Queensland Modern Art Gallery Wedding

Deena & Nick

I adore so much about Deena and Nick’s Brisbane modern art gallery wedding. The sculptural, clean lines from Deena’s custom made gown, the floral pomander she carried down the aisle and the deep dark tones of the reception celebrations. But what I love most of all are the intimate heartfelt moments captured by Nicola Lemmon .

“We met at a Daft Punk concert in 2007, however it was not until a chance meeting at a mutual friend’s birthday party a few years later that we exchanged phone numbers and began dating.”

Deena tells, “Nick and I both spent the morning of our wedding at our respective childhood homes, getting ready with friends and family. The groomsmen had their portraits taken in the same location where Nick’s parents had their wedding photos taken 32 years ago.”

Deena had her wedding gown made by a dressmaker in Sydney, she tells, “After shopping around Brisbane for a dress, it became clear that I was not going to find the sculptured, tailored style I was looking for, so I had something custom made by a dressmaker in Sydney. The dress had a long train which bustled up so I could move around more easily at our reception.

The dressmaking process took about six months in total. It was very exciting to see something start as a sketch then transform into a beautiful gown. Weekend trips to Sydney for fittings with my mum and sister were also a lot of fun and something I will treasure forever.”

Deena’s mother made the bridesmaid gowns, Deena noting, “Having Mum make the bridesmaids’ dresses was very special. We designed the dresses together based on a number of 1960s dress patterns. They complemented the style of my dress and after a few trials and errors (and a lot of patience on her behalf), Mum pulled them off beautifully.”

Deena and Nick chose Holy Spirit Church New Farm for their ceremony, “Nick’s parents were married at the same church, which was a lovely connection.”

“Our ceremony was a lot of fun. I was expecting it to be very emotional but by the time our wedding day rolled around we were both very relaxed. We tried to include our family as much as possible in the ceremony. Two of our siblings did a reading each, our grandmothers offered the gifts during mass and our youngest cousins were our ushers.”

Of their photographer, Deena notes, “She captured the day in perfect style.”

The newlyweds chose Queensland Gallery of Modern Art for their reception, “Champagne and canapés were served on the lower level before guests moved up to the rooftop terrace for dinner and dancing.”

Stem Design created the sculptural floral arrangements, the bride remembering, “Planning our florals with Nic from Stem Design was my favourite part of planning our wedding – she is a genius! Nic understood exactly what I wanted from the start and the table arrangements and bouquets she created for us were very striking. Her eye for detail, texture and colour is incredible.”

“The reception venue had a very modern feel to it. We tried to make it feel as elegant as possible without taking away from the city views, which provided the perfect backdrop. Two long tables seated our guests with Bentwood dining chairs. We custom made the dark navy linen tablecloths to ensure the tables were textured and refined. Tall cylindrical vases held bunches of white and pink magnolia buds to create an orchard-like setting. The result was as dramatic as we had hoped.”

“Our very talented master of ceremonies made up a song about us which he sang during his introductory speech. It had our guests in stitches and set the tone for the rest of the evening.”

For their first dance, the newlyweds chose “Sweet Thing” by Van Morrison.

Radio Club Band literally kept the dance floor moving all night long, Deena remembering, “Music was very important to us. We had a seven piece band play a mix of classic songs. The band had our guests, both young and old, dancing all night long. They were amazing.”