Real Wedding – Claire & Joel, South Melbourne VIC

With a story that took them from an instant connection over coffee to a beautifully intimate proposal on a beach in Bali, Claire and Joel’s wedding celebration was bound to be considered intentional and gorgeously them.

Claire, a talented calligrapher, brought her artistic talents to their dream day, creating not only the style vision but the full suite of wedding stationery.

Embracing a theme of modern summer celebration, Claire and Joel’s celebration was aesthetically realised with a palette of soft neutrals, butter yellow, and cornflower blue. This elegant backdrop was further enriched with beautiful nods to cultural tradition and perfectly personalised details, all captured through the legendary lens of Finder Seeker photography.

The meeting.

We met unexpectedly via mutual friends at a bar. We didn’t think anything much of each other at the time and just exchanged Facebook details. We met a week later for a coffee date –  and the rest is history.

The one.

Joel: I had a sense early on that Claire was not ‘just another girl’ however when we went on a date to eat ribs and burgers, I saw Claire ignore the cutlery and drive straight into the rack of ribs, sauce all over her hands and face and I thought to myself –  she’s a real one!

Claire: When I first met Joel, I just knew he would be a big part of my life. We got along so well, had the same values and always have so much fun together. So I knew very early on he was the one. His actions over the years of getting to know each other really confirmed this.

The proposal.

We went away on a friend’s trip to Bali with people who are dear to both of us – both of our siblings were also on this trip. Joel popped the question along the beach in an intimate, private moment, and shortly after, we spent the rest of the day and night having a huge celebration with some of our closest friends and family.

Planning process.

Some friends had told us that sought-after venues get booked quickly – so the first thing we did was inspect and choose the perfect venue. We immediately loved Luminaire due to the beautiful city views, high ceilings, location and rooftop vibe. We also wanted to have the ceremony and reception in one place for the convenience of us and our guests.

After that we booked our photographer as having those perfectly captured moments were really important to us. As Claire is a calligrapher, she had an artistic vision of every detail and created all of our wedding stationery, including the Save the Dates, On the Day stationery, perfume engraving, and everything in between – exactly how we envisioned.

Working in the industry, we had many contacts we knew we wanted to engage to bring our special day to life, from stylists to make-up and entertainment, and we are so grateful they were all happy to come on board. We also love the community and wanted to work with our friends who had businesses, and this included our cake, our photobooth and our florist – and of course, the groom’s dad, who officiated our wedding.

There were a couple of compromises we had to sort out with our family as they had other expectations of our wedding, but we are so glad we stood our ground with the main elements we wanted for our big day, and it was all worthwhile on the day.

Style inspiration.

One big fun party! We didn’t want anything too traditional and formalised – rather, we wanted our guests to just have fun and be together with us in the moment.

The vibe was a modern summer wedding with traditional and timeless elements that captured both of our cultures. In choosing our colour palette, this meant lighter-coloured suits for the groomsmen and pale yellow for the bridesmaids. Our colour palette for our flowers was white and light blue, and these colours were complementary to the outfits.

We used Ivory Tribe, Instagram and cues we had previously picked up attending other weddings as our main sources of inspiration, helping us to capture a similar look and feel to what we wanted. Claire used Pinterest to get some ideas for florals and stationery.

The ceremony.

Our ceremony was perfect. There was a slight worry the weather would be too hot as we got married in the middle of February – but we were blessed with a beautiful, clear 26-degree summer day. The florals at our ceremony were so stunning and it was so beautiful seeing them as I was walking down the aisle. It was so touching to have Joel’s father, who is also a pastor, officiate our wedding for us. We had blessings and prayers from both sets of parents, which was a very special moment. When we got to share personal vows – this was such a beautiful and emotional moment for both of us. Suddenly, you forget about your guests, and it felt so intimate – like it was just the two of us.

The outfits.

Joel: I wanted something that was sporty and modern – while still being classy. i.e. not a traditional back suit. Something that reflected our personality and the fun and fresh atmosphere we were setting for the day.

