Eliza & Dave by It’s Beautiful Here

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship … We are both writers – Dave writes for TV and Eliza writes novels in her spare time (in her non-spare time, she’s a barrister) and we both work for ourselves.

This gives us an amount of flexibility and creativity about the structure of our lives that both of us really enjoy. We love travelling the world, trips to Ikea to organise and re-organise our apartment, lazy Saturday afternoons at the movies, and attempting (and failing) to get our cats to behave in even a mildly acceptable fashion. Plus all the same things Melbourne people usually love: brunch, getting coffee and wandering in the park, and going to fun random events we found out about from Broadsheet. Like true millennials, we met on Tinder, then bought an apartment together less than nine months later. (Definitely a “when you know, you know” situation!) Being together has always been fun and easy, and we both know we’re so lucky to have found each other.

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…

We were incredibly lucky that we found restaurant / wine bar Neptune early on in our planning process, and along with the venue, their superstar events co-ordinator Rachael Stephens. Rachael was a lifesaver – so calm, organised and competent, and just plain lovely. We are both very organised people, and realising early on that we could trust Rachael to be just as organised as we are, and make everything work, was a godsend. Really, finding the venue and the staff (including amazing sommelier Dominic Getson) set the tone we knew at the outset we wanted: relaxed elegance meets riotous fun. A cocktail party that started with vows and ended with a killer dance floor was what we wanted, and it was absolutely what we got!

Finding our wonderful, kind and smart photographers, Kat & Scout from It’s Beautiful Here, was another day-maker. We chose them very early on, and from the first meeting they gave us so much support and guidance, that honestly by the end of the planning process they felt like more like good mates than just our wedding photographers. We decided not to have a videographer, so capturing the day in photos was of paramount importance to us, and they absolutely nailed it – we loved every shot.

Details-wise, the florists from North Street absolutely blew us away. Eliza is not a “flowers person”, and she loved her bouquet more than she had any idea was possible. And the donuts from Short Stop were an absolute hit. We almost didn’t get one, they vanished so fast!

Tell us about your main outfits:

Eliza: My priorities were to feel comfortable and to look like myself. I had been loving pretty much everything on BHLDN from afar for years, routinely stalking the website, and when we wound up taking a trip to the US about five months before the wedding, it was a perfect time to try some of their dresses on. I made two appointments (in different cities) and surprised myself by really enjoying the experience. My dress was super comfortable and flattering, while not compromising on the sense of timeless elegance that I wanted. I accessorised with pearl earrings my mother had given me when I graduated law school, and magenta velvet Rhea flats from Bared – stunning, and so comfortable! And buying Dave’s suit was easy – the staff at Formal Red were great, they set up everything for us and made it such a straight forward process. He rarely wears a suit, working in TV, so I particularly enjoyed seeing him get fancy for the occasion!

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

Our bridal party had travelled from interstate and overseas to join us for the big day, so spending as much time hanging out all together as possible was a priority for us. The eight of us had brunch together before separating off into guys and girls groups to get ready, then meeting up again for a few hours of relaxed photos before our 5pm ceremony. That time was so special to us, and provided many of the best moments of the day.

Similarly, we have family and friends who live around the world, and we were blown away by how many people made the effort to attend, from London, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand and more. It was amazing to see – or in some cases, meet – friends and family, and welcome them to share the day with us.

Dave’s been working in TV for a couple of decades, and we are lucky to count incredible personalities and performers as good mates. One of our friends choreographed our first dance for us and taught it to us as a wedding gift. Getting to surprise everyone with our first dance – and the lift at the end! – was a total joy, and a true “Dirty Dancing” moment. So romantic!

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

Eliza: Plan the wedding together. Choose vendors you’d be comfortable handing the reins over to in a crisis – it might happen! (Also, choose people you’d be comfortable crying in front of, cause you may well do that too!) The most important decision you make about the wedding is who to marry; everything else pales in comparison.

Dave: Don’t feel like you have to do things other people are doing – just because you see it on Instagram, doesn’t mean you have to do it! Be flexible, and remember the goal is for you (and your guests) to have an incredible time – the little details matter less than you think.

Venue: Neptune | Photographer: It’s Beautiful Here | Celebrant: Shura Taft | Entertainment: Andrew McLelland (DJ) | Flora: North St Botanical | Donuts: Short Stop (Donuts) | Bride’s Dress  BHLDN (Tadashi Shoji) | Grooms Outfit: Formal Red | Ring/s:  Cushla Whiting | Bride’s Shoes: Bared Footwear | Hair & Makeup: The Bride | Bridesmaid Dresses:  Shona Joy | Bridesmaid’s Shoes: Bared Footwear | Groomsmen Suit’s: Formal Red