High energy & effortless elegance: a Melbourne wedding
Emily and James had a clear vision for their wedding day – warm and inviting, great food and drink, and a pumping dance floor. Keeping things intimate and simple, they focused on what mattered most: time together and celebrating with their favourite people.
The Post Office Hotel was the perfect setting for both ceremony and celebration, delivering on the brief with relaxed charm and exceptional hospitality.
A private first look ensured they could savour the entire day side by side. Emily chose a timeless silhouette elevated by exquisite floral jacquard – understated, textural and undeniably chic. Their ceremony was deeply personal, officiated by a relative, with Nan holding the rings and their mums signing as witnesses.
When One More Song kicked off the party, the dance floor quickly filled – another box well and truly ticked. Every heartfelt and high-energy moment was captured beautifully by Love Bomb Photos, who delivered a gallery full of heart and joy.
The meeting.
We met in high school. We were in the same classes and got along well. Following school, we ran into each other on occasion and would always stop for a good chat. At a friend’s twenty-first we danced the night away and have been together ever since.
The one.
A few weeks into dating, we both felt like we were onto something special. With separate overseas trips booked we supported each other as we embarked on solo adventures, because deep down we both knew we had plenty of time together to come.
The proposal.
At the end of a six-week trip in Europe, James surprised Emily with a proposal in Paris. After a perfect day together, that started with a flight from Hamburg to Paris and ended with steak dinner, the Eiffel tower sparkling and a walk home along the Sienne, James popped the question away from the crowds in our hotel room.
Planning process.
When we got engaged in 2023, we were living in London. We knew we wanted to book Kimberly Moore, so she was the first vendor we contacted. We also knew we wanted to have an intimate wedding, so we started looking for venues that catered to micro-weddings. After considering a few venues, we checked out the Post Office Hotel as friends had recommended them. Emily viewed the venue via FaceTime at 2am London time and secured the venue for our nine-year anniversary. From there we locked in Kim and after asking for her recommendations for photographers, we were excited to book Hailey. Locking in the photography dream team!
When we moved back to Melbourne in 2024, we secured the rest of our amazing vendors. We found Eddy from One More Song through his affiliations with the Post Office Hotel. Our other vendors we found through word of mouth from friends and via Instagram. We tried to select vendors that enjoy working together so that they would enjoy our day as much as we did.
Style inspiration.
We wanted our wedding to be warm and inviting. Our main priorities were to ensure that our guests would enjoy good food and drink and a pumping dance floor. We wanted to keep it simple and focus on spending quality time with our favourite people.
The ceremony.
We were lucky enough to have a relative officiate our wedding, which was very special. Due to our wedding being intimate, all of our guests knew our story and laughed and cried with us throughout the entire ceremony. We also surprised the important women in our families by inviting James’ nan to hand over the rings and our mums to sign as our witnesses.
The outfits.
When wedding dress shopping with a different dress in mind, Emily saw her dress in the window and thought it was stunning but felt the silhouette was too far from what she had in mind. When the dress she wanted didn’t quite feel right, she tried on the one from the window and immediately knew it was it. She loved the floral jacquard of the fabric but also loved that it was a simple and timeless silhouette.
We knew we wanted James’ suit to be quite simple and timeless but found tuxedos to be too formal for our wedding. So, we saw the amazing team at Gentry, and they fitted James out with a black suit that fit the brief perfectly.
Favourite moment.
It is so hard to choose one moment! Having a private first look was extremely special. Taking a moment to be present with each other before all the festivities made the rest of the day all the more special. It also meant we got to spend more time at our wedding post-ceremony, and we shared most of our memories from the day because we were together.
Meaning of marriage.
To us, marriage is the official start of us being a family. Whether that family grows or remains the two of us, in marriage we have started our new journey as the Frasers. We see it as being each other’s teammate and best friend in everything this big, beautiful life throws our way.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: One and Only – Adele
Exit song: Accidentally In Love – Counting Crows
Reception entry: Music For A Sushi Restaurant – Harry Styles
First Dance: Exactly How You Are – Ball Park Music
Funny stories (or near disasters).
In the middle of the night, the night before the wedding the hotel fire alarm went off, and we all had to evacuate to outside the building. The poor maid-of-honour had Emily’s dress in her hotel room and was torn between taking it with her or potentially losing it in a fire. Luckily, it was a false alarm, and the actual day went off without a hitch.
Planning surprises.
How busy the week of the wedding is. Even though our wedding was small and we didn’t have a huge list of vendors, the week of the wedding was busy! But good planning and timelines meant on the actual day we were both able to be calm and present.
Words of wisdom.
- Stick to what is best for the two of you. It is your day!
- Be selective about your vendors and choose people that suit your vibe and vision.
- Get yourself a good timeline (like we used from Aisle Assistant) and share it with everyone involved ahead of the day. Also, be explicit about what you expect from those who have roles on the day. They want to help so they will appreciate guidance from you on how to do that.
- Be together as much as you can on the day.
Emily & James’ Wedding xVendors
Ceremony and reception venue: Post Office Hotel
Celebrant/Officiant: James Cisco
Photography: Love Bomb Photos – we have received nothing but compliments about our amazing photos from Love Bomb. Everyone I see tells me they love the photos and how beautiful the day looked. Hailey encapsulated the day perfectly and has given us permanent memories of our day.
Videography: Kimberley Moore Media
Styling: Post Office Hotel
Florist: Babylon Flowers
Hair: Hair by Bridget Smith
Make-up: Abbey Parke Makeup
The dress: Emily May Bridal
Veil / headwear: Emily May Bridal
Shoes: Vintage Tony Bianco
Rings: Austen Blake
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Pilgrim
Groom’s Suit: The Gentry Menswear
Groom’s bow ties / ties: The Gentry Menswear
Catering and bar: Post Office Hotel
Favours: Printed using Vistaprint
Cake / Cake topper: Little Dance via Etsy
Stationery / Signage: Post Office Hotel
Entertainment: One More Song DJs
Transport: Enrik Limousines
Décor: Post Office Hotel
Hotel: Rydges Melbourne
Schedule Management: Aisle Assistant – Courtney’s services made the day seamless. Her schedule management package meant everyone involved in the wedding knew what was happening and what to expect. We had a calm and stress-free day, which was exactly what we wanted.
