Inside a Daringly Colorful & Cool Wedding at a Melbourne Art Gallery

A cocktail hour immersed in contemporary art, followed by a moody, Wong Kar-wai-inspired red reception that transformed the night into cinematic magic

Tessa and Anthony’s wedding was a masterclass in cinematic romance – an artfully composed celebration where each moment felt like a scene from a dream. Set in Melbourne, Australia, the couple created an immersive experience that unfolded as a journey through culture, history, and personal storytelling. Inspired by cinema, architecture, fashion, and otherworldly settings, the weekend began with a traditional tea ceremony honouring the bride’s Chinese heritage. The following day, guests were transported to a lush, secluded garden for a romantic ceremony that paid homage to Anthony’s Italian and Greek roots. Tessa wore archival Vivienne Westwood, a vision of timeless drama. A cocktail hour followed at the National Gallery of Victoria, framed by a breathtaking contemporary sculpture, before the evening transformed into a red-lit, moody reception inspired by Wong Kar-wai. The day was beautifully captured on film by our talented member Parker’s Pictures, whose eye for detail preserved the poetry of every moment.

Our Love Story

^{The Day We Met}

I first encountered Anthony in 2011 by regularly serving him coffee at a café on campus at the University of Melbourne, where we were both studying. It turned out we had a mutual friend, who put us in touch when I was in Paris visiting my brother in 2012. Anthony was about to head to Paris and was looking for some accommodation. The accommodation didn’t work out, but we ended up chatting and realised we’d both be in New York City the week after. We decided to meet up and hang out for the first time.

^{The Proposal}

Anthony proposed to me in Central Park, on one of the coldest winter days in early 2024. It felt like a full-circle moment because, before heading to the park, we got lunch at the same café we had eaten at when we first met up in New York in 2012. Funnily enough, we currently live within walking distance of that café. I could tell Anthony was about to propose because he was acting a bit funny and tried to fix his hair in the café bathroom during lunch. Once we got to the park, I could see he was searching for the perfect spot. Eventually, he found a giant rock overlooking the lake, where he got down on one knee.

I later learned that Anthony had originally planned to propose to me on our last night in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, a week earlier. Due to a series of flight cancellations (because of the widespread impact of the Boeing door flying off a plane), we had to change our flights and come home early—so Anthony missed his opportunity to propose!

^{The Engagement Ring}

I was involved in the ring-shopping process, which is why I knew that the proposal would happen at some point. We initially looked at diamond rings, but I had a strong feeling that I wanted a coloured stone—which was confirmed as soon as we saw a few options. We ended up looking at several loose gemstones and selecting my emerald-cut purple sapphire together, which we found at Soho Gem. We finessed the details of the setting with the jewellers at the store, but the ring still felt like a huge surprise because the sapphire looked totally different once it was set with its diamond side stones.

Our Wedding

^{The Vision}

Above all, we wanted the wedding to feel like a perfect representation of both of us. There was no specific theme or style, but we knew what moods and feelings we wanted to create. We wanted something in line with our strong aesthetic preferences, which traverse many styles and eras. We hoped the ceremony and reception would feel like a journey for our guests. Our mood board featured fantastical inspiration from cinema, architecture, fashion, and otherworldly settings. We envisioned a classic and romantic outdoor garden ceremony, paying homage to Anthony’s Italian and Greek heritage. We wanted the mood to be tender and evocative; we hoped the ceremony would feel like a little world of its own—like we'd all been brought into a private and special moment.

We wanted the romantic ceremony to transition into a reception that juxtaposed intimacy with vastness. We pictured the reception to be red-lit and moody (again inspired by Wong Kar-wai), modern with touches of old-world glamour, otherworldly and unusual at times. The day before, in a nod to my Chinese heritage, we enjoyed a traditional tea ceremony followed by lunch at Flower Drum—Australia’s best fine-dining Cantonese-style Chinese restaurant, in our opinion. We loved the red velvet curtains and deep red carpet at Flower Drum, and styled the room simply with dual-tone phalaenopsis orchids.