Claire: I always wanted a simple yet timeless dress – and one that suited the modern space at Luminare. I went to a couple of dress fittings in Melbourne, but as I’m so petite – it was hard to see how everything would come together. We did some engagement photos in Vietnam, where I tried on some dresses that fitted me perfectly, and that’s when I decided to get my dress made there. I worked with a Vietnamese designer named Ngoc Oanh, who custom designed my dress as well as created a detachable overskirt for the ceremony and a custom veil. As an artist myself, I loved collaborating with Ngoc Oanh on my whole bridal outfit as we clicked right away, and she completely understood my artistic vision and flair.
The most special part of my bridal outfit was my veil – which had my calligraphy embroidered in the middle of the veil – with some calla lilies and leaves outlining the edges of the veil. The calligraphy had a special meaning as it was our love story and had all our special milestones that led us to the wedding day. It was a subtle detail only my partner and I understood, and it has now become a keepsake and a family heirloom.

Favourite moment.

Everything was perfect. But if we had to pick, it would be our ceremony – especially our vows and being announced as husband and wife.

Meaning of marriage.

Marriage to us is our complete commitment to each other – going through the ups and downs of life together with your best friend.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Can’t Help Falling in Love
Reception entry: Danzo Kuduro by Don Omar, Lucenzo
First dance: For My Hand – Burna Boy ft Ed Sheeran

Funny stories (or near disasters).

A couple of days before our wedding, there was a severe thunderstorm in Melbourne, which cut out the power from our florist’s refrigerator for a few days, so the florist was a bit nervous about the quality of the stock. Our wedding day was also windier than usual, and our flowers were grouped in bunches sitting on a stand – the florist was so scared they would blow away during the ceremony. There was a last-minute scramble to secure them even more tightly on the stands, which resulted in a slight delay to our ceremony.

Our bridal party, however kept things under control in the background, and we had no idea about the stresses she and the venue had until the next day.

Planning surprises.

The amount of brain capacity it takes! There are so many things to think about when it comes to a wedding, and it’s little details that take the most amount of time to work through.

Words of wisdom.

Book your trusted vendors early as they book out fast – especially if you are getting married on the peak wedding dates. Don’t compromise on your vision or for the right vendor.

Your wedding day is the celebration of your love – and one that you’ll remember forever. Do it in your own way! It will all be worth it on the day when you see everything you envisioned become a reality. Lastly, and most importantly, have fun!

Looking to start building your dream day? Begin by perusing some of the best venues in the country on our directory. Whether you embrace a chic modern space or breathtaking ocean views, winery luxury or destination vibes, we have a stunning range of hand-picked options to backdrop your perfect celebration.

CLAIRE & JOEL’S SUPPLIERS

Ceremony location: Rooftop deck at Luminare, South Melbourne

Reception venue: Luminare, South Melbourne

Celebrant/Officiant: Mang Cheong, the groom’s father

Photography: Finder Seeker – Dee was our exceptional stand-out vendor that day, and we are so glad we picked her. She helped us scout locations prior and captured our day so beautifully whilst making sure everything ran on time and got all the images we wanted.

Videography: Momento Films

Florist: Family friend

Hair: Stephanie Hair Artistry

Make-up: Dani Bui Mua

The dress: Emo bridal

Reception dress: Poxi

Veil calligraphy: IndelibleInk Calligraphy

Shoes: Louboutin

Rings: All Diamonds Elsternwick

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Billy J Bridal & Asos

Suits: MJ Bale

Bow ties / ties: Otaa

Cake: Ma’cake

Calligraphy/Stationery/Engraving : IndelibleInk Calligraphy

Lion Dance: Dai Bi Quan Am Lion Dance

Transport: Enrik Limousines – we hired a people mover, and this was perfect for getting in and out of and for parking for all our bridal photos, especially in tight spaces such as Fitzroy.

Entertainment: DJ Dzung. Our DJ was such a hit. He understood the vibe we were going for and made himself available for multiple consultations leading up to the day. He also had a good read on the crowd and ensured the dancefloor was constantly off.

Photobooth: Dome Studio

Hire: One Enchanted Day