Real Wedding | Eleesheva + Reuben

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Elee loves nature and insists on lugging a full frame camera on long hikes. Reuben loves to cook almost as much as he loves to eat. 

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We love our neighbourhood, and tried to stay local and be near water as much as possible over the course of the day. 

Holding the ceremony in our local community centre felt right for us, and a way to respect an institution we both value. We then walked around the corner to have lunch at Otto Ristorante on the wharf, before boarding a boat for cake, dancing, speeches and a swim in Sydney Harbour. 

How many guests did you have?

48.

What was your budget?

We blew our budget - but by an amount we half expected! 

We tried to keep costs manageable by asking ourselves what was truly important (for us - food and photography). 

Elee and her friend Callie went to the flower markets the day before the wedding and did the arrangements. Reuben DIYed the catering for the boat. 

Tell us about your outfits.

Elee: I love wearing colours and was after a piece that felt special enough for the day. I fell in love with the Rachel Gilbert gown and wore it with a nude slip from Baz Inc.  

Reuben: I’ve wanted a dark green double breasted suit for years, and we worked with P Johnson to find a fabric that complemented Elee’s dress. I’m wearing one of my father’s ties, and my ring was re-cast from my great-grandfather’s. 

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

We focused on how we wanted the day to feel, rather than how it looked. We often came back to the idea that the day wasn’t a performance for anyone but rather a chance to spend time with the people we love.

We love hosting long dinners that are almost too big for our tiny apartment, and we wanted to capture that relaxed and intimate party energy. 

Every person at our wedding was important to us and we wanted them to feel it. We handwrote our invitations, and looked for opportunities for people to contribute. We made a lot of hard decisions to keep the guest list down, but it allowed us to feel we had meaningful time with everyone on the day.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate? 

Reuben: Elee has been vegan for 13 years, and I didn’t want her to compromise that for our wedding day. We wanted food to be a centrepiece of the day, so we looked long and hard for a vegan menu that was delicious enough that everyone would enjoy it – even omnivores (like me)! 

Elee: We both love to swim and thought what better way to have a fun party then by hoping on a boat after a luxuriously long lunch! 

Any tips for couples getting married?

Embrace imperfection and see if you can enjoy the process of creating the day together. As soon as something felt out of place or stressful we were quite ruthless and dropped it. 

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Yes, but you can’t hire most of them! We are lucky to have talented family and friends, and their contributions made the day feel so special. Sarah and Jordan ran our ceremony, Lucy, Tom and Charles played music during the ceremony, Eliza made the cake, Callie curated the playlists, plus everyone else who helped set up the day. 

We were also blown away by the way Damien Milan managed to capture the feelings in each moment throughout the day. He was a joy to have with us and was so professional and organised throughout the whole planning process.

Photographer: Damien Milan @damienmilan_photographer | Ceremony Location:

Juanita Nielsen Community Centre @cityofsydney | Reception Location: Otto Ristorante @ottoristorante + John Oxley Boat from Boat Hire Sydney @bhs.boathiresydney | Bouquet: Poho Flowers @pohoflowers | HMUA: Eternal Elegance @_eternalelegance_ | Reuben's Suit:- P Johnson @pjohnsontailors | Elee's Dress:  Rachel Gilbert @rachelgilbertau | Elee's Engagement + Wedding Rings: Meg Maskell @megmaskellfinejewellery | Reuben's Wedding Ring: Hamish Burschell @burchells_jewellers