Emily & Dave

The wedding of Emily and Dave is almost magical – there are beautiful details of course- from the sweet floral arrangements, to the bride’s tea length wedding dress. But there is a story here, a tale of two on their wedding day, and as stories are what I work so hard to tell at Polka Dot Bride, I know you will love this wedding just as much as I do.

Emily remembers how she met her Dave. “Dave and I meet in a somewhat unconventional manner. After a false start in the beginning, we soon realised we where meant to be together and spent many hours commuting to be with each other. We are the best of friends and make a great team, and we just really adore each other!!”

Anitra Keogh captured today’s wedding photographs. I fell for her beautiful captures of light and romantic moments.

Emily wore a tea length gown made by a family friend with her mother’s vintage pearl earrings. Emily recalls “My dress was made by a family friend Marlene, who simply makes dresses for family and friends. I gave her a picture of what I wanted and she created it. It was just what I wanted ” Each of Emily’s bridesmaids chose their own grey gown.

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Each bridesmaid chose their own shoes and jewellery to best match the gown they had chosen. Emily and her bridesmaid’s hair was styled by Helena Demos (0423 397 233) and makeup by Jess Verzuli.

Emily wore shoes from Wittner. The floral arrangements were styled by North Street Events.

Emily walked down the aisle to ‘Walking on a Dream’ – a cover done by Boy & Bear.

Emily and David were married at The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Trentham. Emily explains “Dave and I wanted a feeling of being in our own back yard. Where people could just relax and enjoy themselves. A good friend recommended the Cosmo to us. As soon as we saw the venue we knew it was perfect. The original hotel was burnt down six years ago but the remains of the building still stands as a Trentham icon. The owners then renovated the old blue stone barn into an intimate, cosy dining area. We used the entire grounds of the venue. The ceremony was held under the birch trees in the open garden area. Followed by canapés, pre dinner drinks and speeches under the elm trees. Dinner and dancing then followed in the barn area with an attached marquee. It was a prefect setting for a perfect day.” Liam McGinnis married the couple.

Of their photographer, Emily says, “Anitra and I meet years ago when we both worked as stylists. Anitra was working on the other side of lens. But Anitra had this amazing hidden talent, which now is truly reflected in the incredible work she produces. Anitra’s eye for detail, design and style outshines all her peers. I now religiously follow Anitra on her blog to see what she is up to and simply to admire her creative work. I’m so glad we had Anitra as our photographer; she captured our day just as we remember it!!!”

Emily says, “It was one of the most memorable days of our lives filled with so much laughter and happiness, shared with such amazing friends and family.”

Emily created all of the styling and design. All of the bridesmaids and close friends helped with all the DIY decorations.

Emily loved “Being with my beautiful husband seeing him cry, smile and laugh. Our amazing friends and family, who travelled from far and wide to be with us. The most glorious Melbourne day. Great food, good wine loads of laughter and dancing and we partied into the early hours of the morning at the local Trentham pub.”

This Is Dot created the wedding invitations while One Sweet Girl made a beautiful two tier white wedding cake with platters of beautifully iced cupcakes.

For their first dance, Emily says “Dave and I had our first dance to ‘Perfect’ by Fair Ground Attraction. We didn’t rehearse anything, we just got up there and swung each other around, it was a good laugh!!”

Congratulations Emily and Dave! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to Anitra Keogh for today’s photographs!

Want More? Check Out These Posts:

1. Emily and Michael’s Handmade Beachside Wedding
2. Emily and Chae
3. Emily and Edward’s Old Time Romance Wedding

Candice & Jonathan

The Mornington Peninsula is one of my favourite Australian wine regions- from the deep rolling hills, the amazing produce and spectacular backdrops it’s simply a beautiful place for a winery wedding. Candice and Jonathan’s wedding day was simply elegant and a great showcase of the region and it’s beauty.

Candice remembers how she and Jonathan met. “We were graduate nurses together, you notice the male nurses as there’s not many of them! I never EVER thought I would date another nurse, but it turned out that we had so much in common and so much fun together that I could not let him go!”

Photographs today are by Stewart Leishman. Stewart’s elegant, beautiful captures are purely beautiful.

Candice’s friends Khia Humbles & Shannon Gibson styled her and her bridesmaid’s makeup for the wedding day.

Candice and her bridesmaids wore gowns designed by Anna Campbell.

