Real Wedding – Pasquale & Natalie, Melbourne VIC
The warmth and love that Natalie and Pas share simply oozes out of every artfully captured Tess Follett image from their spectacular Melbourne wedding day.
From the chic fashion choices to the rich history of their chosen venues, deconstructed florals in abundance and guests donning a black tie dress code – it was elegance at every turn, sprinkled with the heart and humour of a couple who is wildly in love.
Nat’s emotional entrance to their ceremony, punctuated by the sweet sounds of a string quartet, and flanked by her treasured father and grandfather, will remain in their hearts and minds forever more, before they heard their love story seamlessly shared by their celebrant, Natalie Drum.
Heading off to the glorious George Ballroom to set their dance floor alight – it’s safe to say this dream day had it all – they couldn’t speak more highly of their team of suppliers and the smiles that didn’t leave their faces truly speak for themselves.
The meeting.
We were so young! We met just after high school at a New Year’s party because we had some mutual friends. Pas reached out to me over Facebook – which I guess is the modern equivalent of ‘sliding into her dm’s.’ We both were not really looking for a relationship at the time, but we got along so well, and after our first date at the local ice cream shop, the rest was history!
The ‘one’.
Pas: I realised Natalie was the one when she would give up her Saturdays to come watch me play soccer – rain, hail or shine. She was just so kind, supportive and selfless.
Natalie: Family is so important to me, so when I saw the way Pas treated my family like his own, I knew he was the one for me.
The proposal.
We were living in Sydney at the time, and it happened early on a Saturday morning. We were on our favourite walk around the Sydney Botanical Gardens, and he popped the question! The day was then spent celebrating at all our favourite Sydney spots.
Planning process.
Planning started during lockdown approximately one year before the wedding. We thought we would start with the larger items: venue, photographer and celebrant. Once these were locked in, we then started making our way through Pinterest and Instagram, looking for design inspiration. We then locked in Tegan from Honesty Flora and the crew from One Mimosa Please to bring it all to life. Leading up to the wedding, both Nat and I took the week off to get the last-minute things sorted and enjoy a little downtime before our big day.
Nat and I found suppliers very helpful, and we leaned on them for their recommendations and expertise. Tess (our photographer) recommended Natalie Drum, who then became our celebrant. We also found friends who had been married a great resource as they were able to let us know where to focus our attention.
For styling and wedding dress inspiration, Pinterest was a huge resource, along with magazines like vogue living for styling tips and ideas.
Style inspiration.
Growing up in Melbourne, we wanted to choose iconic venues that would be the focus of the day and wouldn’t need much decorating.
We chose the Portico Balcony at the Melbourne Town Hall for our ceremony. The architecture is so beautiful, and you feel like you’ve been transported back in history.
We both believed that a wedding should reflect both the traditional and formality of the occasion, so we chose the heritage-listed George Ballroom for the reception. Neither Nat nor I get many chances to dress in black tie, so we tried to choose venues that would. Like the Town Hall, The Ballroom was so beautifully ornate and felt old worldly. It was the first venue that we visited, and we booked it right away!
For the flowers, Spring was our biggest inspiration, and controversially – no roses! We opted for lots of wildflowers, daisies, chamomile and ranunculus.
The ceremony.
Besides the venue, seeing all of our family and friends gathered in one space to celebrate with us was the most special thing.
Natalie’s good friend Hannah played the violin for us. Her Nonno walked her down the aisle, and my grandmother brought over the rings. The whole ceremony was filled with so many special moments!
The look.
Pas: I wanted a classic tux. James Bond and the Oscars were my inspiration, so I just went from there.
Nat: Finding a dress was harder than I thought, and I only left myself eight months (which apparently is not enough time!). I came across Danielle Frankel’s designs a while ago and loved the way they looked so effortless, modern and romantic all at the same time. Then when I started working with Mia from Mia Atelier, we used that as our inspiration!
For the reception, I changed into a slinky Michael lo Sordo number so I could dance the night away!
Favourite moments.
Nat’s favourite moment was walking down the aisle. For me, it was seeing Nat walk down the aisle for the first time with her dad and grandad on either arm. We also can’t forget about the dance floor!
Meaning of marriage.
We are both really family-orientated, and I think I think it’s important to make that commitment formally to each other and say that no matter what, I love you and I am always here to support you.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Ave Maria, played by one of Natalie’s closest friends and her string quartet.
Reception entry: Jump by Pointer Sisters
First dance: God Blessed Our Love by Al Green
Funny stories or near disasters.
Funny enough, no near disasters. Just a house move and a little bit of stress to go with it.
Planning surprises.
Natalie was surprised at how early you need to start planning a wedding dress.
No matter how prepared you think you are, there will always be curveballs in the lead-up.
Words of wisdom.
Pick the two to three most important things to you and start with those when planning.
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Don’t move house prior to the wedding!
Enjoy it because it goes by so quickly.
Pas and Nat’s stunning celebration was the perfect cocktail of fun, fabulous styling, heartfelt moments and it all began with their ceremony. For our hot take on the ceremony situation and all of what you should consider – click here.
PAS & NATALIE’S VENDORS
We found most of our vendors through Instagram; that’s how we found Tess, Moon and Back, One Mimosa Please and Mia from Mia Atelier. Tess actually recommended Natalie Drum, and Tegan (Florist) has her studio right around the corner from Natalie’s parents, so she would always drive by and admire her arrangements from the window!
Ceremony venue: Portico Balcony at the Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne CBD
Reception venue: The George Ballroom, St Kilda, Melbourne
Celebrant: Natalie Drum. I mean, where do we start?! Nat was absolutely perfect and made the ceremony so thoughtful and personable. She is light-hearted, warm, and so easy to get to know. On the day, Nat was more than just a celebrant – she made sure everything ran smoothly from the suppliers, guests, musicians and bridal party. 20/10 amazing!
Photography: Tess Follett. Tess is one very talented photographer, and we are so lucky to have been able to snap her up for our wedding day! Tess just knows how to capture moments perfectly, and her candid style of photography reflects this. Tess made it so much fun, and her bubbly and kind personality made us feel so comfortable. Couldn’t recommend her highly enough!
Videography: Moon & Back. The process was easy, the team was super friendly, and on the day, they were like a fly on the wall!
Styling: N/A. Pas and I visited a few antique stores before the wedding and collected little glass vases/jars and bowls to help style the tables, alongside coloured candlesticks and some fruit to really set the scene!
Florist: Honesty Flora. I (Nat) used to drive past Tegan’s studio in Thornbury all the time and think her arrangements were the most amazing things, so to be able to work with her was so special. She really understood our vision and brought it to life in a way that exceeded our expectations!
Hair & make-up: Carla Dyson. I don’t really wear much make-up, so I wanted something super natural for both make-up and hair. Carla nailed the brief!!
The dresses: Mia Atelier (ceremony) and Michael lo Sordo (reception). Mia and I bonded over our love for Danielle Frankel’s wedding dress designs! Mia is very sweet and super talented. She worked so hard to create the perfect dress, which I wish I could wear again and again!
Veil: Mia Atelier (ceremony)
Shoes: Pas wore Santoni Brogues
Rings: Sarah & Sebastian (wedding ring), Natalie Marie (engagement ring)
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy
Suits: Institchu
Catering & bar: Damn Fine Food
Cake: Jemima from Zephyr & Bloom
Stationery / Signage: One Mimosa Please
Entertainment: String Quartet & DJ
Transport: Hughes Cars
Honeymoon: Europe next year!
Other: We had disposable & polaroid cameras on the tables, which was a great way for guests to capture the evening, and it was so fun looking through them afterwards.
