CHLOE & SAM'S ALBERT PARK WEDDING
Photography by Sigrid Petersen Photography
Wedding Date: 02.11.2019
Chloe wears our Nadia gown
What was your wedding venue and why did you choose there?
Carousel, Albert Park. It is such a beautiful wedding venue overlooking Albert Park Lake in Melbourne with sweeping views of the city on the other side of the lake. A large number of our guests flew down from Sydney so wanted to be close to the city but still have an outdoor feel to the wedding. We wanted a beautiful space to have both ceremony and reception to reduce travel for our guests.
We knew they had a lot of experience with weddings and wanted to use this to our advantage for a stress free experience – especially since we were planning the wedding from Sydney.
The team at Carousel led by Rebecca, were amazing and definitely achieved the stress free experience we dreamed of.
Did you have a wedding theme/style?
We didn’t have theme or style as such, but went for quite minimal/simple vibe.
How did you and your now Husband meet?
We met back at university in Western Sydney. Because of this we are so lucky to have a great group of mutual Uni friends, a large number who were able to make it down to celebrate the day with us.
What is your proposal story?
We had a holiday in Port Douglas booked and Sam had plans to propose at the top of a look-out after a long walk along the beach. Unfortunately the weather did not make Sam’s life easy and when the day came the weather was quite terrible with intermittent rain and wind. Instead of the long planned walk we first had a drink in town and then made the decision to drive up to the look-out instead. After a quick few seconds taking in the view it was pretty windy so I suggested we head back down. Sam had other plans though and wanted to hang around to “see the rain hit the shore” as he was convinced this would look pretty. Instead of actually wanting to wait for this he was trying to buy time as despite the weather other people kept showing up! He ended up giving up when I started to uncontrollably shiver due to the cold wind, so we drove back to our luckily beautiful accommodation with Sam madly trying to come up with a plan B. When we got back he found a beautiful spot in the gardens and got down on one knee and proposed! I can’t remember the exact words he said as I was so shocked and it’s all a bit of a blur now but in that moment he made me the happiest woman alive.
How did you hear about Prea James Bridal?
A good friend from work, Kate, had worked with Prea many years ago and had planned to have her wedding dress made by her for her upcoming wedding. I looked Prea up on Instagram and when I first saw the Nadia gown I knew it was the one!
From where did you purchase your gown?
From Prea’s studio in Wollongong. I actually flew down to Melbourne to try the dress on for the first time at a trunk show at one of the wedding boutiques so my Mum and bridesmaids could be there. It was a fitting 4 months in the making from the first time I saw it on Instagram! Was so nice to have all my fittings with Prea in her studio and loved her warm and calming nature, I knew I was in safe hands with her!
What do you love most about the gown?
I love the simple elegance of the gown. Also the striking cut of the high neck really caught my eye.
Are there any special details about your wedding that you would like to share?
One of my favourite moments during getting ready at home was making time to read a story to my nephew, Lenny (age 2). I was supposed to be upstairs putting on my dress but he came up to me with one of his favourite books – who could say no to such a cute little face?!
Were there any details that you made yourselves?
Not that we made no, but I did love the readings from our Mum’s at the ceremony. My Mum read “Blessing of the Hands – Anonymous”, and my mother-in-law Robyn read “All I Need To Know About Life I Learned From My Dog – Anonymous”.
Finally, do you have any words of wisdom for couples planning their big day?
I went in to the whole planning without any set ideas in mind and feel this really helped make the whole experience stress free and fun. Almost all vendors had been tried and tested previously by family or friends so really saved a lot of research time – use recommendations when you can!
One thing out of our control is the weather so my advice would be ensure you have a wet weather option and then don’t stress about the weather during the lead up to the wedding or on the day – if you have a suitable back up option then there really is no need to stress. It was absolutely pouring with rain for most of our wedding day so we had the ceremony inside in the end. But once the rain cleared we had the most magical sunset that night and looking back I wouldn’t change a thing.
On the day, remember the wedding is about you and your husband/wife, so make sure you take time to enjoy just being together and have fun!
Wedding Vendors
Celebrant: Lucy Gransbury
Where to even start describing Lucy?! She absolutely nailed the ceremony making it both fun, hilarious and loving. Absolutely loved how her words and our vows captured our personalities, love and happiness.
Photographer: Sigrid Petersen Photography
Sigrid was an absolute legend, so relaxed and her chill vibe really helped us feel comfortable when we’re not usually big photo people!
Videographer: Oneheart Studios
Jack and Jackson were amazing – were there from start to finish on the day and managed to capture not just the moments but also the feelings. Absolutely love our wedding video.
Hair: Sally Miles
Sally created my dream up-do which lasted the whole day including the pumping dance floor.
Make-up: Jaz Pepi
Jaz was amazing and made us all feel so beautiful on the day, created the perfect natural look we were after.
Wedding Co-ordinator: Rebecca Lafontaine at Carousel.
She was so organised and helped create a seamless flow of events on the day.
Florist: Bud Flowers
Meridee and the team were great and accommodating including adjusting things at the last minute to suit our budget. Especially loved the beautiful white king proteas on our arch and bouquets.
Cake: CakeInk
Ordered a simple naked layer cake which was delicious and looked beautiful decorated by our florist on the day.
Caterer: Food&Desire
Through Carousel venue. All our food and drink was delicious.
Hire/Prop furniture hire: Harry the Hirer
Harry the Hirer helped us adorn the deck with festoon lights which helped create a beautiful space for evening drinks.
Accessories:
Veil: Prea James
Earrings: Kallista White Gold Pearl Drops by Amelie George Bridal
Bridesmaids earrings: Jolie and Deen
Bridal/MOB/bridesmaids robes: Le Rose
Bridesmaids Dresses: Elise Midi Dress by Pilgrim
Groom & Groomsmen’s Suits: Custom made by team at InStitchu
Was handy to have Melbourne and Sydney stores for fittings for interstate groomsmen.
Band/DJ: DJ Patty from Rutherford Entertainment
He created an absolutely pumping dance floor for us to dance the night away complete with an impromptu massive group circle for the last song – You’re The Voice.
