Tell us a little about yourselves!
Our friends introduced us in 2017 at a pub on the Mornington Peninsula. Stephanie is a fashion designer and I work in Finance. We recently have moved back to our home in Melbourne after living together in Amsterdam for 4 years.
Stephanie is definitely a more creative personality, and I (Elliott) am more pragmatic – so it was really fun organizing the wedding with both points of view. In the end it perfectly reflected both of us.
We both love to entertain and have outgoing personalities, so we decided that for our wedding we wanted to have it personal and high-energy!
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We chose the Yarra Valley as we wanted to have a ‘destination wedding’ that wasn’t too far for our guests to travel. Stones of the Yarra Valley was such a beautiful venue, and they were able to hold a larger number of guests.
We wanted to have welcome drinks and a recovery, we booked a farm stay to host the events around the wedding that could hold the entire bridal party, some friends and immediate family. We had many friends coming from overseas, so it was a great way for all the people we love to get to know each other in an intimate setting.
We had a small service at the Greek church the following week. This was an important moment and event for our grandparents past and present to celebrate our heritage.
How many guests did you have?
A ‘small’ wedding of 172 guests.
Tell us about your outfits.
Elliott wore a custom-tailored suit from P.Johnson. It was made to measure at their flagship store in London.
I was sceptical that when it comes to the wedding dress, that 'when you know, you’ll know' wouldn't apply to me. Especially being from a design background, I was worried that I wouldn’t find something I loved. However, after the second bridal appointment I quickly cancelled all others, as after visiting Georgia Young Couture I indeed found the infamous 'one'. Georgia Young has the most beautiful designs, and I loved the modern yet classic look. After the wedding dress was locked in, the rest just fell into place. I didn’t want a veil, so I searched the internet far and wide, and with the help of my friend I found the most beautiful silk organza headpiece from A.B.Ellie. The earrings were given to me from my mother, that was gifted to her by my great uncle when we visited him in Lipari, Italy.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We really wanted everyone to have a great time, that was the most important thing to us. We had friends from all over the world come for the wedding and our favourite thing was getting our family and friends together in one room. Our parents being part of the whole process and present on our special day, was also very important to us. When we are all together it is such a fun and entertaining time, there were tears and lots of laughter. This made the day so exceptional for us.
It was also important to us that during the ceremony we had the opportunity to have personalised vows which we could reflect on our future marriage and celebrate our thoughts with those closest to us.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
Having traditional Greek dancing on the night was a great way of showing our friends a part of our culture. Everyone got completely around it and loved taking shots as a part of the dance.
It was important to us to have the opportunity to both have welcome drinks and a low-key recovery, as this was an opportunity for so many people from both sides to get to know each other better. We think this was a key reason there as such excitement and high energy during the wedding day.
Any tips for couples getting married?
When you’re at the altar, making a speech or at the reception be sure to take everyone’s faces and expressions in, especially your partners - because those moments will be the most precious of them all.
Start the reception with your entrance and straight into the first dance and 2-3 songs to follow. It really sets the scene for the evening and having a mosh pit on the dancefloor before entrees were even served was one of the highlights of the day!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
All our vendors were fantastic. We loved having a live band at the ceremony and cocktail hour. Astro Soul was happy to oblige playing some of our favourite songs by Kylie Minogue and George Michael at the ceremony, which created a fun atmosphere from the get-go. Emotions + Math, our photographers were also amazing and made everything look so natural. The Providore, Miss Ladybird Cakes and Madeline and Ingrid from Tonic Agency all contributing to the day being so seamless and perfect, we are so thankful!
Photographer + Videographer : Emotions + Math @emotionsandmathweddings | Ceremony + Reception Location : Stones of the Yarra Valley @stonesoftheyarravalley | Celebrant : Sophie Cleary @sophiecelebrant | Entertainment : Astro Soul @astrosoulmusic | Floral Styling : The Providore @theprovidorestyling | HMUA : Tonic Agency @tonic.makeup.hair @madeleinegoldsmith @make_up_by_ingrid | Cake : Miss Ladybird Cakes @missladybirdcakes | Stationery : Peggy and Polly + Paula J Graphic Design | Limoncello Bonbonniere : Homemade by Bride's Nonna | Stephanie’s Dress : Georgia Young Couture @georgiayoungcouture | Elliott’s Suit : P Johnson Tailors @pjohnsontailors | Stephanie's Shoes : Gucci @gucci | Bag : Miu Miu @miumiu | Earrings : Family Heirloom gifted by Bride's Great Uncle in Lipari, Italy | Headband : A.B.Ellie @a.b.ellie | Wedding Party Attire : Bec and Bridge @becandbridge + P Johnson Tailors @pjohnsontailors