Real Wedding – Chantella & Adrian, South Melbourne VIC
Fun loving couple, Chantella and Adrian merged tradition and personalisation seamlessly on their wedding day, thanks to Chantella’s creative background and the help of some artistically gifted friends and family.
Hitting the dancefloor in their customised Nike Hi-Top’s (check them out below), Adrian and Chantella danced like they had never danced before and there to capture the day as well as their d-floor action was Tribe favourite Jenna Fahey-White.
In Chantella’s words…
The proposal.
Adrian went to propose after we both had a basketball game, but I changed our plans and we went out for a friend’s birthday, so he hid dozens of roses in buckets of water under our bed until the next day. I then decided to come home form work earlier than usual so he was madly scrambling to put everything together before I walked in the door. But all ended well and he manage to decorate our whole living room in tea candles and rose petals and make his specialty home made lasagne.
The planning process.
We had 18 months to prepare and with my job in the creative industry and being a producer, I felt like I had a good handle on most things.
We really wanted as much of our wedding to involve people who knew us in some sort of way, and if they didn’t know us they really understood who we were and what we were after. I am lucky that I work in a creative industry and could call on a lot of very talented people to help us out throughout the process. Our invitation and stationery designer, videographer, car driver, event producers were all friends from or through my work. Outside of these people, I found Jenna our photographer through Instagram and also our florist Shane from Botanics of Melbourne. I found our entertainment, Rutherford Entertainment, through a YouTube clip of some of their talent.
We had such amazing people around us to help in so many ways, so we really just enjoyed the whole process and tried not to let the giant lists overwhelm us!
Style inspiration.
We wanted a really magical but relaxed theme. We wanted everyone to feel comfortable but also feel like they were somewhere special where they could take themselves out of their everyday lives and just enjoy the day. We always wanted to ensure we had the best party and we though decorating the space in florals and lights would help build the perfect atmosphere. I think our bridal table really showcased how we transformed the space into what we wanted well.
The dress.
My dress was from Luci Di Bella. It was actually one of the first dress makers I found, but I was unable to get an appointment for a few weeks so I went and visited a few others until I could go in. As soon as I walked in I just knew it was the right place. Luci was so wonderful and from the moment I put on her dresses it just felt right. I wanted something simple, but elegant and just something just felt like me. There were a few dresses I liked from her but the one I ended with was just perfect. I loved the lace detail and Luci made all the adjustments to make it absolutely everything I could have imagined. I can’t thank Luci and her team enough for their help and making me feel so incredible both on the day and throughout the whole process.
Favourite moment(s).
Our favourite moment was when rapper, Matty Charles, performed towards the end of the reception. We really wanted to make sure our reception was a big celebration; the biggest and best party we could throw basically! So we put our effort and money into the entertainment. We had a DJ play the whole night but mixed in a female vocalist (Hayley Teal) with a percussionist and saxophonist and then added in Matty at the end. By that stage of the night Adrian and I were both rocking out our Nike hi-tops and the song Jump came on. I can just remember the dance floor being full and dancing the entire song. I don’t even know how I managed to jump in the dress but a friend captured the perfect moment with me jumping along and it pretty much sums up the night.
Tradtions.
My dad is Catholic and my mum is buddhist and I have a Sri Lankan background so I really wanted to include something from the culture. We decided to get married in the Church, but as the beginning of our reception we had Sri Lankan dancers and a drummer introduce us and then my mum performed a small Buddhist blessing. She said a few words and poured water over our fingers which she tied together with a piece of string. We then lit candles together as part of the tradition. It was really nice to be able to include some of my background and culture into the wedding and show our guests.
The meaning of marriage.
For us we’ve been together for a really long time and getting married was more of a celebration. People keep asking me if things have changed since we got married, but we already lived together with our pet dog Mintie, so our lives were very much together as one already. Our wedding day was a celebration of what we have already and a chance to share that with our family and close friends. We have so many incredible people in our lives and it was really special to be able to share that moment with them.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Higher Love by James Vincent McMorrow.
First dance: Latch by Sam Smith sung by Hayley Teal.