^{Our Team of Vendors}

Planning and producing a wedding is a team effort, and I learned that it's important to assemble a team of vendors you like and trust. We carefully picked each of our talented vendors and had so much fun getting to know them. From the beginning, I was very sure about wanting film photography (in multiple formats), because I love the look of film. I found Parker on Instagram and was immediately drawn to her images, impressed by her ability to switch between so many cameras so seamlessly. Parker did an amazing job, and importantly, she was a great presence on the day. We felt really comfortable around her, which helped us look relaxed in the photos.

We complemented Parker’s film photography with the amazing digital photography of Alli Studio, who brought incredible energy into her images and made us feel beautiful. Our videographer Laura was an easy choice. Once we found her page and met her, we locked her in straight away. We love the cinematic nature of her work and her eye for detail. On the day, she was a calming and thoughtful presence. For styling, we looked for vendors who aligned with our mood board and preferences. Our florist (XFlos), stationery designer (By V), and cake artist (Torte by Mirjana) were a dream team. Working together on their design briefs in the months leading up to the wedding was a lot of fun, and helped the wedding start to feel real.

^{The Location}

Although we currently live in New York, we decided to get married at home in Melbourne, Australia!

^{The Ceremony}

We chose our ceremony spot in Treasury Gardens for its lush and secluded setting, beautiful slate paving (no walking on grass necessary!), surrounding fountains with the hum of falling water, and the landscaped architecture of the plants. We kept things simple, letting the location speak for itself. We opted for white French garden chairs and classical urns and plinths with red roses. My dad walked me down the aisle to “Yumeji’s Theme” by Shigeru Umebayashi (from Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love), which set the evocative tone beautifully. After our ceremony, Anthony and I walked back up the aisle to a cover of “Dreams” by The Cranberries!

^{The Cocktail Hour}

We picked the NGV for our reception because it’s a place we’ve spent a lot of time in over the years, and it's special to us. Anthony is a big architecture fan and we both love the modern palazzo grandeur of NGV International, originally designed by Sir Roy Grounds and later redeveloped by the Italian maestro Mario Bellini. We also absolutely adore the cavernous Great Hall, with its magnificent bluestone walls and stunning stained-glass ceiling by Australian artist Leonard French.

It was a bonus that Yayoi Kusama’s retrospective exhibition coincided with our wedding—some of her work was on display during the event. Our cocktail hour was held in Federation Court, NGV’s entry foyer. The space featured Yayoi Kusama’s 5-metre-tall bronze sculpture Dancing Pumpkin, so no other decorations were needed. My friend, a cellist, played some of Bach’s suites. Guests enjoyed cocktails and canapés while mingling around the sculpture or gathering at tall, table-clothed bar tables.

^{The Reception}

In decorating the Great Hall, we focused less on adding details and more on treating the space itself as a canvas. The hall is already a work of art. Last year, we drove across Texas to visit Marfa, a small desert town and art hub. We toured the studio and residence of one of our favorite artists, the late Donald Judd, and learned about his philosophy of treating space as a medium. I thought of our wedding venue in a similar way. When planning the reception styling, I thought first about the space itself and the mood we could create. We used lighting and music to establish atmosphere, because I knew that’s what I would connect with emotionally—and I wanted our guests to feel it too. The idea was for the reception to begin as an elegant dinner and transition into an otherworldly experience, devoid of time and space.

We curated the first half of the reception music track-by-track in a specific transitional order. We took guests on a journey from haunting classical to ambient jazz, featuring selections from our favorite film and TV soundtracks by directors like David Lynch, Wong Kar-wai, and Stanley Kubrick. After the cake cutting, DJ Hysteric took over with a mix of genres we love. The dance floor stayed full until the end. As the music built in tempo and energy, the lighting gradually shifted to deeper shades of red.

^{The Special Touches}

We made sure that all styling details reflected our complementary tastes and aesthetics. Our floral arrangements were sculptural and expressive. We had six different types of arrangements in silver vessels. There was softness and romanticism in the white lilies and pink roses for me (I’m drawn to ethereal tones), and brightness and structure in the gerberas and carnations for Anthony (who loves bold colours and design lines).

