Real Wedding – Cait & Ollie, Melbourne VIC
Long-time lovers, Cait and Ollie, focused their wedding day around the two of them and the people they love; relaxed and fun was the brief, and they absolutely nailed it!
With a stunning ceremony held at Glasshaus in Richmond, gorgeous green foliage set the scene. What followed was fun-filled reception at Ellis Street Studio; this perfect pairs day was magical from start to finish.
Cait and Ollie brought together a talented Tribe of vendors that they genuinely loved spending time with, be sure to read their wonderful words about their newfound friends below.
Two of our talented Tribe members, Ali Bailey and Annette and Dani Films were there to capture every divine detail.
In Cait and Ollie’s words…
The meeting.
We met through friends at a Max Brenner cafe when we were just 14 and started dating at 16!
The ‘one’.
We were friends when a couple of our friends cancelled on dinner plans and we decided to go anyway. Halfway through the evening, I made a joke that made Ollie laugh so hard he spat water on the lady sitting next to him. She was less than impressed, but I knew that he was the one because my joke really wasn’t that funny, yet he laughed that hard!
The proposal.
Our favourite place in the world is Lorne on the Great Ocean Road. A couple of years ago we were camping on the South Coast of NSW when we came across an inlet in Gerroa which looks identical to a particular view at Lorne. Ollie had planned a surprise weekend away with our besties and I had no idea where we were going. Ollie was super hungover, so I had to drive, and Ollie asked me to pull in to this little inlet where I remarked that it was the place that looked like Lorne! Next minute, Ollie had opened my car door and was down on one knee saying that he couldn’t get me to Lorne, so he’d found the next best place. It was low key, sentimental and very us.
Style inspiration.
Having been together for so long, most of our friends and family are friends themselves. So, one of our priorities was making sure that our wedding reflected the relaxed, fun vibe that we share with all our favourite people. We wanted greenery and plenty of it, so we chose to get married in a greenhouse filled to the brim with beautiful plants and a huge green wall. The reception space was a blank canvas where we could bring in more plants and plenty of candles. It was perfect for our cocktail style reception because it had a spacious dancefloor while still feeling cosy and special. Simple, with people at the heart of everything.
The outfits.
Both of us wanted outfits that were classic but still very us. Ollie and his groomsmen had suits made for them in a classic navy while I actually found my dress secondhand! I’d tried on a couple of dresses in stores which challenged my idea of what I thought I wanted but I’d already spotted this one online and couldn’t get it out of my head. Unfortunately, because it was online, I had no idea whether it would actually fit or suit me but I decided to take a gamble and I’m so glad I did! It was everything I wanted – different and a bit art deco but still modern and comfortable.
Favourite moments.
Ollie: From the moment Amber (MOH) walked down the aisle to our fist pump at the end; the whole ceremony! You just can’t beat it – it was epic, and emotions were so heightened. Second to that would be the minutes following the ceremony when everyone was hugging and congratulating us. They were all so happy for us.
Cait: For me, it was walking down the aisle towards Ollie. I honestly had tunnel vision and I couldn’t have even told you who was in attendance. It was just me and him and it sounds corny but literally everything else melted away. I also loved when Ollie found me amidst the crowds at the reception and stole me away to eat some dinner together. We got to stand apart from everyone and just watch all of our favourite people having the best time and celebrating our love. Pretty special!
The meaning of marriage.
Marriage means doing life with our best friend. It’s love, support, growth, travel and family.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: ‘How will I Know?’ by Whitney Houston (a live acoustic version)
Recessional: ‘Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe’ by Barry White (a live acoustic version)
Reception Entry: ‘September’ by Earth, Wind & Fire – except they have a December version which we used because it was the correct date and it was epic!
First Dance: ‘Stand by Me’ by Ben E. King
Funny stories (or near disasters).
You’d think that on the 21st of December we’d be relatively safe with decent weather but in classic Melbourne style we were hit with the mother of all storms. Lots of our friends had flights cancelled and it poured with rain the entire ceremony. To be honest, though, it kind of made being in a greenhouse feel a bit special and it wasn’t at all cold so that was a bonus!
Also, the night before the wedding we had dinner with Nicki (Ollie’s Mum), my Mum and the bridesmaids. Nicki asked me what time the cars were picking us up in the morning at which point I casually told her that I was going to order some Ubers about half an hour before we needed to be there. The look on her face was priceless! Within 30 minutes she was back at the table having organised drivers to collect us the next morning. There’s nothing like an amazingly efficient Mother in Law!
