Say hi, hello, nice to meet you to Mel and Matt, guys, who managed to pull off a surprise wedding for 70 of their closest people. FUN! Guests all thought they were rocking up to the charming Merricks General Wine Store to celebrate Mel’s 30th but on arrival were greeted with a sign that gave their game away. “Everyone was so shocked and excited,” the couple tell of their loved ones’ “priceless” reactions. Luckily for us (and you guys), the oh-so-fab Amanda Alessi was on-site to snap some amazing photos, which we’re sharing today. Scroll down to see…
THE VENUE “We needed a venue that was intimate, beautiful, and also that didn’t scream wedding due to the surprise element. Matt and I had been to Merricks General Wine Store a few times for breakfast and always loved the vibe. We called up and luckily enough they had the date we were after. We were so happy and often go back for coffees and it feels very sentimental.”
LITTLE LOL “We decided to do a surprise wedding as we wanted to avoid the attention or spotlight on us in the lead-up. As it was in November, we decided to mask it as my surprise 30th birthday. It was hilarious watching my friends squirm and avoid talking about my birthday, and also hearing how concerned they were that I would hate the surprise. Then seeing everyone’s reactions on camera when they arrived to a sign saying we were getting married was priceless. Some of the reactions were hilarious.”
THE DRESS “I always knew I didn’t want a white dress and I was really drawn to the colour gold. I did try on a few white gowns but just felt they weren’t ‘me’. The minute I tried on the Anna Campbell Bridal gold gown I knew it was the one.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “My favourite part of the wedding was definitely the ceremony. Seeing everyone for the first time walking down the aisle and feeling all the energy and emotion from your loved ones is an incredible feeling. Also the way Koren Harvey our celebrant told ‘our story’ was just incredible. I felt all the emotions throughout the ceremony.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “We wouldn’t change a thing! Although, I will say if you decide to do a surprise wedding and think it will be less stressful, you are wrong.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “We were so lucky with all our amazing vendors, but our favourites would have to be our photographer Amanda Alessi and our celebrant Koren Harvey. They were incredible and we had lots of feedback on how amazing they were from our wedding guests.”
If you want to see more awesomeness from photographer, Amanda Alessi, head to her Directory Listing with us. And if you’re looking for gown inspo from Anna Campbell, check out her Bespoke collection here.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Amanda Alessi Florist Jo Laver Flowers Stationery Ivory and Ink Weddings, Lavender Co Creative Printer Vista Print Ceremony & reception venue Merricks General Wine Store Cake T. WITH CAKE Cake Topper Lavender Co Creative Sound Hire & DJ/MC Bruce Harrison DJ/MC Celebrant Koren Harvey Rings Wesley Betts Fine Jewellery Entertainment Cassidy Mackie THE BRIDE Bridal gown designer Anna Campbell Bridal Shoes Kmart Accessories Kitte Hair Claire Gourlay via Tonic Agency Makeup Kim Tavares via Tonic Agency Flower Girl dresses Mik & Me Flower girl shoes Kmart Flower girl baskets Riot Art THE GROOM Suit, shirt, tie & cufflinks Sam & Ko Shoes R.M. Williams Ringbearer suits Target