Real Wedding – Emily & Sam, St Kilda VIC
A beautifully chic vision of modern elegance, Emily and Sam’s St Kilda soiree encapsulates the season’s hues, timeless style and perpetual romance. The Princes Deck always stuns, but with floral magic by Amalfi Floral Design, it is elevated to perfection. Soft cornflower blues transition between vanillas and lilacs, while butter yellow bridesmaid gowns create a captivating contrast.
Punctuating this dream day at every turn are sweetly meaningful and personal moments—from the understated to the obvious, Emily and Sam created a celebration filled with fun and the best of times. And for Emily, having her bridesmaids with her meant even more given they have been best friends since they were nine years old – a celebration together truly a long time in the making.
Emily looked truly radiant in her strapless, artfully draped sheath gown by fashion favourite Kyha, complete with tulle sleeves and a pared-back beauty look by makeup master Ashleigh Fenton Makeup Artistry.
Scroll on for every sweetly stunning moment, captured with echoing emotion and visual artistry by Nikola Janev photography and Love & Other videography.
The meeting.
We met in 2015 at a pub through mutual friends after a long afternoon at the MCG watching the footy. Despite instantly feeling a connection, we didn’t officially start dating until 2017, having met through friends again. From that time on, our paths were intertwined.
The ‘one’.
When we started to realise that we both valued the same things in life. We both loved good times, our friends and family and our pets. We love having a laugh together, and our different personalities balance each other out incredibly well.
The proposal.
Sam proposed at 5:45am as the sun was rising in Port Douglas in September 2022. He dragged me out of bed under the guise of watching the sunrise. We walked up to the cliff tops that overlooked 4 Mile beach. It was beautiful. We then celebrated at an amazing treetop restaurant, Osprey’s, followed by drinks with family and friends. Aperol Spritz ensued.
Planning process.
We got right into wedding research literally the day after Sam proposed! I had so much fun looking through Instagram, Ivory Tribe and Google to find things that suited us. We began to visit all sorts of different locations together, as well as brainstorm potential destinations to host our special day.
As soon as we saw the venue, The Prince Deck in St Kilda, we knew we had found the one. The deck was the perfect backdrop for a summer wedding and allowed us to have the ceremony and reception in one place, which was a massive bonus. Plus, we live together in the area, so it holds sentimental value for us.
The second vendor we locked in was our photographer, Nikola Janev, who we found via Ivory Tribe. From the moment we met Nik we knew we had found someone who truly cared about not only his craft but capturing us and the excitement of our big day. We hired a videographer from Love and Other Photography to work alongside Nik, as the videos we found on their site of other couples were exactly what we wanted.
From there, we were able to secure vendors that we thought suited the vision and vibe we were going for. Our wonderful celebrant, Meriki Comito, shared Nik’s approach of getting to know us to help make everything tailored and bespoke. Bess from Amalfi Floral Design was also incredibly amazing, obliging, genuine and talented. She catered to our exact wants and matched the style we were going for, whilst also allowing us to stay in our budget.
Style inspiration.
We wanted a classic yet modern wedding that, like us, was understated, relaxed and genuine. We opted for a colour palette of whites and blues, which tied into our beach vibe in the heart of St Kilda.
For our ceremony, we wanted our guests to feel at ease and relaxed, like everyone was brought together to have a good time and celebrate our love. For the reception, we wanted a huge party, and for guests to have the time of their lives enjoying good food, company and of course the dance floor.
For inspiration we looked through Instagram, Ivory Tribe (Real Weddings was the best!), Easy Weddings and used recommendations from friends.
The ceremony.
It was beautiful. We’re not showy people, nor are we too traditional. But this was just the right amount of formality mixed with fun. It was special because we had all the people who we held closest to us together, just for us to celebrate with us. We both have different friendship groups, so to have those who meant so much to us all in one place was amazing.
But most of all, it was perfect because we got to celebrate our love for each other with each other and share it with those we love. Many of our guests commented that they could feel so much love in the air, and Meriki did an incredible job at making it so special.
The outfits.
I knew I wanted a gown that was more on the modern side. I went to a few bridal stores and found a few that I was interested in, but as soon as I tried on the Lucia dress from Kyha Studios, I was sold. It fit my body like a glove, and I felt absolutely amazing in it. I paired it with a classic veil and loved how it all came together; there were many tears!
It wasn’t until months later, when I went to pick up my dress, that I asked if I could try on some tulle sleeves with the dress. My mum, my sister and I were blown away. It really made the whole outfit come together and elevated the look completely.
Sam fell in love with a suit jacket early but didn’t act on it until nine months later when he was sure there would be none better. It was from M.J. Bale, and the staff there were fantastic at pairing it with the right pants, shirt and tie.
