatt with my family and bridal party, overlooking St Pat’s whilst getting ready – this was truly something special and a morning I will never forget. Our A-team (Fern & Stone Photography and Tango Films) did an incredible job capturing moments on the balcony with my loved ones.

Our ceremony was absolutely beautiful, surrounded by all our family and friends and our wonderful, vibrant priest, who made the energy of the room light and fun!

The outfits.

I have always adored the designer, Galia Lahav, and envisioned myself in one of her ethereal gowns. Galia Lahav happened to have a trunk show in Melbourne just after I got engaged, and funnily enough, it ended up also being my very first wedding dress shopping date with Mum.

I tried on about five of her dresses and immediately fell in love with the last one, named ‘Glory’. Mum and I instantly looked at each other, knowing I had just found my wedding dress. Mum was in tears! My gown was everything I dreamt of and more: a delicate, 3D floral embellishment tulle strapless gown with a corset bodice. Whimsical, elegant, earthy, feminine and glorious. It was ‘me’ in absolutely every way.

I also had a (very late) outfit change for the last hour of our wedding. Made by a family friend, I wanted to go something completely different- sheer, fitted, and fun, yet elegant and sexy. It was perfect, and I loved the complete contrast!

For Chris’ suit, he wanted to keep the look quite classic – wearing a fitted three-piece tux and satin lapel, with some personal touches. He had our names and the date of our wedding embroidered, and the jacket lining was images of our Labrador’s face, who we unfortunately lost just prior to our wedding day.

Favourite moments.

Our whole day was more than we could have ever imagined or asked for. There were so many magical moments we will cherish forever.

There were three particular moments we both held close to our hearts. The first being walking down the aisle/waiting at the end of the aisle at the beautiful St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne. We were both so excited to see each other. Chris had the biggest grin on his face and glazy eyes; his energy just made me feel at ease, and I couldn’t wait to stand up next to him. Knowing all our family and friends were right there, feeling the love was something we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

On par with the above, our entrance to our marquee reception. This was a moment Chris and I had envisioned and planned from the minute we set a date for our wedding. It was truly a dream come true.

We briefed our MC to ensure the whole room was to be involved in our entrance, which we combined with our first dance song. Our guests surrounded us as we entered to Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay, as Coldplay was our very first concert we attended together. Sung by a very close friend of ours who is an artist from LA, he immediately created such a magical vibe and set the tone for the rest of the evening. The vibe was just phenomenal – every single person felt the energy, and to this day, it is a moment that all our guests continually compliment us on.

In addition, coming from a Macedonian background, we incorporated some traditional music. The moment the first song came on, which was led by my family, the entire room (194 guests!) got up to join in on the fun. It was unreal.

Meaning of marriage.

To both of us, a great marriage looks like unconditional love, two best friends, and one team that is wholeheartedly focused on one another and are each other’s biggest supporters. Vulnerable, honest and ultimately, have a zest for life with each other.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle song provided by St Patrick’s Cathedral.

Entrance & first dance: Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay – sung by LA based artist, Bobby Andonov

Planning surprises.

Probably the duration it took to plan the whole thing and how quickly vendors were booked out!

Words of wisdom.

A few things!

Invest your money into the elements that truly matter.

Try to add some personal touches that every guest will appreciate.

Ensure you and your partner have a moment to yourselves.

Lastly, relax – as hard and cliché as it may be, in the end, your day will be perfect!

Love Angela’s stunning sleeves? We are seeing the trend for long sleeves and glove accessories escalate as the season begins, and we are here for it! See our round up of some of our favourite applications of this gorgeous sartorial statement.