Real Wedding – Randy & Gerry, South Melbourne VIC
Real Wedding – Randy & Gerry, South Melbourne VIC
Real Wedding – Randy & Gerry, South Melbourne VIC
Real Wedding – Randy & Gerry, South Melbourne VIC

Real Wedding – Randy & Gerry, South Melbourne VIC

 

For a wedding filled with everything a cracking celebration should be, look no further than Randy and Gerry’s epic, emotion-filled occasion. Bursting with bold, bright styling, megawatt smiles, and so much laughter, this is a day to delight the senses.

The absolute joy and excitement radiating from every incredible image by wonder-worker Tess Follet begins from the minute these two stunning souls caught sight of each other from either end of the aisle. Randy was a true party princess in a bead-embellished, glamour gown from Marquis Bridal, and we can’t help but applaud Gerry’s inspired choice of candy pink jacket.

Taking the vibrant tone into the reception were florals by Billie Jean Botanicals; textures of lush palms and pampas against vivacious hits of vermillion and apricot, with lashings of peach.

The moment that brought the tears to our eyes was seeing Gerry’s family in Ireland, who were involved in every moment of the day via zoom; proving that even mid-pandemic, connection and love cannot be overcome. To enjoy a celebration filled with love, light and so much laughter, get scrolling!

 

 

The meeting.

We met on the dating app Tinder.

 

The ‘one’.

We knew after three months of dating. We were inseparable and couldn’t imagine our lives without each other.

 

The proposal.

Gerry is from a small country town in Ireland called Trim. This town has an 11th-century medieval castle, which is my favourite place in Trim and all of Ireland.

Gerry had grand plans to propose on our last trip to Europe when we went to visit his family; he had the ring ready to go. Initially, he was going to do it in Venice, which was one of the last stops of our Euro trip, then thought he couldn’t wait that long, so he decided to do it at Trim Castle the morning after we landed in Ireland (the first stop).

On the morning after we landed, I had gone for a walk on my own, and Gerry had told everyone in the house what he was about to do that day. I came home to get cleaned up and dressed for the day. Gerry walked into our room, and I was in the ensuite putting on mascara in front of the mirror. I was complaining about how hungry I was and that I needed to eat before doing anything that day, and then Gerry responded with, “well, I need to do this, turn around”. I turned around, and he was on one knee in the bathroom and popped the question. His family were shocked when we walked into the kitchen and said we were engaged; their initial response was, “What happened to the castle?!”. We now fondly refer to it as the ‘toilet proposal’.

 

Planning process.

The planning was fun until covid hit, and then it was stressful. We had to change our expectations on a number of occasions.

The one very hard decision was deciding to proceed with the wedding without having any of Gerry’s family from Ireland attend. We had to postpone it once, and after that we thought, we are not doing this again, so we decided to go ahead on the second date and get married with whatever restrictions were in place at the time.

Luckily, on that specific date, we managed to have the wedding we wanted (no masks, all our Australian guests, dance floor) and in order to include Gerry’s family as much as we could, they had pre-recorded video speeches which were played on the night, and they were with us the whole time on zoom.

 

Style inspiration. 

We wanted British India vibes: lush greenery, palms, pampas and orange and peach tones. But we had to change the colour palette slightly when Gerry decided he wanted to wear a pink jacket!

 

The outfit. 

I wanted to wear an A-Line dress, but when I tried them on it didn’t suit me. I am short, so I just got lost in it. I went to Marquise Bridal and tried on a figure-hugging dress, and it was the most flattering dress I had tried on, so that was what I picked. However, it was not what I had in mind at all.

 

Favourite moments.

For me, it was the moment when I linked arms with my Dad, and I was just about to walk up the aisle. I felt this insane rush of excitement as I was about to see Gerry; that excitement stayed with me throughout the whole night.  Gerry says it was seeing me walk down the aisle. We were both nervous an hour before the ceremony started and then when we saw each other, it was liberating, it was happiness, it was EVERYTHING!

 

Meaning of marriage.

Continuation, next steps and celebration. It’s a celebration of taking the next step whilst continuing to treat each other with the same love, respect, and fondness that has brought us together. It’s an acknowledgement of a commitment that’s already there.

 

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: The Way You Love Me by DJ Spen and the Muthafunkers

Signing: Wanna Be Your Lover by Prince and Best Things In Life Are Free by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson

Recessional: Sing Hallelujah by Dr Alban

Reception entry: We had traditional Sri Lankan dancers and drummers lead the whole bridal party into the reception.

First dance: The Music Sounds Better With You by Stardust

 

Funny stories or near disasters.

In the personal vows we wrote and read during the ceremony, we both forgot to include the legal sentence, so we had to have a mini ceremony saying the legal part in front of our witnesses during the signing of the marriage certificate.

 

Planning surprises.

My Mum organised the Sri Lankan drummers and dancers, and they exceeded our expectations. It was an amazing performance including horns, drums, and backflips. The guests loved it!

 

Words of wisdom.

Plan the wedding that represents you as a couple.

 

 

Your ceremony can be the perfect party kick-starter if done right. We’ve gathered some of the best celebrants in the biz, all with their own incredible style, to help tell your story in a way that sets the tone for a truly spectacular celebration! Pour yourself a glass of bubbles and get browsing, here.

 

 

RANDY & GERRY’S VENDORS:

Ceremony and reception venue: Half Acre, South Melbourne.

Celebrant: Duck Duck Loose. Will Anderson, our friend and wedding guest. Heartwarming but also hilarious!

Photography: Tess Follett Photography. We fell in love with her style of photography and had to have her. On the day, Tess was amazing in every single aspect. She made us feel comfortable and was super-efficient, so we didn’t spend too much time away from our guests, and we laughed the whole time we were with her.

Videography: him and her art. Our dear friend Stuart Kennie, who was a wedding guest, a groomsmen and an MC. He did everything with pure joy. The finished product is better than we could have ever hoped for.

Florist: Billie Jean Botanicals. Hilary was delightful to work with and very accommodating because we changed our mind so much! The table arrangements were STUNNING!

Hair: Hair by Julia

Make-up: Amy Kenny Make-up 

The dress and veil: Marquise Bridal

Shoes: Loeffler Randall

Rings: Krista McRae

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Bec + Bridge and maid of honour: Viktoria and Woods

Grooms suit and bow ties: InStitchu

Groomsmen’s suits: Formal Red

Catering and bar: Food & Desire

Favours: Individually wrapped pieces of Sri Lankan Wedding Cake organized by my mum, Patty.

Cake: Ceri Melzer our friend and wonderful chef

Stationery / Signage: Paperlust 

Entertainment: DJ Karl Brady, our friend

Transport: Our friend Swaz Thangarahjah organized all the cars

Décor: Southern Lights Candles, Billie Jean Botanicals.

Hire: Small Things Co

Honeymoon: Byron Bay

 




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