Candice and Jonathan chose the Mornington Peninsula for their wedding with their ceremony at Dalywaters Rose Farm. Candice explains “The Mornington Peninsula was a special place to us before the wedding, but now it really holds a special place in our hearts. We had some much fun touring around the Mornington Peninsula wineries choosing the perfect one for us. After spending the winter in the UK, Dalywaters Rose Farm was our reminder of the beautiful English gardens. It’s such a romantic location for a ceremony and we could not speak more highly of owners Anne and Daryl, what a lovely couple and what a spectacular garden!”

A family friend played the ceremony music. Candice recalls “We had a family friend play Train’s ‘Marry Me’, just him and his guitar, stunning! Even more beautiful, he wrote us a song for the signing, titled ‘For the rest of our lives’, what a dream!”

The celebrant the couple chose played a big part in the couple’s wedding plans. Candice remarks “Di Klienert, our celebrant is the most delightful person you could wish to officiate your wedding. A true gem, Di doubled as a wedding planner, giving us many recommendations. She made us feel at ease and shared many words of wisdom that we will always remember.”

Candice & Jonathan hired a car from Fleetwood Chauffeured Limousines (03 9764 2276) for their transport. Candice remarks “The car we used had a special story. It was a rust bucket found in a graveyard of derelict cars in country Victoria. When the history of the car was traced through the Armstrong Siddeley car club, it was discovered that is had been used by Prince Phillip when he opened the Olympic games in 1956. He also rode in the car in 1963 when he came with Queen Elizabeth on a visit to Melbourne. We didn’t need to look at any other cars!”

Candice describes the wedding as “An absolute dream, it exceeded all our expectations!”

Of their photographer, Candice says “Stewart, he’s the best! Luckily we heard about him through a friend of a friend. He was the first photographer we met and we knew we didn’t need to meet anyone else. We felt comfortable from the moment we met him, and as a result our photos are relaxed and natural. He’s an amazing artist!”

The gorgeous bouquets were styled by Flowers by Entwine ((03) 9489 8651).

Stillwater at Crittenden was the chosen location for the reception festivities. The guests received lemon butter made by Candice’s mother as wedding favors.

Although there was plenty of handmade elements, Candice’s family helped her make wise DIY choices to ensure she was relaxed in the lead up to the wedding day, Candice explains ” I love DIY, so everything I could DIY I did! Invitations, favours, centrepieces and guest book. I had to be realistic and hand the cupcakes over to my Aunty! They were just delicious! I was also banned from making the bouquets, but found Lisa at the Local Shop in Northcote (my favourite little shop Flowers by Entwine ((03) 9489 8651).), she did such an amazing job.”

The guests made the day special for the couple. Candice remarks “We had guests travel from interstate and overseas to attend our wedding. It was the first time our families had all been together in the same room, luckily everyone liked each other! A truly memorable and special day for us!”

The first dance started off a little slowly. Candice remembers “It was awkward, Jono hates dancing and almost refused but was persuaded at the last moment by the band! No planned routine, just us sharing a candid moment together, lovely in the end!”

The Peter Miller Band kept the festive atmosphere of the reception going all night long. Candice remarks “Once the band started playing there was not a single person left seated! It was amazing! We felt like everyone was really ready to party and make sure we had the best night ever!”

 Congratulations Candice and Jonathan! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to Stewart Leishman for sharing today’s wedding with us!

Want More? Check Out These Posts:

1. Candice and Trent’s Relaxed Summer Wedding
2. Shaun and Candice
3. Shaun and Candice – The Details

Katherine & Jeremy

 Katherine & Jeremy’s classic Melbourne wedding has all the classic element and all the little touches that make it personal to their sunny lifestyles. Katherine and Jeremy even met before the ceremony in one of Melbourne’s graffiti ridden lane ways and captured the best of Melbourne’s backdrops!

Katherine explains how they met. “We both met when we were 18 years old, when Jeremy moved out of home with  friend of his. There was no funny business back then as both were in long term relationships but we were friends for a few years until we fell out of touch. 5 years later we ran into each other at a party and despite living in Sydney at the time, I knew it was love and I quickly packed my stuff up and moved back to Melbourne and straight in with Jeremy.”

Photographs are by Sunny & Scout Photography. I love Lou’s fresh and fun captures with a ton of personality and no lack of moments.

Miss Aimmey styled Katherine’s hair and makeup.

Katherine wore a strapless gown by Zhanel Couture with shoes from Piotr Antoni and jewels by Georgini. The yellow and white floral arrangements for the bridal party were styled by Flower Trends by Elena.