Planning surprises.
How many times our venue and vision changed. While our overarching dream stayed the same, we had to pivot around a few curveballs. It all worked out in the end though and we can honestly say we wouldn’t change a single thing.
Words of wisdom.
Stick to your guns! Everyone has an opinion, but you should both write a quick list of non-negotiables then see what overlaps for the two of you and focus on those things. For us, it was the people we wanted there, the greenery and the relaxed vibe. So, we retrofitted everything into that. At the end of the day, your guests are just going to be stoked to be celebrating alongside you and nothing else really matters – so make sure it’s the day that you want!
Also – pick vendors and suppliers you genuinely get along with. I promise it will make your day a dream when you get to laugh and joke along with people you’d be happy to hang out with any other day!
CAIT & OLLIE’S TRIBE
Ceremony venue / location: Glasshaus Outside – Richmond. The team at Glasshaus (Ainsley in particular) were lovely and helped to ensure all the greenery was looking it’s best for the ceremony.
Reception venue / location: Ellis Street Studio – South Yarra. A great blank space for whatever you can dream up!
Celebrant/Officiant: Megan Watson – It’s almost impossible for us to sum up how much we love Megan. Honestly, she’s someone we’d love to catch up with on the regular just because she’s such a legend. She has such an easy way of making everyone in the room comfortable and is able to really make the ceremony feel like a moment in time.
Photography: The lovely Ali Bailey. On our first Skype session with Ali, I actually invited her to the wedding as a guest! She has such a relaxed, open vibe which instantly puts you at ease.
Videography: Annette and Dani are the lovely ladies behind our wedding video. They really blended in and never once did we feel like there was a camera pointed in our faces, yet our wedding video captured so much and is so special to us.
Styling/On the day event management: Steph Charters of Staple Creative. Steph is more than just a stylist – she’s an all-round magician. Whether she was rounding up rogue family members for photos or fixing last-minute glassware issues, she was on top of absolutely everything on the day and had a natural ability to put everyone at ease. In fact, there were things that went a bit pear-shaped that we didn’t know about until the days following because she’s just that efficient! Even if you don’t know what you need her for, reach out to her and she’ll list about 16 things you haven’t thought of yet – I promise!
Florist: Our beautiful family friends Lynda and Steve created the magic that was our bouquets and buttonholes. We couldn’t be more grateful to them.
Hair: Diane Robertson – Diane was so lovely to have around as we got ready. At one point she saw me getting a bit overwhelmed by everyone arriving and she took me away to finalise my hair so I could have a sip of champagne and a breather. It was just what I needed and didn’t know to ask for.
Make Up: Tess Holmes – Tess is incredible and a master at the red lip! Her mission is to ‘enhance, don’t cover’ and this is exactly how you want to feel on your wedding day.
The Dress(es): My dream dress was a secondhand Alex Perry from a couple of seasons ago. For the reception, my beautiful friend from Erika Georg made me a version of one of their styles which I loved. It had pockets (!) and was the perfect dancefloor dress to go with my sneakers.
Veil / headwear: I borrowed a veil from a friend but purchased a beautiful handmade porcelain hairpiece by Eden B Studio as I wasn’t sure if I wanted to wear a veil or not. I ended up wearing both!
Shoes: I just wore shoes I already had because I knew they’d be comfortable and no one would see them! Ollie wore R M Williams suit shoes.
Rings: Ollie’s ring was made by Natalie Marie and my wedding band was from Midas. I went with Midas because they had a rose gold which perfectly matched the rose gold of my engagement ring which was made in the US.
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Our bridesmaid’s dresses were from Winona.
Groomsmen’s suits: The groomsmen had custom suits made by Institchu
Catering: Two Pounds – Sarah and her team at Two Pounds catering were so lovely and helpful both in the lead-up and on the big day. They made sure that we were fed and watered throughout the festivities and dished up some seriously delish food!
Bar: Ellis Street Studio has a great in-built bar.
Cake / Cake topper: Burnt Butter Cake.
Stationery / Signage: DIY
Entertainment: Our friend Jason hit the decks and our talented friends Matt and KK got everyone on the dancefloor!
Transport: Our epic family friend Damian drove the bridal party around in his minibus!
Décor: Kmart, Spotlight, you name it!
Hire: Place Settings (furniture) and Greenevent (plants)
Honeymoon: TBC – big things planned!
Other: Our acoustic performers at the ceremony were a real highlight and did the best rendition of ‘How Will I Know’ we could have asked for. Thanks Blush’ko!
