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Megan & Jon

You know a wedding can be as grand or as simple as you want, it can be filled with crystal chandeliers or in your backyard but there is one thing for me, if it isn’t filled with heart and soul, it’s not a fit for us at Polka Dot Bride. Megan and Jon’s wedding in that sense, is a perfect fit. The two chose a city garden wedding that reflected what they love about their home, their lifestyle and most of all each other. They invited Erika Hildegard Photography along to photograph their day.

Megan and Jon tell, “We met at the bus station on the way to school, Megan was 12 and Jon was 14. Megan’s smile caught Jon’s eye and he wrote her a love note the next day. The pair grew close as friends throughout high school and finally became an item at Jon’s 18th birthday party. Just before their 10 year anniversary, Megan romantically proposed to Jon, like the true feminist she is (although she did get extremely nervous, which resulted in a bloody nose).”

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Lauren Parker and Lucky Buster styled the girl’s hair and makeup for the day.

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With help from her mother, Megan designed and made her own wedding dress using fabric sourced at Tessuti Fabrics. Her bridesmaids were dressed in pale blue and orange gowns, also made with fabric from Tessuti made by local dressmakers.

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The bride and groom both wore Allens Boots in Austin, Texas.

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Cecilia Fox created the bridal party floral arrangements for the day.

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fitzroy gardens wedding ceremony

Fitzroy Gardens was chosen for the wedding ceremony, Megan explaining, “We chose to have the ceremony at Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne in the exact place we were standing when we announced our engagement to close friends. It was a beautiful space with views over the Melbourne city skyline. The garden was a blank canvas that we could fill with our vision for the day.”

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“Throughout the ceremony we had music played by the amazing Domini Forster, who covered a dozen songs that we selected. Some of the songs were challenging to convert to acoustic (including the White Stripes and the XX), but she made them her own. She was incredible.”city garden wedding0079

The bride sourced the chairs for the ceremony herself.

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Megan tells, “We walked down the aisle to Bright Eyes – First Day of my Life, covered on the ukulele by Domini Forster, a beautiful Melbourne based acoustic artist.  Megan’s two year old niece Delilah was the flower girl, and although she didn’t quite grasp the concept of dropping flowers as she ran down the aisle, she did enjoy playing in the rose petals when she reached the end! ”

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Megan and Jon note, “Our wedding was a true representation of us – our love, our lives, the city we love and the people that matter most.”

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The couple were married by a close friend, who trained just for the wedding day. “The most special part of the day was being married by our close friend Jarrod. Jarrod undertook celebrancy training especially to be accredited for the day and travelled 4,000 km to be there. Jarrod shared beautiful stories about us, which was followed by hand written vows that we prepared. The ceremony was very personal, and truly reflected our relationship. All the guests were either in tears or hysterical laughter by the end of the ceremony.” Another friend made the arbour the couple wed underneath.

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Post ceremony guests enjoyed a toast with handmade cocktails mixed by friends out of hand decorated recycled jars, craft beer served from borrowed wheelbarrows, speeches, cupcakes and cookies from Miss Ladybird Cakes served from vintage baskets and trays collected from charity stores.

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Of their photographer, Megan and Jon remember, “Our photographer Erika Hildegard was amazing. She brilliantly captured the day and lead-up, by taking honest and meaningful photos that burst with emotion.”

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Megan and Jon chose Le Bon Ton for their reception, remarking, “We continued the party at Le Bon Ton in Collingwood, a New Orléans style bar/restaurant with a menu inspired by Texan-style barbeque. We fell in the love with the venue after tasting the amazing apple pie. The venue also gave us an excuse to wear our most prized possessions – traditional Texan cowboy boots.”

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Megan hand crafted the seating chart, place cards and floral arrangements herself.

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le bon ton wedding

Megan tells, “We danced until sunrise. I can’t remember which dance was our first… ”

Congratulations Megan and Jon! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Erika Hildegard Photography for sharing today’s wedding with us.