Modern DIY Wedding in Melbourne
After 10 years together, this darling duo gathered their worlds for one classically elegant celebration. From the confetti covered picnic to the Graceful Flowers centerpieces honoring of the Bride's late grandmother, every detail Daniella Melfi delivered in this gallery is filled with love and laughter, and you can see it all here and more from Luxe Film House below!
From the beautiful Bride... Living in Sydney and getting married in Melbourne was a breeze as we had a clear idea of what we wanted (being together for 10 years gave us a lot of thinking time) and promised we would never loose sight of what the big day was all about.
Encore was the first venue we set our eyes on. We only visited 2 other venues on that day but knew nothing was going to compare to the class and sophistication that Encore oozed. We immediately fell in love with it and knew it was the perfect place to bring our Melbourne and Sydney worlds together. We looked no further and locked in 16th Nov 2014.. I moved very quickly after the date was set and got in contact with Daniella Melfi, a girl I used to go to high school with. I had been watching her establish herself into an amazing photographer over the years and knew she would be a huge asset to our wedding day and us. I knew very well I was looking too eager contacting her and paying a deposit in August 2013 for a wedding in November 2014 but I couldn't bare the thought of not having her. She assured me I was doing the right thing and advised me to secure as much as I could then to avoid the disappointment later!! That advise was by far the best I received. By confirming suppliers early on I was able tick all of the boxes leading up to the wedding which left me with a lot of time to focus on little things closer to the date.
After locking in Daniella, I called my sister’s best friend Nikki Feeney. A person and career I had also kept a close eye on. Nikki runs her own videography company and I was adamant on supporting her and her work. I have known her for many years and was confident she would capture the day for us and would provide footage that we will someday show our children and grandchildren. When we got the highlight video back I was blown away, she exceeded our expectations and in the end gave us a gift we will cherish forever. Both Daniella and Nikki worked wonderfully together from the get go and most of the time we didn't know they were around. They were professional and discrete but most of all invested and we had the security of knowing they had our best interests at heart.
Mason Jars were a must on my list as they are both elegant and classic. I found A Vintage Affair on a wedding website who have an abundance of stock to hire out for all occasions. Kathryn, the owner was outstanding and showered me with her wealth of knowledge and confidence in styling. She was a pleasure to deal with and a true beauty in the wedding industry.
Family and friends are those who Brad and I hold most dear. Those who have taught us and helped shape who we are today... I will forever consider myself lucky for the women in my life who are so talented and were able to contribute to our wedding day with their bare hands.
My sister who is an artist did our website, stationery & bonbonierre. I have always been obsessed with fortune cookies and was so excited when I found a company who allow personalized messages in their fortune cookies. We bought little brown paper bags for the cookies to sit in. My sister created a design for the bags with each guests name printed on them. They doubled up as a Place Card and Bonbonierre. It reduced clutter on the table as we had shared entrée and was a great way to thank our guests.
My mum, a bridal florist, along with her colleagues who we call our ‘flower angels’ worked tirelessly the night before the wedding to construct our bouquets, centerpieces, flowers for the church and my biggest request: the overhead arrangement that sat perfectly and proudly above our circular bridal table.
My auntie is a hairdresser and without hesitation agreed to do everyone's hair.My cousin made our delicious cake, which was served as a roaming canapé for desert.My grandmother’s best friend made my dress. She has been a dressmaker for as long as she can remember and created a dress I will never forget.
Another special woman in my life was my Nana who sadly is no longer with us. I wanted to pay tribute to her so I called on my Uncle to help. I asked him to trek the farm she was raised on for a tree that had fallen. He found a few then cut the trunks into discs that would become the base of our centerpieces.
I quickly learnt that weddings give you so many opportunities to showcase who you are as a couple and where you have come from. I put a lot of thought into the day and, to think that I was pouring sentimental value into as much as I possibly could, confirmed we were destined to have the best day of our lives.
Highlights of the day that stand out and I know I will always reflect on are when we exchanged our vows. I don't think I have ever been more open or believed in a promise as much in my life. It was an honest moment shared with our loved ones and a feeling that is indescribable. Another would be the look on all of our guests' faces when we surprised them with a flash mob performance. The delight, shock and excitement was priceless. Seeing my grandparents in the photo booth with silly faces and wigs on was also a delight to see!