Favourite moments.
So many! Seeing each other for the first time, saying I do, the trip to the Botanical Gardens with our bridal party for photos, walking in for the first time as a couple, and of course, partying together on the dance floor surrounded by our beautiful friends and family.
Meaning of marriage.
It means a lifetime together. To love each other, to grow together, to start a family. It means always having that person in your corner no matter what and loving them until the end of days.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Stand By Me by Ben E. King
Signing: Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley
Recessional: Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
Reception entry: Sunny by Boney M
First dance: Love Really Hurts Without You by Billy Ocean
Funny stories and near disasters.
Two days before the wedding our DJ pulled out! Because it was a really busy time of year, we struggled to find a replacement. To say we were stressed was an understatement. Luckily, we were able to use two of my bridesmaids’ brothers as the DJ, and Sam’s brother’s friend offered to play his guitar for the ceremony. They were fantastic, especially given they had about 24 hours to prepare from the time we locked them in! it actually worked out for the best, as this meant we had people we knew so well involved in the celebrations.
Planning surprises.
The sheer number of things you need to think about and analyse for so many weeks and months – and then suddenly you just don’t. It goes in a flash – so soak it up while you’re in it!
Also, how amazing vendors can be with getting to know you via coffee catchups and Zoom chats. The whole planning process was very enjoyable, and it felt surreal seeing it all come together on the day.
Words of wisdom.
If possible, repurpose your ceremony flowers and use them for the reception. Get disposable cameras and put them on tables; we got some hilarious and amazing shots! Use Facebook Marketplace to find things like candles and other décor. Don’t let others influence you and make you question your decisions; it’s your big day, and it’s about you.
And a big one: don’t rush into paying deposits to vendors unless you know 100% in your heart that they will share your vision and that you have no doubts.
Ultimately, enjoy this time! It’s the most amazing and special day of your life, so live in the moment and don’t fret about the small stuff!
Emily’s bridesmaids look simply stunning in their citrine hued gowns. But creating a look for your dream day squad can be challenging. We’ve outlined where to start when selecting your bridesmaid fits, here..
EMILY & SAM’S VENDORS
Ceremony & reception venue: Prince Deck, St Kilda. The entire team at Prince were amazing throughout the entire process. We never felt silly for asking endless questions, and Ella and her team catered to our every wish for the evening. The space is absolutely stunning as well, from the pool inside to the gorgeous decking outside.
Celebrant: Meriki Comito – she delivered the most personalised and love-filled ceremony that really reflected who we are.
Photography: Nikola Janev – the most talented and incredible photographer. He really took the time to get to know us and capture everything we wanted for our big day. The photos are stunning and will forever be special to us.
Videography: Love & Other Photography. We had the wonderful and hilarious Sam capture our video. He was a lot of fun to work with on the day and brought really positive vibes!
Styling: We did this ourselves! The Deck is a gorgeous space, so we didn’t need to add much.
Florist: Amalfi Floral Design. Bess is an angel. Everything we wanted, she made happen, and the flowers were breathtaking.
Hair: Hair by Christine Daoud. Christine was exceptional and was able to style the bridal parties’, my mum’s, and my hair to exactly what we wanted; we all absolutely loved our hair. I felt so glamorous!
Make-up: Lenita from Ashleigh Fenton Makeup Artistry. Lenita was a joy to have there with us throughout the day and she made us look incredible. She made me feel a million dollars!
The dress: Lucia gown and tulle Ziva sleeves by Kyha Studios.
Veil: Kyha Studios Carlisle veil.
Shoes: Loeffler Randall Dahlia Pearl Pleated Bow Hill
Rings: Michael Hill
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy. I provided my bridesmaids with the colour I wanted them to wear, and they picked the style they liked the most. I was so excited that they had a release of lemon-coloured dresses, as this is my favourite colour and tied in with the whites and blues of the flowers so well.
Suits & bow ties / ties: MJ Bale. Sam’s suit jacket was called the Whitlock.
Catering & bar: Prince Deck, St Kilda
Cake: Brad from Cake me Crazy – he is so talented! The two-tiered cake he created was so delicious and simply stunning.
Stationery / Signage: We did this ourselves!
Entertainment: For the ceremony we had a friend, George Farrar, play his guitar. For the reception our friends DJ’d.
Transport: We hired a car from City Hire Cars to take us to the Botanical Gardens for wedding party photos. They were prompt, professional and ensured the whole process ran smoothly!
Décor: Balloons from Balloon Envy. Jenna absolutely elevated the pool at the venue with her stunning balloon display and we had so many guests comment on how gorgeous it was.
Honeymoon: We are going to Japan and Europe later this year!
