Chelsea & Paul by Caroline Sada

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…

I’m a screenwriter and my husband Paul is a sound engineer and song writer. He played drums in a band when I met him 20 years ago. But we only got our act together about five years ago when we reconnected and decided to live together.

These days Paul and I share a home and an office – this is how you know you love someone – whenthey’re playing drums while you’re trying to write. Our couple goal is to one day have a house big enough to have two offices – one each.

Apart from our house full of music, we have a family of animals – our two cats Gin and Asher and our miniature Dachshund Hildie.

Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details…

The day was beautiful. The venue did a lot of the work as it was a fully recycled Tuscan villa. The owners had literally gone to parts of provincial Italy and France to source all the materials and rebuild the villa from scratch in The Dandenongs, Victoria. Both Paul and I come from an Italian background so we loved the rustic Italian setting. It was important for us that everyone felt comfortable on the day, so there was no dress code. Not even for the bridal party. We also didn’t want to go down the traditional road of having bridesmaids and groomsmen or for people to feel like the event was planned within an inch of its life. I think we succeeded.

Tell us about your main outfits:

I fell in love with a Carol Hannah gown from NYC one year before my wedding, but I bailed on the whole idea and went for something more traditional. But when the traditional gown arrived it wasn’t me at all and I regretted changing my mind. So four weeks before the wedding I started researching the Carol Hannah gown again – a dress that takes five months to make. I contacted every retailer in America who stocked the designer. I finally found a handful who stocked the exact outfit, then a smaller handful who stocked the exact size and finally only one store who had the exact colour. And they were willing to sell it to me cheaper as it was considered a sample. Talk about lucky. I bought it straight away and had it shipped urgently. It arrived two weeks before the wedding and was perfect. It was the one thing people commented on the most. Paul looked perfect in his three piece blue woolen suit from Oxford.

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?

Probably our first dance. As much as it seemed too traditional, it was a lot of fun doing a waltz for the first time as husband and wife. Also the speeches were lovely – they were so well thought out and heartfelt. It was very moving to hear Paul talk about us as a couple in front of all our family and friends. And I highly recommend weaving a dessert grazing table into the budget – it was a hit!

Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?

Listen to your partner. That can fix any number of marriage hiccups!

Photography: Caroline Sada | Ceremony and Reception location: Mont Du Soleil | Videography: Paul Boswell | Celebrant: Tania Broom | Bride’s gown: Carol Hannah Bridal Gown | Groom’s suit: Oxford | Rings: Sassanos | Makeup and Hair: Make up by Inez | Entertainment: Melbourne Entertainment Company | Flora: Sarah Pascoe