Last but certainly not least would be when we threw confetti at the picnic we had arranged at a nearby park after the ceremony. In my mind it was going to be fabulous part of the day being surrounded by friends, having a drink and a second to relax before the more serious events took place. What I got was so much more. That moment we counted down together then released the confetti was powerful and created true happiness.
Encore was the first venue we set our eyes on. We only visited 2 other venues on that day but knew nothing was going to compare to the class and sophistication that Encore oozed. We immediately fell in love with it and knew it was the perfect place to bring our Melbourne and Sydney worlds together. We looked no further and locked in 16th Nov 2014.. I moved very quickly after the date was set and got in contact with Daniella Melfi, a girl I used to go to high school with. I had been watching her establish herself into an amazing photographer over the years and knew she would be a huge asset to our wedding day and us. I knew very well I was looking too eager contacting her and paying a deposit in August 2013 for a wedding in November 2014 but I couldn't bare the thought of not having her. She assured me I was doing the right thing and advised me to secure as much as I could then to avoid the disappointment later!! That advise was by far the best I received. By confirming suppliers early on I was able tick all of the boxes leading up to the wedding which left me with a lot of time to focus on little things closer to the date.
After locking in Daniella, I called my sister’s best friend Nikki Feeney. A person and career I had also kept a close eye on. Nikki runs her own videography company and I was adamant on supporting her and her work. I have known her for many years and was confident she would capture the day for us and would provide footage that we will someday show our children and grandchildren. When we got the highlight video back I was blown away, she exceeded our expectations and in the end gave us a gift we will cherish forever. Both Daniella and Nikki worked wonderfully together from the get go and most of the time we didn't know they were around. They were professional and discrete but most of all invested and we had the security of knowing they had our best interests at heart.
Mason Jars were a must on my list as they are both elegant and classic. I found A Vintage Affair on a wedding website who have an abundance of stock to hire out for all occasions. Kathryn, the owner was outstanding and showered me with her wealth of knowledge and confidence in styling. She was a pleasure to deal with and a true beauty in the wedding industry.
Family and friends are those who Brad and I hold most dear. Those who have taught us and helped shape who we are today... I will forever consider myself lucky for the women in my life who are so talented and were able to contribute to our wedding day with their bare hands.
My sister who is an artist did our website, stationery & bonbonierre. I have always been obsessed with fortune cookies and was so excited when I found a company who allow personalized messages in their fortune cookies. We bought little brown paper bags for the cookies to sit in. My sister created a design for the bags with each guests name printed on them. They doubled up as a Place Card and Bonbonierre. It reduced clutter on the table as we had shared entrée and was a great way to thank our guests.
My mum, a bridal florist, along with her colleagues who we call our ‘flower angels’ worked tirelessly the night before the wedding to construct our bouquets, centerpieces, flowers for the church and my biggest request: the overhead arrangement that sat perfectly and proudly above our circular bridal table.
My auntie is a hairdresser and without hesitation agreed to do everyone's hair.My cousin made our delicious cake, which was served as a roaming canapé for desert.My grandmother’s best friend made my dress. She has been a dressmaker for as long as she can remember and created a dress I will never forget.
Another special woman in my life was my Nana who sadly is no longer with us. I wanted to pay tribute to her so I called on my Uncle to help. I asked him to trek the farm she was raised on for a tree that had fallen. He found a few then cut the trunks into discs that would become the base of our centerpieces.
I quickly learnt that weddings give you so many opportunities to showcase who you are as a couple and where you have come from. I put a lot of thought into the day and, to think that I was pouring sentimental value into as much as I possibly could, confirmed we were destined to have the best day of our lives.
Highlights of the day that stand out and I know I will always reflect on are when we exchanged our vows. I don't think I have ever been more open or believed in a promise as much in my life. It was an honest moment shared with our loved ones and a feeling that is indescribable. Another would be the look on all of our guests' faces when we surprised them with a flash mob performance. The delight, shock and excitement was priceless. Seeing my grandparents in the photo booth with silly faces and wigs on was also a delight to see!
Last but certainly not least would be when we threw confetti at the picnic we had arranged at a nearby park after the ceremony. In my mind it was going to be fabulous part of the day being surrounded by friends, having a drink and a second to relax before the more serious events took place. What I got was so much more. That moment we counted down together then released the confetti was powerful and created true happiness.