Real Wedding – Ellie & Evan, Prahran VIC
Like a fashion montage in your favourite rom-com, Ellie tried on more than 30 wedding dresses in two days before finding the perfect Kyha gown in which to marry her love, Evan.
The pair said ‘I do’ in the Sophia event space of Prahran Arcade, letting the beauty and grandeur of the heritage building take centre stage in their styling.
The masterclass in balancing restraint with opulence is best showcased by the bridesmaids baring only a single white rose on the aisle walk, juxtaposed with chic, dramatic draping in the reception space.
An acoustic performance by Paper Hearts elevated the already emotional and elegant affair while Alex from Motta Weddings worked his magic behind the lens to deliver light and love-filled snaps that will be adored for decades to come.
The meeting.
About seven years ago, Evan slid into my DMs on Instagram, complimenting my smile and eyes. We exchanged messages for a couple of weeks before I agreed to a first date. When I first met Evan for the date he wasn’t as tall as I imagined, but he was charming, good looking and had piercing blue eyes. Evan said he was instantly taken with my blue eyes, blonde hair and big smile but once we got to talking, he realized I had brains too.
The ‘one’.
I am not sure there was one single moment where I realized, but our passion and connection has always been undeniable and I could never imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone but him.
The proposal.
Evan planned a date night at Kisume in Melbourne where he had arranged a bottle of Billie Cart Champagne on arrival and popped the question there and then! He was on one knee asking if I’d be Ellie Rose McDonald, and blinded me with my gorgeous ring – I, of course, said yes! And then my parents surprised me by joining us for the celebrations. It was so special.
Planning process.
Our style inspiration was classic, chic and elegant. Most of my inspiration came from real weddings.
The ceremony.
The ceremony space was so dreamy and intimate, the live soloist with the acoustic cover of Adore U sent shivers down my spine it was so breathtaking, but locking eyes with my husband was the most special part about it. Our celebrant was so lovely and really captured our story well. My son was very overstimulated, so not everything was smooth sailing – but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
The outfits.
Evan knew straight away where he would go for his tuxedo, meanwhile I tried on over 30 dresses in two days! But as soon as I tried on my dress I knew it was the one – despite it being completely different to what I had originally envisioned.
Favourite moments.
I have a few, but my top two would be our first kiss as husband and wife and our golden hour photoshoot. This was so fun, playful and a really nice opportunity for some 1:1 time to enjoy one another.
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage means choosing one another every day, regardless of the weather. Supporting the other in the rough moments and celebrating the wins and successes. It means showing up and putting in the work to be the best version of yourself so you can give to the marriage and family.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle song: Adore U acoustic cover live by Sidney
Recessional: Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac
Reception Entry: Dreams by Jolyon Petch, Reigan
First Dance: Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish
Funny stories/near disasters.
Our two-year-old son was so overstimulated and overwhelmed that he cried at my feet during the first half of the ceremony, standing right on the train of my dress. But we cuddled it out and made everything very relatable to what our life is really like as parents. He missed his Mumma, is all.
Planning surprises.
I think what took me by surprise was how much cognitive space planning actually takes up, but also how incredible it was to see my suppliers work as a team to pull it all together. The photos really wowed my husband and I.
Words of wisdom.
Plan the day you envision and not what others expect. Have fun with it and take the time to enjoy one another throughout the process. It really is a love bubble to rehash your history as a couple.
For more luxe looks, check out Chanel & Tim’s chic city nuptials.
ELLIE & EVAN’S SUPPLIERS:
Ceremony & reception venue: Sophia at the Prahran Arcade
Celebrant: Emma Tomlinson – Emma was extremely professional and exudes a lovely warm and playful energy. We knew Emma was amazing as we had attended a friend’s wedding who also hired Emma.
Photography: Motta Weddings – We were blown away with Alex’s level of professionalism, energy on the day and amazing instructions to really capture our personalities. He exceeded our expectations and we cannot get enough of the photo’s he produced.
Videography: Annette & Dani – Worked so cohesively with Alex, were so great to work with and really put any nerves at ease. We cannot wait to see what they put together for us.
Styling: Draping by Pro Light Styling – Such a wow feature and beautifully done to elevate the dining room.
Florist: Charlie and Co Flowers Nailed the brief! Super happy with how the flowers worked out, he also did the candles and arranged for pack down too. Reasonably priced.
Hair: Salon Gabrielle Livinia was punctual, professional and slayed every hairstyle! All our styles remained in place all day and night. LOVE Liv’s work.
Make-up: Ellie Schonberg – Ellie was incredible! She made everyone feel like a goddess and even attended the venue for touch ups at a last-minute request.
The dresses: Wedding dress & veil – KYHA Studios. Second dress: Aston Bridal.
Shoes: Tony Bianco and Billini
Rings: Parker Diamonds
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Bec and Bridge
Suits & ties: Eddy Elias
Catering/ bar: Atlantic Group – everyone raved about the food, and the oyster butlers serving freshly shucked oysters during canape hour was next level! Cocktails were perfectly curated, the custom cocktail was exactly as we requested!
Cake: The Cake Club – exactly as we hoped.
Stationery: Athena at Cyllene Collective did our menus/place cards and was such a delight to deal with. Produced exactly what we were after in a timely fashion during the Christmas period, at a really affordable cost!
Signage: Frames hired from Blush and Fleur Events again, affordable and great to deal with. Signs done by my brother Rory at Wrap Wave.
Wishing well hire: Wish Me Well Co This was so stunning and very great to deal with – flexible with collection and drop off and responsive communication.
Entertainment: Your Girl Sidney from the Paper Hearts Agency for ceremony and canape hour – she was so phenomenal and had so many guests comment on how beautiful her performance was. DJ and MC – Josh from Married to the Groove – Great set up, great vibe and really professional!
Transport: Full Throttle Entourage – The driver was so helpful, friendly and the limo was gorgeous!
Honeymoon: Greek Islands
