Classic and Chic Vintage Australian Wedding: Marina + Andy

australia wedding

Marina + Andy had a chic vintage wedding in the gorgeous old Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy. They had their ceremony at the Russian House in Fitzroy and then everyone walked a few blocks to the Fitzroy Town Hall for the reception. Marina was inspired to have a classically beautiful wedding after her grandmother told her she would lend her diamond necklace to Marina for the day. That got Marina thinking about the elegance of the 1950’s and of her grandparents on their wedding day. The makeup, the dress silhouettes and the hair styles of the 50’s and early 60’s inspired Marina + Andy to create a classical beautiful day they would remember forever. From Marina, “I guess the timeless style of mid century fashion reassured me that in 50 years time we would still love the pictures.” Well, I just love their style and all the handmade touches they designed for the day. And wait until you watch the amazingly awesome stop motion film of the day by their photographers, Bayly & Moore – you will fall in love… Congrats to Marina + Andy!

bride in long sleeved cocktails length wedding dress

brooch bouquet

bridesmaids in hats and fur wraps

colorful bridesmaids

Meeting before the ceremony, just the two of us, set the scene for the day. It reminded us that we were there to celebrate our love for each other with friends and family as witnesses. We had also written our own vows, in secret, so the moment we married we were listening intently to each other, which was incredibly intimate. Our guests found this part really special, rather than going through the motions and cutting straight to the party.

indoor ceremony

indoor ceremony

We did most of the styling and venue decoration ourselves with help on the day from our family, friends and the caterers. There was a LOT of planning involved, especially with finding the right vendors and making sure they shared our vision. At all stages I was really fortunate to have a fiancé that was similarly passionate about getting it right and within our budget. Andy was especially amazing during the week leading up the big day, keeping me sane and calling in favours from mates to spread the load. He even helped with making the brooch bouquets, which were a very last minute DIY project as it took a while to collect the brooches. When we finished the bouquets, we practiced our dance in my mum’s living room, while everyone slept, with Sinatra playing from a mobile phone! It was a quirky but nice way to unwind.

The bouquets looked beautiful. Most of the brooches were found by Andy’s parents at flea markets in the UK. The whole event was an incredible team effort and has certainly prepared us for married life working in New York City, which for a couple of dreamy Australians is quiet a feat!

bride and groom

getaway car

getaway car

colorful bridal party

flower girl in fur coverlet

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

Actually early on when we did our dance in the alleyway and later in the night as we’d ticked off the speeches, cake and dance, things became more lucid. We left our guests holding hands running through an archway they had made then we hopped on vintage bikes waiting outside for us. My fondest and most surreal memory was riding together down the lovely tree-lined Napier St all dressed up in our finery riding to nowhere in particular. We eventually realised that we needed to get to the after party 5km away so we locked up our bikes and hopped in a taxi..haha.

big love letters

screen table seating

soft pink floral centerpieces

vegetable reception details

australia wedding

Some things that made the day REALLY special were my brother singing the Bright Eye’s song, “This is the First Day of My Life”, Andy’s speech and our photographers! They were amazing and have created such special memories for us and were so fun to work with on the day and in the lead up. We were very lucky to have found them.

first dance

wedding guests group shot

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

Get to know your vendors, be nice, exchange ideas and talk to them often about your plans, they’ve done this many times before and are really helpful in the planning. If they’re not easy to get hold of or aren’t listening – drop them! Get into the DIY details, they’re a good stress diffuser, it’s nice to concentrate on things you can tick off before the big day. It’s also a great way to involve family members who want to play a role or help out. It’s amazing how weddings can bring families together both on and before the wedding day. It makes the experience all the more richer and memorable for everyone. Remember this when you feel like you’re being pulled in opposite directions by interested parties, be sensitive to everyone’s needs, it will be worth it.

And you have to watch the stop motion film Bayly & Moore put together of the day! It is so awesome. Not long after their wedding Marina and Andy moved to New York and their photographers happened to be there at the same time. They thought it would be a fun way to finish off the stop motion video to have a ‘happily ever after’ scene in NY. So, they caught up with Marina + Andy, had coffee at Stumptown, ate some tacos near the Flatiron building, took some photos around the city and in Brooklyn then ate Korean in Times Square – a perfect ending to the film!

And you have to watch the stop motion film Bayly & Moore put together of the day! It is so awesome. Not long after their wedding Marina and Andy moved to New York and their photographers happened to be there at the same time. They thought it would be a fun way to finish off the stop motion video to have a ‘happily ever after’ scene in NY. So, they caught up with Marina + Andy, had coffee at Stumptown, ate some tacos near the Flatiron building, took some photos around the city and in Brooklyn then ate Korean in Times Square – a perfect ending to the film!

vendors: 

photography: Bayly & Moore // venue name: Fitzroy Town Hall and Russian House // wedding dress: Kristie Coakley from House of Snowball // makeup artist: Candice Deville

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