Kaitlyn & Paul

As we end a month of everything eco-friendly, we’re heading to the city for the gorgeous nuptials of Kaitlyn and Paul. I know I know, the city isn’t the first place that comes to mind when we think “eco-friendly” wedding, but the city and nearby Albert Park really struck a chord for the pair, who worked to make sure they were conscious caring for the environment with the details of their day. We’re delighted to share every beautiful moment captured by LJM Photography with you today.
It was a romantic beginning for these two, who met on Valentines Day! Kaitlyn remembers “We met on Valentine’s Day 2014 after my best friend and I decided to boycott the event by hanging out with her work friends. He asked me if he could sit next to me, and the rest is history!”

The groom chose a classic suit from Prinzi Collections.

Kaitlyn made sure to honour her mum on the day. “I wore my Mum’s blue heels during the ceremony and most of the photos. Blue is my favourite colour and I look up to my Mum a lot, so wanted to represent her in my outfit.”

The bride chose Georgia Young Couture to make her beautiful gown, sharing “After my Mum and I visited Georgia’s studio I knew I didn’t want anyone else making such a special outfit. Georgia is such a warm person, I was really lucky to have such a down to earth personality who has similar values of sustainability in fashion as I do. She sources her material sustainably, pays her makers accordingly and is also working towards having less waste.” Kaitlyn’s bridesmaids donned pink and red Mister Zimi gowns.

The couple chose to meet in the city for a first look and photographs before their ceremony. The bride remembering of their chosen photographer “If I had any advice for brides it would be to definitely do a reveal, Lauren was our favourite supplier to work with and that’s saying a lot because everyone was amazing! We love her direction, her professionalism, her warmth and her creativity. If we had to choose one person to recommend it would be Lauren in a heartbeat. Nobody could have captured our favourite day as well as she did.”

Kaitlyn and Paul worked with Botanics to make sure the floral details of the day were as eco-friendly as possible. Kaitlyn explaining “Although not everything they do is environmental, we were very mindful to request they take as many measures as possible to try and source pesticide-free flowers from local suppliers. All leftover flowers that are salvageable are taken to the children’s hospital. As we both know so little about decorating with florals it was important to us to find a supplier we could trust. The brief was green with one pop of colour and no roses, they delivered above and beyond we could ever imagine!

Greenfields Albert Park put on a show,  on the most glorious of Melbourne spring days. “We only had the one venue, Greenfields in Albert Park. It is a beautiful indoor/outdoor venue that really catered to all our needs and is right across the road from Albert Park Lake, meaning we could get some amazing post-ceremony photos!”

The bride chose John Denver’s “Annie’s Song” for her walk down the aisle, noting “I have listened to that song ever since I was little and dreamed of a man like Paul to fill up my senses.”

Charis White performed the ceremony, making the day official. “We wanted a quick and sentimental ceremony” explains the bride. “It was important to us to write our own vows and choose a celebrant that kept us grounded on the day. We couldn’t have asked for a better, warm personality like Charis. My favourite part was when I almost broke into a flurry of tears during my vows; one warm hand on my back from Charis and I was able to hold it together…only just.”

“Every detail was about Paul and I” tells the bride. “We really wanted the day to represent our personalities and us as a team. Every vendor understood that and catered to that which we really appreciated.”

Guests celebrated the nuptials with a cocktail reception catered by Tommy Collins Catering. “I would say working with Emma and GG at Tommy Collins putting together the menu and tasting the delicious food is one of my favourite memories” shares Kaitlyn. “What a fun, bubbly company to cater our wedding and I couldn’t thank Emma enough for her attention to detail. She also has such a great sense of humour that really shone through and kept me smiling throughout.”

In lieu of a sweet wedding cake, the couple worked with Cornelius Cheesemongers to create a cheese wheel cake. “A special sentimental cake for us non-sweet tooths. Of course, the cow toppers made it even better, gifted by Paul’s brother Jason.”

It seems the choice of first dance song was made the very first night these two met, Kaitlyn sharing “On the night we first met I asked if he liked the B52s and made him listen to my favourite song Private Idaho just so I could point out all the outfits and dance moves in the music video. It was only fitting we dance to that one! Not as cool as B52s, but we gave it a go!”

The live music by Baker Boys Band was definitely a highlight of the night, the bride remarking  “Jeremy is a genius! His acoustic version of “Glorious” by Macklemore, sung after our ceremony nearly made me burst into tears (again!!!) So creative and beautifully reproduced.”  

The night ended just as it began, with joy and a fabulous story. “We ordered a cab to take us back to the hotel at the end of the night but it either never showed up or a guest took it…so we ended up hitching a ride with the catering company who graciously took us to the front door. As he drove away I realised we used my phone for directions so Paul in a three-piece suit started running down the street to catch the van. Meanwhile, the receptionist comes outside only to see a lone bride laughing her ass off screaming “HE’S TURNING LEFT, HURRY!!” It was a hilarious and perfect beginning of our married life together.”

A big congratulations to you both Kaitlyn and Paul! Thank you for sharing your beautiful wedding day with us. Thank you also to LJM Photography for today’s beautiful wedding.