Pastry chef Minh + physiotherapist Elliot swiped right on each other seven whole years ago, and since then their love story has been leading them to this unique + colorful wedding day.
“We always wanted to get married in an atypical manner. We wanted a day that was fun-focused and a big party with our nearest and dearest,” says bride Minh. “Elliot’s only criteria for the wedding was it had to be barefoot so we went searching for venues based off that! Being a physio he loves the idea of the natural human form and feeling free.”
That’s how they wound up at the beautiful Emu Bottom, a historic estate in Sunbury just north or Melbourne, Australia. And yes, everyone at the wedding spent the day barefoot! Other creative touches included Elliot’s vibrant pink wedding suit, Minh’s convertible couture wedding gown, and the CUTEST customized ramen cups + chopsticks at the reception.
We can’t get enough of the way Minh + Elliot embraced bold, bright colors. And it was all so brilliantly photographed by Kyra Boyer. “Kyra really did an amazing job capturing the vibe of our day!” says the couple. “We couldn’t help but cry when we looked through our full album and saw the love and joy from our friends and family.”
There is so much to see, so let’s get to it!
The floral appliqué work on Minh’s sparkly, structured bodice, off the shoulder wedding gown from House of Bridal Couture is so wonderfully whimsical!
“One of my closest friend and bridesmaid is a seamstress who happens to own a bridal dress shop,” says Minh on her journey to this one-of-a-kind convertible look. “I had the privilege to try on many many dresses and ended up liking two dresses. She worked on turning one into an overskirt and adding a draped detail over the corset so I could tear it off during the first dance! I wanted to have the freedom to run around for the rest of the night without having to get changed/buy another dress.”
(Stay tuned for reception photos to see this beauty transform!)
The First Look
Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding From the bride: "Our first look. Things had gotten so hectic before that moment trying to set up the venue and get everyone dressed. Elliot had gotten a drastic haircut that morning from shoulder length hair so I was also nervous how it would turn out as well. The moment we saw each other we both teared up and everything felt OK at that point. We also practised our first dance in the garden for the first time in my massive dress and that was pretty cute."
“My favourite colour is pink,” says Minh, “and the choice for Elliot to go for a completely pink suit was a little scary as we hadn’t really seen anyone do it. We didn’t know how it would all come together until the day and luckily everything fit in with the fun vibe we were going for.”
We really can’t get enough of Elliot’s hot pink wedding suit from Politix. Vibrant groom style like this is one of our fave wedding trends to watch!
Take a look through our list of the best floral bridesmaid dresses for a botanical look if you’re loving the flowery feel of Minh’s bridal party palette.
“Our bridal party all embraced the colours,” the couple says, “and the boys had a lot of fun with the pink!”
The Ceremony
We love a wedding sign that’s ready with a compliment!
The Beautiful Bunch was behind the day’s bright floral creations.
Hair By Helena Duong styled Minh’s romantic low bun and face framing waves and Ange Artistry created her subtly pink makeup look.
Minh + Elliot’s “I do’s” were overseen by the “Aussie Celebrant,” Tony Gee.
Our Musical Choices Processional: "No Matter Where You Are" (live Wedding Version) by Us the Duo
Recessional: "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" by Marvin Gaye (Bailey Pelkman + Randy Rektor cover)
First Dance: "I Am Yours" by Andy Grammer + "Move On Up" by Curtis Mayfield
The Reception
It was important to Minh + Elliot to include their favorite foods in the day’s festivities which for Minh meant making sure there was Biancolatte gelato for guests to enjoy.
We love to see couples embrace wedding desserts alongside or instead of traditional cakes!
LOVE the added straps and sheer underskirt version of Minh’s dress! And how precious is that pink bridal purse?!
Our Advice To Those Planning Now Sticking to the budget is always difficult but a worthwhile spend would be on a wedding day coordinator. Biggest regret was relying on friends and family, even though they sincerely wanted to help, it was another point of stress on such a busy day. No one will do a better job at getting things/people organised on the day than an experienced vendor who understands your needs.
So much playful, modern color in these reception tablescapes!
Grab some two-tone pink scallop edge napkins to embrace the look in your own table settings.
When the bride is a pastry chef, you might end up with more than one wedding cake! This three tier pink + orange stunner is one of TWO wedding cakes that Thanks For The Cake! created…
…the second being this delightfully squiggly, pearl-accented cake!
A set of chopsticks emblazoned with your wedding date make for super creative + unique wedding guest favors!
Elliot LOVES instant ramen, so the couple served adorable, customized ramen cups as a late night snack!
Snag some spicy Shin Ramyun cups (Elliot’s fave) and add your own custom label if noodles are your love language, too.
Little Wolf Entertainment was in attendance to supply the evening’s tunes!
The Lavender Haze captured the joy of Minh + Elliot’s day so perfectly. Make sure to push play on the video below!
Congrats, Minh + Elliot! Your beautiful barefoot wedding day was playful, pink perfection! All the best from GWS!
photography: KYRA BOYER // venue name: EMU BOTTOM, MELBOURNE, Victoria, Australia // florals: The Beautiful Bunch // wedding dress: House of Bridal Couture // hair stylist: Hair by Helena Duong // makeup artist: Ange Artistry // groom attire: Politix // videography: Lavender haze // cake: Thanks for the Cake // desserts: BiancoLatte // music: Little Wold Entertainment // officiant: Celebrant Tgee // photo booth: Photo Box Co.