Real Wedding – Paris & Max, South Melbourne VIC
Sleek, sophisticated glamour with a modern feel was the style ethos underpinning Paris and Max’s epic celebration.
Cloud-like arrangements of soft blush and vanilla roses brought a timeless, romantic sensibility to the gorgeously emotive ceremony, whilst reception venue Vue de Monde and music superstars Hey Jack added a sense of dramatic elegance.
But the standout element from this indisputably stunning day? The effusive, genuinely joy-filled emotion echoing from every frame by photographery legend Maegan Brown.
Paris and Max made the wise choice to carefully curate their vendor team, led by stylists and coordinators Cloth and Confetti, attributing the ease and effortless feels they had on their dream day to this talented bunch of humans.
We adore every moment of this love-up, visually vibrant narrative, and are sure you will too.
The meeting.
Paris and I met on New Year’s Eve in Melbourne in 2017, it was love at first glance.
The one.
I think we knew after the first hour! It was an instant and magnetic bond.
The proposal.
Paris was one month pregnant with our son and was very unwell with morning sickness. I gave her some morning sickness tablets and packed the dry biscuits, telling her we were going on a baby moon. A chauffeur pulled up and drove us to the airport, where a private helicopter awaited us. She had no idea and was in shock. We flew down the Sunshine Coast and inland to our favourite resort, Spicers Clovelly, where we landed and were taken to a set-up I had organised. She still had no idea! Paris thought it was a photo shoot. When she had turned to look at the view, the photographer was ready, and I bent down on one knee and popped the question! We still have no idea how she got through the day so sick, but it was certainly unforgettable.
Planning process.
We started planning a year and a half before, so we had loads of time and made sure we got all the vendors we wanted. It was very easy and smooth, and such a great experience.
Style inspiration.
We wanted a soft and elegant feel with elements of modern and classic touches. We had lots of inspo on our vision boards, which really helped the vendors craft the vision.
We found inspo through styled shoots and then links to vendors that can make those specific looks happen. Sometimes, if you have a vision, you can find it quite hard to get the right team to execute that vision well. I find looking for vendors who have experience in creating that specific look just helps so much more, but if you don’t know where to find them, it’s so much harder to know where to start.
The ceremony.
I think having our families involved in walking down the aisle was amazing. We also both walked down the aisle, and with both our parents, we also had our son involved, which made it just so special.
The outfits.
Paris had a very specific look she was going for and wanted a custom gown. She spoke with a lot of people, got recommendations and met with lots of designers. She landed on Annette of Melbourne, and Rose worked with her to create the most amazing gown. I think what made that so special was that Rose asked Paris not to show her any inspo and to talk to her instead about what the dress was that she had imagined for herself that day. Rose literally sketched the exact dress on a piece of paper, just from a conversation. It was an incredible moment and was what helped Paris make the final decision in choosing a designer.
I, being trans, wanted to work with someone who could craft a suit to fit my body perfectly. Having someone who could work with me on that was important. I met with a few tailors and landed on Bespoke Corner in South Yarra. Patrick worked one-on-one with me and made me feel so comfortable and confident. The suit was exactly what I wanted and fitted like a glove.
Favourite moment.
For me, Max, I think it was being able to share this important moment with all my friends and family and seeing everyone together. Also, as a queer family fighting so hard to be able to celebrate our love and being so honored to do so just like everyone else!
For Paris, it is hard to pick one, but our first dance was a big one. We spent a lot of time and care choreographing our dance, and both being performers and being able to perform together was so special to me, and I enjoyed every moment!
Meaning of marriage.
Max: It means being there for that person, no matter what or when, knowing you have each other and knowing you have each other’s backs, through anything and everything.
Paris: It’s loving each other unconditionally and choosing to show up for one another no matter what, and until the end of time.
Wedding soundtrack.
The family and Max walked down to A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, and Paris walked down to Always Remember Us This Way by Lady Gaga. Our first dance was to Never Tear Us Apart by INXS.
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Max had an asthma attack right before we were about to do the entrance at reception, not funny at the time, but hilarious after, we all thought, oh geez, there goes the Groom!
Also, our reception venue was at Vue De Monde, literally the best view in Melbourne, as we were sitting down for our entrée, a large cloud came out of nowhere and wrapped the whole building, blocking the view for the REST of the evening! We were gutted! We literally laughed so hard in disbelief as we were like this must be a joke, what is happening.
Max had also planned a secret song he had rehearsed to sing for me; he was a singer in a past life, and I had never seen him perform or sing, only he and the DJ knew it was happening. He sang his song and everyone including me went wild, and then as the vocalist from the band went to start singing their first song of the evening, the mic cut out, and didn’t come back on again the whole evening for the entertainment, it turns out the system was broken and so we had to have the DJ play all night with the Sax player alone, it really spoiled the music aspect of it as we had a lot of amazing vocal songs planned. We were just so glad it didn’t happen when Max was doing his song!
Planning surprises.
Yes, the additional costs at the end, sometimes when you think everything is paid for, it isn’t!
Words of wisdom.
Start early! The earlier the better; this way, you don’t miss out on anything, and you have ample time to plan and choose your vision.
Anything else you want to add?
You are nothing without your team. When you plan and choose your vendors, really meet with them and get to know them before choosing, these people will make or break your day, and it’s all in their hands. Our wedding was perfect, and I truly believe it was because we had the best team possible, who understood us and what we wanted.
Also, take a moment together on the day to be alone and remember what that feels like; the day goes so quickly, and you don’t get to see each other much.
Lastly, if you can get a coordinator on the day to make sure everything runs smoothly, it’s worth its weight in gold! There is nothing worse than having to be present in the moment but also worry about what the catering is doing and if the band will enter at the moment you need them to when you start walking down the Aisle. Lean on your team; it will make your day so much better.
Love the dramatic elegance of Paris and Max’s dream day? Maegan Brown also shot Olivia and James’ inner city soiree, complete with another iconic custom gown and epic amounts of fun.
PARIS & MAX’S VENDORS
We sourced a lot of inspiration from Pinterest to begin with, to build our vision boards, and then turned to Instagram to find vendors. We also had a lot of chats with our celebrant and friends who got married in the last few years to get advice and recommendations.
Ceremony venue: Royal Botanical Gardens – Melbourne, Curtis Stone Group
Reception venue: Vue De Monde
Celebrant: Megan Watson – Marry Me Megan
Photography: Maegan Brown
Videography: Luca Zarik
Styling, decor & hire: Cloth & Confetti – reception, Melbourne Event Florals – ceremony.
Florist: Melbourne Event Florals – ceremony and some reception elements. Little Gem – most of the reception.
Hair: Julia Erkotidis
Make-up: Laura Difrancesco
The dress & veil: Annette Of Melbourne
Shoes: Groom – Louboutin, Bride – Aquazzura
Rings: Bride – Anton, Groom – Cavetta
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Nooki
Suits: Bespoke Corner – Groom, Dyonsu – Grooms party.
Bow ties / ties: Le Papillion
Catering & bar: Vue De Monde – reception, Curtis Stone Group – ceremony
Favours: Foxtails & Co
Cake: Caked By Lisa
Stationery / Signage: Cloth & Confetti
Entertainment: Hey Jack
Transport: Exotic Cars Melbourne & Crown Casino
Honeymoon: TBC (lol!), we have a 2.5 year old – honeymoon is a little way off.
Other: Coordinator – Cloth & Confetti.