Funny stories/ or near disasters
We had a pretty smooth ride but there was a funny story around my Hens day and our wedding rings. My lovely bridesmaids planned a great day out at Yarra Valley racecourse amongst other activities. The night before Adrian and I had to drive up to Bendigo to pick up our wedding rings, we got stuck in horrible traffic leaving Richmond and didn’t make it in time before the store closed. My phone also ran out of battery on the way up so we had to first stop and buy a portable charger from a petrol station, then I managed to get hold of the store owner (who is a friend from Bendigo), and he kindly said he could meet us at the basketball stadium where he was watching a WNBL game. It seemed pretty fitting that was where I would first try in my wedding band given I spent so many years of my life playing basketball including WNBL at that stadium. After that drama, we got back in the car and as we were half way home I had a couple of texts and calls from the girls as the weather was so terrible that the Yarra Valley races had been cancelled. It seemed like a comedy of errors after out day already. The girls were so wonderful and re-arranged the day and it was still amazing but I’m pretty sure they lost some hairs in the chaos!
Planning surprises.
Not really, there were lots of things to do which you don’t realise when you start planning, but eventually you just get used to it and go with the flow!
Words of wisdom.
Relax! We took a very laid back approach and in the end tried not to stress about things too much. We figured even if things went wrong it wasn’t the end of the world and it’s pretty likely no one would even notice! I planned most of the wedding myself and really just tried to take my time and organise things one thing at a time. You can get really caught up in all the details but if you stick to your own plan and not worry too much about what everyone else wants and says you will be totally fine! It’s your day in the end so I would encourage every couple out there to really make it what they want it to be!
All about the little details? Check out Alysha and Matt’s waterfront wedding.
CHANTELLA AND ADRIAN’S TRIBE
Ceremony venue / location: St Peter’s and Paul’s, South Melbourne
Reception venue / location: Cargo Hall, South Wharf
Celebrant/Officiant: Father Dean
Photography: Jenna Fahey-White. Jenna was an absolute superstar on the day, she worked so long and hard and captured every moment perfectly. She delivered above and beyond what we expected and more importantly enjoyed the day with us! Jenna was so approachable and willing to understand who we are and what we were after, and delivered exactly what we wanted and more. I couldn’t speak more highly and recommend her.
Second shooter: Kylie Knight
Videography: Dane Scotcher (Friend). Dane is such a great friend and with the help of another friend Ollie, they captured our day perfectly.
Styling: I styled the venue myself, with floral arrangements AND installations from Botanics of Melbourne. The tables and chairs from Complete Function Hire.
Florist: Botanics of Melbourne . Shane, our florist, just absolutely blew my mind with what he produced. I had spoken through my vision for the wedding with him but you never really know if you give someone the exact brief as to what you want. When I saw my bouquet I was so excited, but when I walked into the reception just before it started, I was so incredibly happy – he nailed the brief 110% and more!
Hair: Lauren McKellar
Makeup: Bernice Mansfield from Once Upon a Bride
The Dress: Luci Di Bella
Veil / head wear: Borrowed from my sister
Jewellery/Accessories: Stearns Jewellers (earrings) and Ted Baker (bracelet)
Shoes: Zimmerman
Rings: Stearns Jewellers
Bridesmaids dresses: Shona Joy
Grooms suit: Briggins
Grooms Shoes: Aquila
Groomsmen suits: Briggins
Bow ties / ties: Briggins
Catering: Cargo Hall
Favors: Hand-picked succulents potted with guest’s name and also served as the place setting and Sri Lankan Wedding Cake (hand made by my mum and hand wrapped in black paper and placed in straw boxes picked from Sri Lanka)
Cake / Cake topper: ButtonTree Cakes (Family Friend)
Stationery / Signage: My Uncle made a huge sign #AHEARTC with lights to go at the front of the stage.
Invitations & Stationery – Phillip Moule (Friend)
Entertainment: Our Church Singers were Roger Masofa, Daniel White, Samuel Tapuvae, Male Tapuvae and Female Vocalist Hayley Teal and Male Rapper Matty Charles from Rutherford Entertainment
Transport: Tristan O’Shannessy and Emily Baker (Friends) and Always Classic Cars
Honeymoon: New York, Peru, Argentina and Brazil
Other: Bride and Groom Alternate Nike Air Max Hi-Tops from Nike Id and photobooth from Elegance Hire
