Wedding | Michelle & Daniel

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Daniel is from Melbourne, and I am from Adelaide. We met by chance while I was in Melbourne on a work trip, one of those moments that just changes everything. Eight years later, we live in Adelaide where Daniel works as a doctor and I as a makeup artist. We adore travelling the world (I am currently typing this on our train to Venice on our honeymoon! Surreal!). We also love our son, our tuxedo cat Cosmo. We balance each other; Daniel’s calm, rational nature keeps me grounded, while he says I bring the passion, humour and perspective that keeps things light and fun.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

Melbourne has always been special to us. It’s where we met, and every time we go back it feels nostalgic, we always find ourselves doing our favourite things around the city.

When it came time to decide where to get married, we wanted something unique, something that felt different, somewhere our guests had not been before and that felt like us. The moment we saw Churchill, with its incredible stained-glass windows and gothic charm, we knew straight away it was perfect. It felt unique, dramatic, and completely right for the vibe we wanted Although if anyone in my life hears me say “vibe” in relation to the wedding one more time they might lose it. Also, being able to have both the ceremony and reception in the space made it a truly magical experience.

How many guests did you have?

75 wonderful guests.

What was your budget? 

Our parents graciously offered to pay for our wedding. We did pay for some things like Daniel’s suit, our rings and our guest gifts, but we didn’t necessarily have a budget. It was around $80-85k for everything. 

Unfortunately for my Dad, I did have expensive taste in wedding dresses (Sorry Bill) x

Tell us about your outfits.

Michelle: I have had Vivienne Westwood saved on my wedding boards for years and years. To me, she has always made women look and feel like works of art, particularly her wedding gowns. Truly one of the most iconic designers of all time. I wanted to look like a greek sculpture or renaissance painting (the brief for the whole wedding was Pirates of the Caribbean/ old gothic romance if you get it, you get it), and the Nova Cocotte was the perfect dress.

As beautiful as it is on its own, I wanted something that would elevate the look for the ceremony but also stay true to the original gown. The girls at Bloom Bridal, Kait Grace Studio and Louella Bridal made my vision come true to attach the Diva Train (without the tie waist), so it looked completely seamless (It was a feat of engineering, that is for sure) I loved the sculptural elements in the gown and the silhouette with the added skirt. It was truly a dream to wear and I felt so beautiful.

I have always been drawn to pearls, they are timeless, sculptural, and beautifully understated, I wanted my bouquet to capture the same vision. This bouquet felt especially meaningful as my Mum and I made it together. We spent hours stringing the pearls, until they layered perfect and sat just so. I loved that it added an organic sense of movement that a traditional bouquet often lacks. It also felt like a nod to Vivienne as she often uses pearls in her looks, tying the whole outfit together. 

Daniel: My suit was made by Oscar Hunt in Adelaide – a special thanks to Steven and the team at Norwood who executed the fit perfectly. It was an Italian wool, charcoal grey with a subtle herringbone pattern. Double-breasted jacket, with a single-pleated trouser. A crisp white shirt with matching silk pocket square, and a hand-tied black bow tie to bring it all together. Shoes were black leather derbies from Sanders – an English company still hand-making beautiful Goodyear-welt leather in the UK.

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

We wanted the wedding to feel very intimate, personal, and fun. It was important to us to move away from the traditional wedding structure and create something that felt more like a celebration than a formality. We wanted it to feel effortless, great music, amazing food and just everyone genuinely having fun.

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

We wanted the night to flow naturally, so we made sure to do the cake cutting and speeches early in the evening, during cocktail hour before the reception. It kept the energy uninterrupted and let everyone enjoy and relax without the formalities coming later in the evening. We have had a lot of people say this was one of their favourite things about our wedding, the flow.

Music was another major element that I was extremely passionate about. It brings the vibe and sets the tone for the whole night. So, I made a playlist and listened to it for weeks, constantly cutting, adding, and tweaking it until I felt like I had a good mix of songs for everyone. I then passed it over to Damian with strict instructs to not let the songs play for too long (again ruins the vibe for me) he is the most incredible DJ, and he put his spin on it which created the most incredible atmosphere. Again, another thing we got great feedback for! 

I am very type A if you cannot tell already, so pretty much any element was important for “The Vibe”.

Any tips for couples getting married?

We don’t think there is anything to be said that hasn’t already been said before! Don’t be afraid to break traditions and make the day how you want it! You won’t regret it.

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

The team at Prunella were incredible, they were all honestly such a dream to work with, they took my wild ideas and worked with me to make them a reality. The communication, creativity, and dedication to making our day special was truly something that we are so grateful for! 

Emotions and Math (Eric) were also so amazing! The moments he captured were so special and his style is so beautiful and unique. The way his creative mind works is something special to see. We love how he captured our space and outfits and worked with us to bring our vision to life so now we have such beautiful moments to look back on! 

The Heartbreak team truly brought the vibes, from the music to the Photo Booth, they helped create such a fun atmosphere. Everyone had such a wonderful time, and I appreciate the way they customised every detail just for us to match ~ the Vibe~.

We also cannot recommend our wedding celebrant Tim Barnes highly enough. We met over zoom due to us being interstate and immediately felt like we already knew him! He was accommodating, professional and made sure that the ceremony went exactly as we wanted it to.

And finally! To everyone who helped us bring our day to life, our families, friends and every single vendor, Thank you! I do not think we have heard “we’ve never done that before” so many times, but somehow, everyone made it happen! It was the most surreal and incredible feeling seeing our vision come to life on our day and we cannot thank all of you enough!

Photographer & Videographer: Emotions & Math @emotionsandmathweddings | Planning, Styling & Flora: Prunella @prunellaevents | Bouquet: Handmade by Michelle and her mother | Ceremony & Reception Location: Churchill Taradale @churchillevents | Celebrant: Tim Barnes @timbarnescelebrant | Makeup Artist: Dani Fischer @danifischermua | Hair Stylist: Kristina Letsas @blowwavesbykristina | Cake:

Helena White @bakesbyher | Stationery: (Design) Michelle, (Graphic Design) Laura Marcus, (Printing) Bowden Printing @bowdenprint & Hunter Brothers @hunter.bros.printers | Dress: Vivienne Westwood

from Bloom Bridal @vivennewestwood from @bloom_australia | Suit: Oscar Hunt  @oscarhunttailors | Veil: Paolo Sebastian @paolo_sebastian | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Everett Brookes @everettbrookes | Shoes: (Bride) Aquazurra @aquazzura & (Groom) Sanders @sanders | Earrings: Raw Pearls @rawpearls | Watch: Longines @longines |  Entertainment & Photobooth: Heartbreak Hotel 

@heartbreakbooth | Nails: Gellish @gellish.studio | Lashes: Lash Lift Studio @thelashliftstudio | Tan: Perfect Tan by Carol @perfecttanbycarol