The couple met in the city for photographs before their ceremony which turned into one of Katherine’s favourite moments of the day. She remembers “I loved having a ‘first look’ before we got married. I was originally hesitant because it broke tradition but I am so glad we did this and it didn’t detract at all from the excitement of walking down the aisle. We had a 6pm ceremony so it was also good opportunity to have photos before hand and we have a mix of urban versus golf/bush photos.”

Katherine says “Our wedding day was beautiful, relaxing, intimate and so much fun! ”

Katherine and Jeremy held their wedding ceremony and reception at Huntingdale Golf Club. Katherine explains “Huntingdale Golf Club is very special to us. We are both keen golfers and are members there. But that is not the only reason we chose this venue. It has a beautiful rose garden which was perfect for our outdoor ceremony, plus while we had our hearts set on the terrace the indoor option was just as good.  The food at HGF is exceptional and Marg Monaghan who is the Functions Coordinator there is so creative and accommodating. I left her completely in charge of the Lolly Buffet and as the photos prove – it was just stunning!”

Katherine walked down the aisle to “Sail Away” by David Gray.

Katherine remembers one of the funnier moments of the day “Having a beautiful long train is great, but just as I entered the archway, my dress blew into the rose bush and I got caught (TWICE!) – the photos and video captured my shocked face perfectly.” The couple were married by Alan Jacobs of Seven Blessings.

The wind proved an extra addition to the unpredictability of the wedding day. Katherine says, “We were praying for a balmy summer’s evening, unfortunately we forgot to pray for no wind. Lucky for us the chuppah stayed in the ground and despite having to move part of the dance floor inside we still had such a great night!”

Of their photographer, Katherine says “Louise from Sunny & Scout Photography was AMAZING! We originally found Louise on Polka Dot Bride and after seeing her beautiful photos (and getting to know her via her blog) we immediately knew we had to have her. We did an Engagement Shoot in St Kilda & Melbourne City and the photos were so awesome we couldn’t wait for our wedding photos. Louise was incredibly professional, friendly and super quick to deliver us our photos. We are just so happy she does family photos as well as we need a reason to use her again in the future!!”

The stationery for the wedding day was by Papyrus Design.

The cupcake wedding cake was made by Sophisticakes. Guests received cupcakes as favors.

The reception has the couple’s sweet yellow and while colour scheme. Katherine explains “I had spent 7 months addicted to reading wedding style blogs, buying all the wedding magazines, trolling Etsy and local markets. We had a DIY candy buffet, table numbers, name banner (thank you to my wonderful sister in law), put up all the lanterns (thanks to my wonderful cousin – owner of Laulukatu).”

The couple’s first dance was to “Turn Me On” by Norah Jones.

Congratulations Katherine and Jeremy! Thank you for sharing your wedding with us! Thank you also to Sunny & Scout Photography for today’s photographs!

Want More? Check Out These Posts:

1. Katherine and Jon
2. Stephanie and Anthony’s Traditional Melbourne Wedding
3. Katherine and Jon – The Celebration

Simone and Rhys

This gorgeous Phillip Island vintage style wedding of Simone and Rhys is packed to the rafters with beautiful details and beautiful stories. What a special day to share with you!

The couple told their story in their wedding ceremony which they shared with me.“Whilst Rhys & Simone have been together now for 6 or so years, their history extends more than double that amount of time. First meeting in the nineties on University wake boarding trips on the river in Deniliquen. Simone remembers Rhys being “The quiet achiever who was a hit with the ladies with a combination of good looks, modesty and athletic prowess. Someone who didn’t say much, but when he spoke, people listened”.

A few years later, their friendship was sealed with a kiss at Mt Buller after a night at a bar their snowboarding friends will affectionately know as “The Hoo Haa”. Both of their sights set for overseas, they parted ways for almost 5 years. Rhys’s professional snowboarding career saw him follow the winters. Simone travelled the world, following the surf and the snow on a series of work assignments that defy belief.

In a very modern love story, paths crossed with a bit of help from the Internet. In the years following, Rhys and Simone have renovated together, travelled together, surfed together and snowboarded together, notably the latest trip to Utah where Rhys popped the question, only after making Simone hike Pioneer ridge 3 times, proving that one had to climb mountains to get to Rhys’s heart.”

Photographs are by Goldsmith & Co who have passed on their vintage style to capture the wedding in a beautiful way.

