Real Wedding – Ivanna & Luke, South Yarra VIC
As Luke was trying to lead Ivanna towards a romantic candle lit setting in Greece, she was scolding him for getting in the way of ‘someone’s proposal’.
But it took only her a few moments longer to realise the ‘Will You Marry Me?’ sign had been set up by the same boy she’d first met and fallen in love with at age 16.
Their black-tie summer garden party affair featured vibrant colourful accents, anchored by more classic style choices, that all drew inspiration from the luscious, tousled nature that surrounded their venue.
Ivanna wore a timeless, strapless gown accessorised with a lace trim veil and later made her own through the on-trend addition of chic lace necktie.
Dive into the kaleidoscope of considered details, captured by the artful eye of Kinship by Kristy, below.
The meeting.
We met in 2011, when we were 16, through mutual friends while at a local shopping centre, as teenagers do! We went our separate ways after two years of dating and found our way back to each other after four years apart 2017.
The proposal.
We were on holiday in Europe and met up with friends in Mykonos, Greece. Luke had organised a whole set up at the hotel with candles, rose petals and a sign saying, “Will You Marry Me?”. He was trying to lead me to the set up but I pulled him away from it, scolding him for getting in the way of “someone’s proposal”. He just looked at me and then I realised it was ours! Haha.
Planning process.
The planning was easier than expected because we had an exceptional team of vendors to help us navigate the planning process. We knew from the start that we wanted Gardens House as our venue. A few years ago, we were strolling through the Royal Botanic Gardens, and we pointed at the house saying, “This would be a nice place to get married one day”. So that’s exactly what we did. We also knew which vendors we wanted from the start, which made planning a breeze.
Style inspiration.
We wanted our wedding to be a black-tie summer garden party. I drew a lot of inspiration from the gardens themselves and the sculptural florals that are being created in the floristry industry at the moment. I found a lot of inspiration through Real Weddings, but I also loved looking at styled shoots to see how trends were changing. We really stayed true to what we love and added small trends here and there.
The ceremony.
Our wedding ceremony was the perfect mix of heartfelt and fun. My Dad walking me down the aisle was emotional, and having my best friend as maid of honour, Luke’s brother as best man and my niece as the flower girl made it all the more special. Mike had us facing towards our guests instead of each other during most of the ceremony, so we got to see everyone we loved as we got married.
The outfits.
Luke wore a timeless black tux with a black bow tie.
I also wanted a dress with a minimal and timeless silhouette, and then made it mine with accessories. Once my lace trim veil came off, I replaced it with a lace necktie, which I adore. My favourite part of my outfit, however, was my silver Amina Maddi heels! They drew so much attention from my guests, and I loved showing them off.
Favourite moment.
That’s probably the hardest question to answer. The speeches by Luke, his Mum, my Dad and my maid of honour were so heartfelt and meant the world to us. We had a little bit of time to sit back and soak it all in. It was just incredible to watch everyone for a moment and realise that everyone there was there to celebrate us.
Meaning of marriage.
To us, marriage involves compromise and being accepting of each other’s differences, as long as you have the same core values. Luke and I can be described as opposites in a lot of aspects, but we have the same core values and ethics.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Gary Go – Cinema (acoustic)
Aisle procession: Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Reception entry: Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars
First dance: Moony – Dove (I’ll Be Loving You)
We also played some Greek music to start off the dance floor.
Funny stories.
We learned our first dance moves two days before the wedding. We reached out to our dear friend Deanna from Tie The Knot very last minute. She was so patient with our two left feet.
Our rings also got mixed up during the ceremony. The best man (Luke’s brother) handed Luke his own ring instead of mine, and Luke only realised when he went to put it on me. Kristy captured a photo of Luke the moment he told the celebrant, Mike, that it was the wrong ring. We love that photo!
Planning surprises.
We took on everyone’s advice and words of wisdom, so there weren’t many surprises, luckily.
Words of wisdom.
There’s a lot of noise on social media about what’s trendy or in style, but the most important thing is staying true to yourselves, your personal style, and any traditions that are meaningful to you. When you do that, you’ll create the most meaningful day and won’t have any regrets.
For more garden-themed real wedding aesthetics, check out our back catalogue here.
IVANNA & LUKE’S SUPPLIERS:
Ceremony & reception venue: Gardens House Royal Botanical Gardens
Celebrant: Mike Larkan. Mike kept our ceremony lighthearted and fun. He made us laugh and put our nerves at ease with his dad jokes, even when we mixed up the rings! We couldn’t have asked for anyone better to marry us.
Photography: Kinship by Kristy. Kristy was incredible the whole day. She was on top of keeping us on schedule and catching those smaller moments between guests that mean so much to us.
Videography: Petite Visuals. Morgane brought such a fun energy to our day and created such a hassle-free experience.
Styling: Ivory Made Studio. Michelle went above and beyond from pre-wedding meetings through to the pack down of the night and everything in between. I can’t thank her enough for making our venue look incredible.
Florist: Salt Flower. Tamasin and Zara are so creative! I gave them so many different references of flowers and colours I liked, and they brought it all together so seamlessly. The arrangements were so fun and brought so much life. They came back later in the night to pack down the reception flowers, turning them into bouquets for guests to take home.
Hair: Julia Erkotidis Hair
Make-up: Makeup by Alessandra
The dress: Hera Couture from Bluebell Bridal
Veil: Popovski from Bluebell Bridal
Necktie: A.B. Ellie
Shoes: Amina Muaddi
Rings: Top Image Jewellery
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Effie Kats
Suits & ties: B.K. Wolfe
Catering & bar: Atlantic Group
Favours: Wedding florals wrapped by Salt Flower
Cake: Get Caked by Lisa
Stationery / Signage: Design Studio Samantha
Entertainment: Melbourne Entertainment Company. Nathan from Melbourne Entertainment Company helped create a magical atmosphere with his saxophone. We got compliments about Nathan from every guest!
Transport: Black Buick Wedding Cars
Décor: Bloom wishing well by Ciara Aloisio hired from Events by Dem.
Content creation: Sarah Davoli Studio
First dance choreography: Tie The Knot
Honeymoon: Japan
