Athena and Dariusz

One of the greatest joys of writing Polka Dot Bride is celebrating all kinds of weddings – whether it be a small backyard wedding in regional Victoria with a civil celebrant and a reception filled with handmade touches, to the larger than life celebrations filled with tradition and ceremony. The weddings I feature on Polka Dot Bride touch my soul – they move me, they draw me in. Today’s wedding is no exception. A traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony, a beautifully decorated, lavish reception and a couple – who like every other getting married, love each other so completely, so dearly that it makes the photographs come alive.

Athena explains how she met her husband. “We met at university, toward the end of our degrees, when paired for a group assignment. Whilst it was not exactly love at first sight as our focus was devoted to the task at hand, we both knew relatively soon after, that this was the beginning of a special relationship.”

Photographs today are by Marcus Bell of Studio Impressions. Marcus truly takes my breath away with his captures. The photographs have an intensity to them that capture the significance of the wedding day. Video on the day was captured by Net Productions.

Athena’s wedding gown was designed by J’Aton Couture and paired with shoes from Giuseppe Zanotti.

The floral arrangements were styled by Always Fabulous Flowers.

Athena’s bridesmaids wore raspberry pink gowns made by Kelly Cooper with fabric from Fabric Collection.

Walking down the aisle was one of Athena’s favourite memories. She explains, “Definitely a highlight from our wedding day was walking down the aisle. Not because people were focused on me, as I am not the biggest fan of being the center of attention, but it was just me and my dad, and we were walking towards my future.”

Athena and Dariusz were married at the Greek Orthodox Church of St George.

The first steps were poignant for the newlyweds. Athena recalls “In Greek Orthodox wedding ceremonies, the bride and groom are ushered by the priest on a walk around the ceremonial table where they take their first steps as a married couple. This is when we realised we were actually married.”

The photographs were a highlight, says Athena. “We loved the fact that we felt completely at ease with our photographers in terms of not only trusting their skill and ability to capture all the special moments from our wedding, but also because we appreciated their creative vision. Our photographers fully understood that we wanted an ‘old world’ setting for our photographs, and assisted us in securing the perfect location.”

The Greek Club was the location for the couple’s evening reception.

Athena and Dariusz had a distinct theme in mind for their wedding. Athena explains “We wanted to create a ‘garden paradise’, and to do so, ensured that guests were seated at tables adorned with beautiful arrangements of fresh flowers, all of which filled the space with their delicious scent”. Wedding & Co assisted in styling and planning of the wedding reception.

The stationery was designed by Baroque Studios. The couple used a colour palette of oyster, vintage gold, rose and sage for their wedding.

Guests made the day for the newlyweds. Athena remembers, “The role our guests played in our wedding: The feeling of being married, surrounded by several generations of our families as well as our closest friends was truly amazing. We were both so very thankful to be able to celebrate our wedding in the presence of everyone who has contributed to our lives both independently, and as a couple.”

The day held more emotion than the couple expected. Athena says, “We were surprised by the range of different emotions experienced on the day. It’s not that we didn’t expect the wedding day to be emotional, but we felt everything from nervous excitement, to immense anticipation, elation and a hopefulness of the future and what it holds.”

The amazing cake was created by Sweetums.

Congratulations Athena and Dariusz! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us today on Polka Dot Bride! Thank you also to Marcus Bell of Studio Impressions for sharing today’s photographs!