Hayley & David's Relaxed Vintage City Wedding

Seven years after meeting at university, David proposed to Hayley on bended knee with his grandmother’s antique ring. Their lovely cream and gold wedding features an abundance of bright florals, great smiles and unique spaces – and don’t miss their stunning reception (we’re talking draped festoons, LOVE balloons and atmospheric tunes).

Most Important

Hayley and David had a clear plan when it came to their wedding priorities. They wanted to:

1. Utilise talented friends for their skills. “We personally knew the celebrant, photographer and ceremony musicians, and had an artist friend create the ring box for the ceremony.”

2. Use second hand items to save money. “Our bunting has just been bought by another bride – it has now been to three weddings!”

3. Keep the planning relaxed and fun. “We were pretty casual when dealing with suppliers.”

The Dress Search

“I wasn’t interested in going into wedding dress shops and wanted to bypass that entirely. I also wanted to purchase a second hand dress for economical and sustainability reasons, so I bought a second hand Vera Wang dress online for a great price. Unfortunately it didn’t fit perfectly and even though it’s beautiful, it just wasn’t ‘me’. I think everyone dreams of having a Vera Wang wedding dress, which I do have… it’s just in my cupboard. If someone wants it please make me an offer!

I bought my Anna Campbell dress second hand and my mum helped alter for fit. I added the cardigan as I knew I would always feel more comfortable with my arms covered.”

Groom’s Styling

“I left the boys to style themselves. David and his dad went to Oscar Hunt to talk about suit styling and colour. Two days before the wedding, David told me he was wearing a red tie…I had my doubts but I reluctantly trusted him and he looked great.”

Choosing Unique Venues

“We wanted a wedding that reflected us – fun, happy and interested in the arts. We chose Norla Dome for the ceremony for its striking architecture, and Ormond Hall for the reception as it is a beautiful Art Deco theatre. We wanted the architecture of both venues to be the focus of the styling, hence the minimal decorations at the ceremony. A lot of the styling was completed by myself – I love craft so I was in my element.”

Timing Things Right

“We didn’t want our guests to have a long stretch of time between the ceremony and reception. After the ceremony, we moved into the Mission to Seafarers courtyard for the cutting of the cake and refreshments. This gave our guests food and drink whilst we had family photos.

From there, guests could go straight to Ormond Hall for pre-dinner drinks, so they were never waiting around. There was always something happening and the venues’ hire times overlapped, so guests didn’t need to worry about rushing or finding something to do in between the ceremony and reception.”

Wedding Day Transport

“We all took taxis to the ceremony, as wedding cars were not really a necessary expense in our minds. We caught a tram from the ceremony to the reception, which was fun for everyone.”

First Dance Song

“Prior to the wedding we sent out a ‘Survey Monkey’ for guests to vote for our bridal waltz song. We kept the result a secret until the night. The choice was Flight of the Conchords, ‘Most Beautiful Girl in the Room’ – it was a big hit with the band and the guests.”

Best Advice

1. Be nice to your suppliers and trust them – they are experts in what they do.

2. Save money on things that aren’t really needed. Do you need a wedding car? Huge cake? Brand new dress? Our largest expenses, other than the reception, were the entertainment and flowers – it was well worth it!

3. Pick a style and stick with it. We used Kraft paper for the invites, so we also used that paper and colour for the programs; in the flowers; thank you cards and so on.

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