REAL WEDDING
OLIVIA + MICHAEL
PHOTOGRAPHY | CHRIS WALTER PHOTOGRAPHY
Olivia and Michael met online on Tinder; Olivia had just moved to Melbourne and was finding her feet in a new country on the other side of the world, away from everything she’d known and the life she’d built for herself in the UK. They dated for a while during what they refer to as ‘Season 1’ and rekindled their relationship in 2019 – otherwise known as ‘Season 2’, and haven’t looked back.
Michael proposed to Olivia on her birthday in 2021 during lockdown. He did an amazing job keeping the ring planning and proposal plotting a secret and had Olivia convinced that they were going to go look at rings together the following year after the lockdown had eased. Michael bought Olivia a digital photo frame, which seemed like a strange birthday present. Confused, Olivia plugged it in and started watching the photo slideshow play, thinking about where she would display this gift in the house. As the photos went by it slowly dawned on Olivia that the song playing was the song her and Michael had always said would be their wedding song… and all the pictures were only of the two of them. The words ‘Will you marry me?’ appeared on the screen and Olivia turned to see Michael with a ring. What came next was a mixture of shock, surprise, love, tears and hugs!
Olivia was previously a wedding coordinator, and so of course a spreadsheet template appeared as if from nowhere only days after the proposal. Planning involved lots of personalised touches, including a personalised keepsake topper, stationery and activity kits for the kids.
The couple had fallen in love with their venue, Jack Rabbit Winery, from previous visits and actually didn’t visit any other venues. As soon as international borders re-opened, Olivia’s mum made the trip across from the UK and the couple shared in some very special moments including meeting Michael’s parents for the first time at Jack Rabbit, and being there to help Olivia choose her wedding gown.
Olivia and Michael had 79 adults and 6 children, including guests who travelled from the UK, Italy, New Zealand, WA, and Queensland. As for the wedding theme inspiration, they wanted to use as many local suppliers as possible, and took inspiration from local suppliers’ Instagram pages. Overall, they wanted a fairly classic and elegant look – but with splashes of bright colour!
Jack Rabbit offered an amazing base to build from, and the couple were able to match the style of their cake, flowers, and stationery – which was easily done thanks to a well-connected network of local suppliers (The Posie Place, Poppy Jane Cakes and Danger and Moon).
Olivia wore an eye-catching ivory sequin Jane Hill gown paired with Bared heels and a dramatic cathedral length veil. The earrings which Olivia wore were diamond studs gifted to her at Christmas by Michael. Michael wore a classic black tux, black bow tie, white pocket square and patent dress shoes from Politix.
The most memorable moment? Definitely walking down the aisle and exiting the ceremony, realising they were husband and wife from then on – while being pelted in the face with pink rose petals – the joy and laughter will be something they would remember forever.
Olivia and Michael wanted the celebration to reflect their personalities and interests and be personal to their story and relationship. This is something that their celebrant Benn Stone was able to capture perfectly. They didn’t follow a lot of wedding traditions – giving all guests the opportunity to give a short speech if they wanted, arriving to the wedding together and opening the dancefloor by inviting everyone to take the floor.
Looking back, Olivia realises it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when planning a wedding, so she recommends taking one decision at a time and focusing on top priorities – don’t feel like you have to stick to traditions just for the sake of it. Take the time to enjoy your time as an engaged couple too! It’s easy to jump straight into wedding planning mode – but relish the love and celebrations of being engaged!
Gown & Veil: Jane Hill | Shoes: Bared | Hair: Laurie Boring | Makeup: Laurie Boring | Suits: Politix | Rings: Cushla Whiting for Olivia’s engagement and wedding ring. Michael’s ring was previously his dad’s. | Celebrant: Benn Stone | Ceremony and Reception: Jack Rabbit Winery | Flowers: The Posie Place | Cake: Poppy Jane Cakes | Photography: Chris Walter | Favours: Succulent Social | Stationery and Signage: Danger and Moon | Accommodation: Portarlington Grand Hotel | Honeymoon: Heading to Europe for a month in June – celebrating with family and friends in the UK and then heading through to Belgium, Germany, Croatia and Spain
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