Simone wore a gown from Caroline Seikaly “The dress is made from a very delicate Solstiss French Leavers Lace with vintage trim inserts.  Lined with silk georgette. The train is made from silk chiffon which has been sunray pleated, supported by a piece of silk tulle to give volume. The dress has an antique, rustic feel to it with raw edges at both neck and arm holes. It comes with a separate nude coloured slip made from silk charmeuse”. She paired it with shoes from Versace. Although Simone didn’t have typical bridesmaids, she did have special friends with her on the day to help.  Simone explains ” Whilst we didn’t have a wedding party as such – special mention has to go to Fashion Stylist Kristin Todd who helped dress me. She left her husband and baby boy in Newcastle, and was such a soothing gentle soul to be around. She looked incredible in her Manning Cartel dress and red suede Kate Spade heels. ”

Flowers were a focal point of the team and a big team effort. Simone explains “There was a combined team on the floral approach. My mother in law was previously a florist so she and fellow florist friend Sally Gibson did all of the reception flowers and wreaths with flowers courtesy of Camberwell Market. Florist extraordinaire Fleur McHarg of Fleur did my bouquet, the corsages, the chapel flowers and the jasmine filled wreaths that were suspended over each table. The floral approach generally was David Austin roses, jasmine & hydrangeas.”

Simone recalls “The ceremony was at Trenavin Chapel  – a quintessential white chapel on the Clifftops. It can be seen from the waves we surf, so I am sure I will be look at it and smile for many years to come.

Kirstie Cohen looks after Trenavin Chapel and was the backbone of our wedding. She introduced us the owners of Sunset Hill farm who shared their property with us for the reception. Kirstie was a calm, intriguing and enthusiastic ally who was there to the end  – and I mean to the end – she was even helping serve coffees at the recovery breakfast.”

The gorgeous invitations were a mix of letterpress and calligraphy. Simone says “Blackbird Letterpress did the invites which featured an embossed map of Phillip Island with topographical lines surrounding it. Cursive  words written in the shape of waves was done by Calligrapher Betsey Dunlap. Order of service booklet and place cards rolled out by the same team.  It was a running joke (and featured in Father of Groom’s speech) as to how hard invites were to read and how lucky we were that everyone made it to the wedding at all. I loved the way people had to ponder over them for just that little bit longer.”

Music was an important decision for the couple. Simone says “I walked down the aisle ‘Dream’ by Timmy Curran. A song by a  surfer for a couple of surfers. The song was all of a minute long which suited perfectly to the very small aisle. Rhys walked in to ‘Wild Horses’ by The Rolling Stones, songs throughout ceremony included ‘Sea of Love” by Cat Power, ‘Sister’ by Jamie MacDowell, ‘I Remember’ by Whitley and ‘This Sweet Love’ by James Yuill.”

Simone explains “The reception was at a private farm called ‘Sunset Hill’ owned by Annabelle & Ray Pobjoy. They very kindly let me run wild in their shed in the weeks preceding the wedding.  And Annabelle was always there with a cup of tea and a home made cake as poor Ray watched his “man land” turn into anything but.” On an antique window, the tale of Simone and Rhy’s relationship was written.

Simone says ” All Styling done by me!  (Interior Stylist at Interior Design Firm Hecker Guthrie).  Items sourced included hay bails, wine barrels, bunting, vintage objects in glass, white ceramic, copper & brass stories, woven hammock, heart shaped blackboards, vintage photo gallery wall, anything birch or galvanised, grey candles from France, vintage drink dispensers, umbrellas (intended for sun use – but came in handy when there was a sprinkling of rain) , antique window sills, and the list goes on!”

The typewriter acted as a guestbook and a talking point! Simone remembers, “What was quite funny is that I did intend on bringing out the old typewriter trick and the typewriter I purchased from Ebay was a bit of a dud. When testing it out I typed “I was going to do one of those cool typewriter things, but this one is crap and will therefore remain display only”. And I forgot to pull the sheet of paper out – so that got a few giggles.”

The favors were, “Tin cans lovingly painted by my Dad and planted with Thyme by my mother in law. They had little swing tags saying ‘thanks for making our wedding such a great thyme’. ”

Simone says “A special thanks must also go to fashion Designer Kristen Hyder who took a hiatus from designing the week prior the wedding and being my styling associate. Kristen helped me make sense of the boxes and boxes of things I had collected over the preceding 12 months. When it came time for me to walk away, Kristen became the number one “go to girl” and made sure everyone stayed true to the vision – it was hilarious as people were too scared to do anything without checking with her first! What was even more hilarious was that at 4.26pm (and the wedding started at 4.30pm down the road) she had to be dragged kicking and screaming from the set up. Now that’s commitment!”

