Wedding | Bella & Tristan

Tell us a little about yourselves! 

We have been in each other’s orbit since high school, although we weren’t  properly introduced until after we’d both finished uni, our paths would always cross. We think often about invisible string theory and how for years before we met, we’d be at the same parties, catching the same train and sitting on the same sticky carpet at the Harp of Erin Hotel singing 'Flame Trees' every Sunday. 

After six years together, Tristan proposed using a fortune cookie. People always ask about the logistics of getting the fortune into the cookie. For anyone planning on proposing this way, allow 2-3 business days, it’s not as easy as you’d expect. 

Why did you decide to get married where you did? 

When we think about all the milestone moments in our lives; the night we met, when we got engaged, nights with friends, and celebrating with family, they all have a common thread; they were distinctly Melbourne. Always with good food, a Brunswick Street backdrop and unpredictable weather. 

We wanted to make sure our wedding day was no different. We made sure to find venues that had that Melbourne DNA and we were sure to stitch plenty of Melbourne references into our day. We woke up with croissants from Lune, we had four seasons of weather in one day and at the end of the night we hopped on a tram home. 

How many guests did you have? 

We had 120 of our closest friends and family - we want to give a special mention to those who travelled and cut adventures short to join us! 

Tell us about your outfits. 

Tristan’s first suit - not pictured for good reason - was chosen and quickly abandoned a week later. An enthusiastic groomsmen party, several whiskies deep, was not the best context for informed tailoring decisions. 

Bella’s dad Brett passed away six months before we met. The week before the wedding Bella’s mum gifted Brett’s watch to Tristan. It was the most special surprise, and now Tristan’s most treasured  possession. 

Surprisingly, finding Bella’s dress was a much more relaxed process. The Dalmatian Dress from Georgia Young was the first dress Bella tried on, after a month of looking, nothing ticked all the boxes in the same way Georgia’s dress did. It was different to all the other dresses flooding her feed, it was architectural and a bit ‘old Hollywood’. 

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

With a career in design, Bella was eager and willing to take full creative control of the day. Years of working in architecture and interior design have taught her the importance of establishing a brief. 

Pulling together ideas she liked, there was an underlying theme, once this was realised, she took this and ran with it. From there the whole process was made easier by committing to the theme.

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

The most important aspect of our day was to spoil our friends and family. We are surrounded by the best party-throwers (and party goers!). We were sure to keep everyone’s glasses and bellies full. Together with this and including as much of our narrative into our day as possible, it made for such a genuine and memorable night. 

Any tips for couples getting married? 

Lean on your vendors, there is likely no question they haven’t heard. Get multiple quotes and don’t automatically rule out the higher-priced suppliers; in our experience, they were worth their weight in gold. 

If we had our time again, we would have kept a few more surprises to ourselves. Bella cannot physically keep secrets, so most of them leaked early, except one. Sarah Joel, our celebrant, hid our wedding bands under a random guest chair before the ceremony. When it came time to exchange rings, Sarah asked everyone to look underneath their seat, unbeknownst to our friends and family, one of them ended up being our surprise ring  bearer. 

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

We wish getting married every week was a done-thing, just so we could work with Brooke, Bek, Georgia, Eleanna, Sarah and Andy again. We so desperately hope to work with Brooke McBurnie again, she is so good at what she does and we would love to have her take our photos forever. 

Andy from The Petal Edition was our sounding board for all things - she helped shape the creative vision for our day and we couldn’t recommend her highly enough. 

Bek, Bridal BTS, was actually the first person we booked, before we had our venue sorted and before we had pencilled in a date. We knew she was the best person to capture all the behind the scenes and in between moments. She delivered everything to us on the night, so the next morning was spent scrolling through our footage, and reliving our day all over again. 

And truly, a special thank you to the team at Hyde Melbourne Place for treating our room like a service corridor of emergency supplies - hair dryers, steamers, cheese knives, bathrobes - nothing was too much trouble.

Photographer: Brooke McBurnie @brookemcburnietakesphotos | Planning & Styling: by Bella | Flora: The Petal Edition @thepetaledition | Ceremony Location: The Melbourne Town Hall Portico Balcony | Reception Location: The Trust @thetrust_melbourne | Celebrant: Sarah Joel @_ceremoniesbysarah |

Hire: Friday Hire @friday.hire | Makeup: Eleanna Hingston @eleannamua | Catering & Beverages: Nudo @nudoevents | Content Creator: Bridal BTS @bridal_bts | Dress & Veil: Georgia Young  @georgiayoungcouture | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Sarah & Sebastian @sarahandsebastian | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Accommodation & Getting Ready: Hyde Melbourne Place @hydemelbourneplace