With their entertainment backgrounds, Courtney and Pete brought artistic flair to their glamorous industrial wedding. Creativity combined with expert help delivered some unique styling ideas in copper and concrete, and personal touches like a wonderfully unconventional bridal party added plenty of heart!
Finding The One
“In a way I dreaded shopping for my dress as I am so fussy – outfit choosing can be a huge task and given this was for the dress of all dresses, I was overwhelmed on where to start. In saying that, I only went shopping once with my style guru mum and three best friends. We had a ball and found my dress in the last store we visited. I had an idea of the style I liked but I did try on others – I knew the sweet heart mermaid shape was the one as soon as the stylist zipped me into it. Everyone heard me gushing in excitement before the curtain opened and we all said yes to the dress straight away! I wish it was acceptable to wear it every day, I loved wearing it and didn’t want to take it off!”
Bridal Party Styling
“Our bridal party was not quite traditional, instead made up of our favourite people. I had my Nanna as my Maid of Honour and my two best friends as bridesmaids. Pete had his best friend as his Best Maid and his cousin. We wanted to make sure our bridal party loved their outfits and felt fabulous. My girls wore floor length sequinned dresses and Nanna wore a Chanel style jacket in the same fabric. Our Best Maid wore a black tailored jumpsuit to the ceremony and we surprised all the girls with a floor length black plunging sequin dress for the reception and a black sequinned jacket for Nanna (#costumechange). They looked amazing!”
The Planning Experience
“We both really enjoyed the time leading up to our big day and made sure we had fun – that it was illustrative of our style and us as a couple. I was very lucky that my gorgeous groom was so involved and wanted to help with the planning – he actually organised our bridesmaid dresses! We’re in the dance and performance industry and constantly planning shows, so we both have an eye for detail and made sure we had lists for everything! Our vendors were so professional and great to liaise with, I’m sure that contributed to our stress free months of planning.”
Ceremony Styling
“Our ceremony was at Cargo Hall – a stunning blank canvas we had been searching all over Melbourne for! With its floor to ceiling windows that encapsulated the afternoon sun and scenery and luscious white curtains that flowed in the breeze, we added a touch of copper and floral details. We were particular about it not being over the top and it was styled to perfection.”
Meaningful Music
Processional: ‘At Last’ by Beyonce
Recessional and Reception entrance: ‘I Only Want To Be With You’ by Dusty Springfield
First Dance: ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ by Haley Reinhert
Father Daughter dance: ‘I Loved Her First’ by Heartland
Reception Styling
“Our reception was at The Substation, a gloriously aged building with exposed brick walls, long arch windows and royal red curtains. There were geometric floral installations suspended from the ceiling over our three long tables. Our colour theme was copper and white with lots of florals! Suspended above our bridal table were the words, ‘forever starts here’.”
DIY Projects
“We’re long-time friends with our stylist, so we were lucky to be really involved in the styling – and annoy her constantly with our ideas! We hand selected everything visible in our reception. We made the ceiling installations, ceremony arbour and sprayed over 2000 straws for the installations encasing our stunning florals. There were many cans of black and copper paint! We also printed musical theatre references to guide our guests throughout the day – I love that these sorts of details were noted and adored by our family and friends.”
Best Advice
1. Relax and allow your bridal party and family to help you! It’s such an exciting time and everyone wants to feel involved, so delegate those little jobs and phone calls. It will alleviate some of the stress too.
2. We made sure we had our caterer organise a food package for us to take to our hotel. You don’t realise how hungry you are until you leave your reception!
3. Tissues! Make sure you have plenty of tissues handy during your ceremony. I was so glad I had neatly wrapped some tissues around my bouquet to dab mine and my new husband’s tears away!
4. I would also say to look at your partner’s face as you walk down the aisle. Seeing Pete’s face then is something I’ll never forget.
Location: Melbourne, Victoria | Photography: Duuet Wedding Photography | Ceremony Venue: The Cargo Hall | Celebrant: Felicity Fritsch | Reception Venue: The Substation | Styling: Sweet and Co. | Floral Styling: Sass & Bloom | Flowers: The Handsome Bloom | Cake: Sweet Bakes | Catering: Wood and Spoon | Stationery: Matte Gold | Dress: Hills in Hollywood | Shoes: The White Collection for Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaids: White Runway | Hair: Studio Scruples | Makeup: Proglam