Of their photographer, Simone says “I was introduced to Brett as he is the brother of a client of mine. He and partner Jane were fantastic to work with. Everyone commented on “the cool photographer”  who in all honesty I don’t remember seeing a lot of throughout the day and night. I think that means he did a really good job.”

The styling of the wedding was a true team effort “Special thanks must also go to the Groom’s best mate Scott Round who got roped into signage and astounded us all with the results. Among others we had a little sign saying ‘All you need is love…Love is all you need” and that was the song by the Beatles that we left the wedding to. Everyone joined into a guard of honour and we kissed everyone on the way to our waiting car.

My parents deserve the greatest praise. Dad was assigned tasks and carried them out without so much as a question. My mum was there every step of the way and in the absence of a bridal party, she was the Matron of Honour!

Finally, friends Lauren Robertson & TJ Carroll from event company “The Greatest Show On Earth” who as well as having a great time, made sure everything ran to plan.”

The classic three tier cake was filled with delicious flavours. Simone says “Addicted To Cake ((03) 5968 2502 ) made the coconut mud cake, layered with coconut Swiss meringue buttercream, covered with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream and coconut chips. Ed Dixon Food Design catered for both the dinner and the recovery breakfast. Dinner was a “posh BBQ” and the guests all raved about the food and the shared nature of the offer.  I myself was too excited to eat, so didn’t get to enjoy the fruits of their labour. ”

Simone remembers “When during his speech Rhys said “a wise person once said that if you have to invite your best friend to your wedding you are marrying the wrong girl.”

Simone recalls “Nic Romney from Top Dog was the DJ and by the state of the dance floor from about 8pm onwards, I would say he did a damn fine job! One of the best songs for me was  “Shout” by Jonnie O’Keefe. It bought the house down. ”

The first dance, was a romantic choice underneath the star lit sky .”The song was to the acoustic version of ‘Miles Away’ by Years around the sun. We had practiced moves in our lounge room, but I think we both got a little stage fright and not too many of the rehearsed moves made it to the dance floor (with the exception of the dip which was “non negotiable”.)
The rain had cleared, the full moon was rising in the sky and lit up the ocean. The festoon lights above the dance floor were swaying in the breeze and it was such a special moment that it makes my heart hurt when I hear the song.”

Congratulations Simone and Rhys! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to Goldsmith & Co for sharing today’s images!

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Pamela and Leigh

Simple and sweet is the name of the game for this beautiful Melbourne bayside wedding. Pamela and Leigh met through a mutual friend one New Year’s Eve and have been together ever since. They chose one of Melbourne’s iconic bayside venues to celebrate their marriage.

Photographs are by Luma Photo who easily captured the joy of the day.

Pamela and Leigh chose Elwood Pier as their wedding location.

Pamela, wearing a Baccini & Hill gown with Alan Pinkus shoes walked down the aisle to Elvis Costello’s “She”.

Pamela and Leigh were married by Amanda Matler of  Splendid Ceremonies.

Of their photographer, Pamela says “Luma Photography took beautiful, natural photos. They captured the moment & emotion perfectly . We didn’t want to pose for photos, but wanted them to capture the spirit of the day- which they did”

The couple held their reception at Elwood restaurant Sails On The Bay.

The brightly coloured floral arrangements were styled by Heavy Petal.

Pamela says “I loved having all our friends and family there, we had friends who made the trip from London so it meant a lot that they were there. The location meant something to us. We both wanted it to be a party and have lots of dancing- which it was. Everyone got up and danced the night away. My dad’s speech was also special. He doesn’t like public speaking and was very nervous, but he really gave a heart warming speech.”

For their first dance, Pamela and Leigh invited all of their guests to join them on the dance floor to dance to “Make  You Feel My Love” by Adele.

Congratulations on your wedding Pamela and Leigh. Thank you for sharing your day with us. Thank you also to Luma Photo for the images.

Want More? Check Out These Posts:

1. Joylee and James’ Delightful Garden Wedding
2. Caitlyn and Simon’s Delightful Park Wedding
3. Beth and Anthony’s Delightful Daylesford Wedding