An unexpected rooftop elopement officiated by the fab Love Leah followed by an Italian-themed party at one of Melbourne’s coolest restaurants with One More Song DJs spinning tunes, Jess and Michael got the best of both worlds when they became Mr and Mrs. After kicking off their wedded journey in style – all captured by our friend Love Bomb Photos – this laid-back and loved-up pair shared with us there fave parts of the day below…
MEMORABLE MOMENT “Due to Melbourne lockdowns, we had to postpone our original date. We were able to shuffle every supplier except one of the most important, our celebrant Leah! I phoned almost 30 different celebrants in Melbourne and everyone was fully booked for the next year. We weren’t prepared to wait that long. We absolutely LOVED Leah, she was dynamite, and we were so gutted when she couldn’t do the new proposed date. Then we received an unexpected email from her. She had a cancellation one afternoon not too far away, and wanted to know how we felt about an elopement. We were SO IN. We were so nervous about the whole ceremony from the get-go, this felt like the stars had actually aligned in a way that we could keep things low-key and private AND still have the party we wanted.”
THE VENUE “The updated styling of Pepe’s Italian was right up our alley. Chequered floor, gorgeous old-school cocktail bar with high tables. Deep burgundy, cream and gold accents was a great colour palette to work with, introducing blush pink flourishes and green foliage – I was confident it would look HOT!”
THE THEME “When we had a surprise pregnancy with our little girl, we were due to be in Italy, and not in a birthing suite. We again planned to head over just as Covid hit and then it all suddenly felt like a pipe dream. So we decided to bring the theme to life as much as possible through the wedding venue, styling, down to my hen’s party theme and the boys incredible suits.”
FAVE DEETS “We were so pleased with everything but I think I got the most kicks out of our cake. Exactly what I had in mind – Miss Trixie Drinks Tea absolutely nailed it.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Our photographer Hailey [of Love Bomb Photos]. Gosh. Talk about love. She is just a star, and now a dear friend. A fabulously talented angel, straight up, but with lashings of love. Adore this chick. We met when she photographed our newborn daughter Gracie at our home. A one-hour session turned into three hours, and we’ve kept in touch ever since.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “Just go with the flow, a million things can go ‘wrong’, but none of it really matters too much in the end, there is always a solution – just focus on having the most fun you can possible have! Fireball shots encouraged! And the big one – trust your suppliers. If you don’t have a great relationship with them, then you’re probably not the right fit for each other.”
If you can’t get enough of these incredible vendors (you’re not alone), head to our directory for more inspo from the talented Love Bomb Photos and celebrant extraodinairre, Love Leah.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Love Bomb Photos Florist Lilac and the Cat Ceremony, reception venue & catering Pepe’s Italian Cake Miss Trixie Drinks Tea Cake Topper Kiki Party Studio Stationery & signage Ivory & Noir Entertainment One More Song DJs Celebrant Love Leah Rings Windfall Ceremony singer Marcus Miller THE BRIDE Bridal gown designer Brooke Tyson Ritual Robes Piyama Shoes Chaos and Harmony Accessories Christie Nicholaides Hair Bobby Collins Makeup Jaime Lee Makeup Bridesmaid dresses Friend of Audrey THE GROOM Suit, Shirt & groomsmen suits P. Johnson Tie Otaa Shoes G. H Bass Barber Teddy’s Barber Shop