Elegant, ethereal and pure – just a few words to describe Christina and Nicholas' beautiful wedding. The venue, filled with gorgeous natural backdrops reminiscent of Tuscany, the sophisticated style of the couple and guests, and the atmosphere of a true love celebration made this day truly unforgettable. Keep reading for the interview with the groom and the bride, and enjoy the marvelous design of the wedding floral decorations by our talented member Sassafras Weddings.
Tell us a little about yourselves. How did you meet? What do you do for a living? What are your hobbies?
Christina is secondary school teacher and Nicholas works in communications. Both share a background in Journalism and bonded over this on their first date. There was also a nod to this shared passion in their wedding, when their MC played their newsreels from years ago at the reception. They met at George's Bar, a quaint little venue in Fitzroy, Melbourne, named in honour of George Constanza. A very fitting place for two vivacious people to meet, with their shared love of fun. For Christina, this was slowly growing to be her favourite place to go out with friends, for Nicholas he always shared that he would meet his future wife there.
Can you share your engagement story?
Nick planned to propose to Christina just before Christmas in 2021 on a trip to his home city Brisbane visiting family. Nick worked with his dad to hide the ring in a box of wafer crackers as they had planned a picnic at New Farm Park in the middle of a 'tourist day' for Christina who had not visited Brisbane. The extreme heat couldn't stop the proposal, and after laying down a rug under a tree, Nick ripped apart the packet of crackers to reveal a ring box. Once Christina clocked what was happening, her emotions took over physically and she hit her mouth on the cheese board, causing her to bleed. She said yes, wiped her lip and the rest is history.
Where was your wedding? Why did you choose this venue?
Their wedding was held at Stones of the Yarra Valley. The couple fell in love with the stunning ambiance of Stones, very reminiscent of Tuscany and a nod to the Bride's Italian heritage. The Chapel, concealed by vines, ozzed romance becoming the perfect backdrop for the ethereal and elegant mood of their wedding.
What was the concept behind your wedding and how did you find your inspiration?
Christina formed a love for pearls from her Abuelita (grandmother in Spanish) who sadly passed. This was a way she could incorporate details of her Abuelita, including pears speckled with pearls for the tables, her grandmother's pearl ring and other iridescent accents. Lilac was also a special hue on the day, complimenting the pearls. Accompanying this was also flowy ribbons attached to wine glasses for name cards, matching the drapey ribbons featured on the bridesmaid's dress. All of these touches added to the elegance of the space, elevated by the free-formed flower sculptures in the Chapel. The bride took inspiration from Fritillerie, but also had a vision with the styling for the day.
How long did it take to plan your wedding? Did you encounter any challenges during the planning process?
As the couple got engaged towards the end of 2021, they were focused on locking in vendors early due to the Covid backlog. The wedding was two years in the making, but the couple could rest easy knowing lots of the planning had been done in advance. The planning was pretty smooth, besides some hiccups with flower girl dresses that got lost in the mail and never returned. As the couple were planning their wedding, they moved house a month before — this was certainly an interesting time!
How many guests did you have? And what was the seating arrangement at the wedding like?
The couple hosted 130 guests — from Brisbane, Western Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales. For this reason, it was important that our guests felt part of a family, hence the couple planned three long tables for guests to mingle and share in conversation.
Tell us about your outfits. How many different styles have you tried?
Christina stumbled across Elly Sofocli's instagram after trying to narrow her style for the day. Christina loves classic lines, a nod to the 1920s, but loves matching this with something edgy or left-of-centre. Elly's focus on drapey fabrics, with delicate tulle and crepe fabrics were magical and her focus on amalgamating classic pieces with a contemporary edge was alluring to the Bride. It was important that Christina invested in the creative process with Elly, trusting her to create something that would be unforgettable. For something fun, Christina matched her dress with a boa made of tulle, accompanied with a long cigarette holder for a truly 1920s sendoff. Nicholas wanted something classic, a suit that would be the epitome of class. After researching local tailor shops, he visited The Bespoke Corner and immediately saw himself in the perfect suit — an italian imported two buttoned two-piece with a hint of velvet to distinguish himself from his groomsmen.
What was your first dance song? Did you choreograph or improvise?
A song, near and dear to Nicholas was Michael Jackson's 'Lady in my Life'. For Nicholas, this song perfectly captured a tender moment between a bride and groom and the lyrics truly spoke to him. The couple didn't choreograph a dance, it was important the moment was natural and organic.
Did you have any special performances or entertainment?
Nicholas' father is a composer and Violin Teacher, hence the couple used his contacts to connect with a musician who could reinvent some classic songs. The couple got to know musician Cameron Jamieson and his string quartet Organic Quartet. For Christina, getting the music right on the day was so important, having a love of music herself. One of Christina's favourite movies is 'Lost in Translation', but she also has a love for 80s and always found the song 'More Than This' by Roxy's Music beautifully haunting. The lyrics spoke to the Bride and the couple worked with Cameron who put together a beautiful rendition of the song for Christina's aisle walk.
What was the most memorable moment from your wedding day?
There were so many magical moments on the day, however the moment when the couple first laid eyes on eachother in the Chapel was magic. Looking back on this moment through videos still stirs emotions for the couple.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We worked with Maegan Brown for our engagement photo shoot and party and we adore her work. Jess at Sassafras Weddings was a joy to work — her flower sculpture and hanging flower installations were mesmerizing. Alessandro from Momento Films made us feel so comfortable and shared a very similar outlook to Maegan, capturing those candid moments organically. Our celebrant Kate Adkins was so warm and helpful. She truly made our ceremony memorable with all her unique touches and the way in which she conveyed our story. Cameron Jamieson and Organic Quartet put so much love into transcribing our chosen musical pieces. Sarah, from Miss Noble, who was also my bridesmaid, created a romantic cake design that perfectly matched the aesthetics of our day.
Were there national traditions at your wedding and how did you implement them?
With Christina being half Spanish, half Italian, our MC implemented some fun rules early on so that everytime someone chimed their glass and screamed "Chin Chin" (Italian tradition) or waved their napkins in the air and screamed "Los Novios" (Spanish tradition), the bride and groom had to kiss. This injected a lot of fun and energy throughout the night
Did you make a gift for guests, and what was it? What did you give each other as a gift?
To match the flowy aesthetics, the couple sourced a candlemaker on Etsy to put together bonbonniere with a pear shape to compliment the pear accents. Christina's mother helped in boxing these, surrounding them with pieces of tulle to match the bride's dress.
What advice would you give to couples who are currently planning their wedding?
Take every moment in and know that as much as you plan for the day, there is always room for spontaneity and that is what makes the day even more special. Be lenient and trust in the creativity of your vendors — sometimes when Brides or Grooms are too particular or exact, it steers vendors away from the candid and unrehearsed beauty of their creativity.
Florals/Styling: @_sassafraswedding_
Photographer: @maeganbrownmoments
Videographer: @momento_films
Celebrant: @kateadkinscelebrant
Dress Designer: @ellysofocli
Suit Designer: @thebespokecorner
MUA: @pollym.mua
Hair Stylist: @hair.by.charlottee
Cake: @missnoblemelbourne
Satin Signage: @clothandconfettievents
Live Music: @kamojamo
DJ: @topdogent