Our stationery was inspired by Art Nouveau menus and designs, and our designer Vanessa completely understood our vision. The cake was inspired by the meringue cake we ate at Contramar in Mexico City. We created a meringue-covered Meyer lemon and blueberry vanilla sponge cake with passionfruit curd to suit Anthony’s taste. The star-shaped meringues and the cream bowls on the side were for me—they reminded me of my childhood in New Zealand, where I’d eat meringues with cream. I also can’t eat cake without cream. Our black-and-white checkerboard dance floor was inspired by the Red Room from Twin Peaks. We added red velvet draping and repurposed our ceremony’s red rose urns to complete the look.

^{Our Favorite Moment}

I have a clear memory of walking with my dad down the aisle toward Anthony, and seeing so many people I love on the way. The true highlight of the day for both of us was being surrounded by our loved ones. We felt so held by all the love around us, both on the day and in the lead-up. We did an unplanned first dance! As we sliced the cake, DJ Hysteric played “Something About Us” by Daft Punk. We had asked him to choose a cake-cutting song from our playlist but didn’t know what he’d pick. As soon as it came on, the mood changed: everything felt magical. Anthony and I did a little dance (with a twirl!) and then beckoned our friends onto the dance floor. Our MC (Anthony’s best friend) quickly picked up on this cue and invited guests to join. To our delight, many did. Watching our friends and family twirl onto the dance floor was one of our favorite moments—especially because it was spontaneous. If we had planned it, I probably would have been stressed all evening.

Our Style

^{The Bridal Looks}

I had three looks on the day: Archival Vivienne Westwood from the boutique in New York; Archival Vivienne Westwood from Iconic Archive in the UK (renowned collector Jennifer Cox); and Simone Rocha from The RealReal. For accessories, I wore Manolo Blahnik shoes, and a Sophie Buhai necklace and earrings. For the tea ceremony, I wore a Super Yaya top and skirt.

^{The Groom’s Looks}

For the wedding ceremony and reception, Anthony wore a custom P. Johnson off-white silk Shantung dinner jacket with tuxedo pants, and a custom P. Johnson black double-breasted tuxedo jacket with a satin shawl lapel and tuxedo pants. His bow tie, custom shirts, shirt studs, cummerbund, and socks were all by P. Johnson. He wore shoes by Bode. For the tea ceremony, he wore an Our Legacy double-breasted suit with black “Mr Casual” Belgian loafers, a Proper Cloth button-down double-pocket custom shirt, and an Engineered Garments hoof-pick buckle belt.

Our Advice

^{For the Planning Process}

Despite advice to the contrary, I was determined to plan and style the wedding myself, with Anthony’s support. I knew it wouldn’t be easy from overseas, but I enjoy learning how things work—and I didn’t want a typical wedding. I never found one resource that endorsed my approach, but I’m glad I did it. It suited me, because I like being involved in the details. That said, it’s easy to get swept up in endless inspiration and doubt your decisions. I reminded myself it’s okay to like multiple ideas—as long as I liked what I chose, that was enough. I also stopped looking at inspiration once I had made my decisions. Looking back, I’m glad I trusted my gut.

^{For On The Day}

Everyone says this—and it’s true: time flies. The best thing you can do is try to be present and soak in the love around you. Nothing else really matters. Once the day arrives, you can’t control much. You’re surrounded by people who care about you and want you to have the best day. Trust the work you’ve done and the support around you. Enjoy it. I don’t know when I’ll next be in a room with so many loved ones again, and I wish I could bottle that feeling forever.

^{For Post-Wedding}

After chatting with my therapist, I learned it’s normal to still be thinking about your wedding for days after it’s over. Your brain has gotten used to constantly thinking about it, so it takes a while to recalibrate. My advice: be gentle with yourself. Trust that, in time, you’ll relax into the joy of reliving your favorite memories.