Katherine & Shoumendu

There was not much fuss when Katherine & Shoumendu tied the knot in a classic Fitzroy gardens wedding with Twentyone Photos behind the camera. There was a beautiful dress, a gorgeous garden setting and a group of loved ones. The couple wanted to get rid of the trimmings, the bits and pieces and host an elegant, simple day that was about what mattered most. And isn’t the end result beautiful?

Katherine chose an elegant ballgown by Pronovias from Eternal Weddings, noting “I chose the Tami dress from the Pronovias range, with a few adjustments made to the back. It had the bateau neckline, fitted bodice, and simple finish that I was looking for, plus it had practical pockets. My mum, grandma, sister, niece and nephew came along to the fittings and it was great to share the process with them and get their advice. It was actually the first dress I tried on so the decision was made on the first day we started looking!”

The couple chose Pine Walk in the Fitzroy Gardens  for their ceremony

The couple chose Pine Walk in the Fitzroy Gardens for their ceremony, the bride walking down the aisle on the arms of both her parents to  Alison Moyet’s “For You Only”.

Benny Roff officiated the ceremony, the bride remembering “We wanted our ceremony to be relaxed, entertaining and inclusive, and our celebrant Benny Roff turned out to be the perfect choice to achieve that. Shui’s friend Hannah sang two songs as we signed the register.We had our celebrant include a disclaimer when reading the marriage act that made clear that we strongly believe in marriage equality, and believe that all couples should have the right to marry regardless of their sexuality or gender.”

The groom adds “I loved that we wrote our own vows separately, and didn’t hear the others until the wedding day. It was very special to hear each other’s word of commitment on the day in front of our friends and family.”

“It isn’t often in life that we can get so many people together, and it was overwhelming and wonderful to have so many people there to celebrate our wedding.”

Botanicals On Barkly styled the floral arrangements for the dayI “The flowers were from Botanicals on Barkly (highly recommended!). I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted when I walked in, but Adrienne was so helpful throughout the whole process and created stunning bouquets and table arrangements. She was relaxed and organised and a pleasure to work with.”

Of their photographer, the newlyweds note “We hired Tuan Nguyen from Twentyone Photos, who I first came across when he photographed my friend’s wedding a couple of years ago. We like the natural, bright style of his photos, and his ability to quietly capture all the moments of the day.”

The groom tells “It was very special to propose to Katherine using her Grandmother, Val’s engagement ring. We are both very close to grandma and it added an extra layer of meaning to the proceeding to have her ring on Katherine’s finger”

A quick walk from the ceremony, The Pavillion, Fitzroy Gardens played host to the reception festivities. The newlyweds noting “We loved the beautiful garden setting and the fact it was so central and easy for our guests to get to.”

Katherine tells ” The only things we DIY’d were our wedding vows, but my sister Jo was a powerhouse. She hand-drew our invitations and table numbers, cultivated and potted the succulents we gave as wedding favours, baked the wedding cake and designed the wedding arch for our ceremony, all whilst looking after her two children who were 2 and 1 at the time! We also had some help from my cousins on the day, who helped to set up the ceremony site and the drinks bar between the ceremony and reception. My friend Shane made our wedding website.”

The first dance was choreographed by First Dance Melbourne, Katherine noting “We chose ‘In the still of the night’ by Boyz II Men because we wanted a good mix of romantic and cheesy. We took a few dancing lessons in the lead-up, which turned out to be one of the most fun aspects of planning the wedding.”

The most favourite photo of the newlyweds is the very last shot, the groom explains “At the end of the night we walked to our hotel and as we left the reception our photographer captured this picture. It was our first moment together as a married couple after the excitement of the ceremony and reception and it feels happy and peaceful.”

A big congratulations on your marriage Katherine & Shoumendu! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to  Twentyone Photos for sharing today’s celebration.