Real Wedding – Melissa & Ben, Dromana VIC

The beautiful Mornington Peninsula played a part in Melissa and Ben’s romantic engagement story, so it was only fitting they also said their “I do’s” along the picturesque coastline.

Keeping styling to a minimum – the venue speaks for itself – Melissa’s vision of a classic and elegant colour scheme, with pops of vibrant pink accents and a touch of golden glamour – was executed to perfection.

The pair were relaxed and radiating happiness on their special day and  Tess Follett documented it all beautifully.

IN THEIR WORDS…

The meeting.

We met three years ago at bar in Melbourne. We’re both originally from Northern Victoria so knew of one another, but hadn’t really officially met. We hit it off instantly as we both had a lot in common and knew that fate must have had something to do with us seeing each other that night!

The ‘one’.

From the moment I met Ben, I knew he was different to all the rest. We had this amazing connection and it felt like we became best friends in just a few weeks. We could talk for hours and had the same life values and goals. Before we knew it, we’d moved in together, purchased a home and Ben had popped the question!

The proposal.

It was a beautiful Saturday so Ben suggested with go for a drive around Mornington Peninsula. The weather was perfect so we decided to go down to Flinders for a walk around the lighthouse. We stopped at a lookout and he asked if he could borrow something out of my bag. When I opened my bag there was a box in there. He pulled it out and got down on one knee and popped the question! It took me awhile to respond because the ring was AMAZING and I could not believe that I’d been carrying it around for half an hour!! Lots of tears were flowing!

The planning.

I’m a very organised person, so most of the planning was done in the first few months, which was hard at the time because it was so far away, but it made the whole process so much smoother and it meant we secured the suppliers that we wanted.

Style inspiration.

We had such a beautiful venue so I’d decided from the beginning that minimal styling was best and to let the venue speak for itself. As soon as we were engaged and we’d picked the venue, I knew that gold, copper and deep pinks would be my colour inspiration. It was my style – elegant and the pop of colour brought that element of fun. Everything came together perfectly; it was exactly how I imagined it would be.

The dress.

I went in with a very open mind; I just knew that I wanted something that was elegant and timeless. My Mum and sister decided to take me down High Street in Armadale just to have a look around and get an idea on what I was looking for. When we walked into The Bridal Atelier I had a feeling I’d find the one. I picked three dresses to try and by pure chance, they were all from the Unbridled Collection by Dan Jones. His style suited me so well, but I knew when I tried on the Angelica that I’d found the perfect dress. I felt amazing.

I had such a beautiful experience at The Bridal Atelier, all the girls were lovely and made the whole process that bit more special.

Favourite moments.

It’s honestly too hard to name one part, the whole day was amazing!

I loved getting ready with my four closest friends and my Mum. I don’t often have all the people closest to me in one room, so I will always treasure this. I went to the ceremony so relaxed and calm because the girls really made sure I had a stress free day.

Seeing Ben’s face when I walked down the aisle and to hear the words ‘you look amazing, can I kiss you yet!?’ come out of his mouth, made the whole 12 months of analysing my dress worth it! He was the one person I wanted to impress the most!

Once the speeches were done and all the formalities were over, no one left the dance floor! It was a big celebration and that was exactly what we wanted. I love looking at the photos and seeing everyone so happy.

The meaning of marriage.

Marriage is spending the rest of your life with your best friend. It’s finding that person that you want to face the best moments in life with but also the worst.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Love me like you do by Ellie Goulding (acoustic version)

Reception entry: Ho Hey by The Lumineers

First Dance: Wanted by Hunter Hayes (acoustic version)

Planning surprises.

How exhausting it would be! I’m a really organised person and have helped a few people plan their wedding but this was so different. I wanted every element to be perfect and I didn’t realise how much pressure I had put on myself.

Words of wisdom.

Make sure you have a relaxing honeymoon planned, you will need it!

MELISSA AND BEN’S TRIBE.

Location: Trofeo Estate, Dromana – An amazing venue with even more amazing food and wine. They were an absolute pleasure to deal with and Lori made the whole process such a breeze.

Photography: Tess Follett – When we decided not to have a videographer we wanted to find a photographer who tells a story with their photos and boy did we find a good one! Tess is such a creative photographer and captured all the precious moments throughout the day.

Florist: Hello Blossoms – Alison at Hello Blossoms was a pleasure to deal with. I love flowers and I knew it was always going to be hard for me to let go and put my trust in someone else because let’s face it, I didn’t have time to make up flower arrangements the morning of the wedding! Alison listened to everything that I wanted and nailed it.

Hair and makeup: Diane Robertson – Diane is a beautiful person inside and out. I had that much trust in her that if she had of told me to die my hair pink the morning of the wedding I probably would have done it! We all felt amazing and Diane went above and beyond to make sure of that.

The Dress: Unbridled collection by Dan Jones via The Bridal Atelier

Accessories: Samantha Wills

Shoes: Tony Bianco

Rings: Kalfin Jewellery, Collins Street, Melbourne

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Zimmerman

Menswear: MJ Bale

Men’s shoes: Aquila 

Favours: Homemade tomato relish (made by mother of the groom and the bride)

Cake: Cake Ink

Stationery: Minted

Signage:  Short and Spook

Entertainment: Issac Main Entertainment

Honeymoon: Hamilton Island