Emma + Cam by Kinship by Kristy

The tablescape consisted of elements that were creative, futuristic, playful, and chic

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Emma is a psychologist, and Cameron is an engineer living and working in Melbourne. We are fairly introverted people and live a quiet life with our two cats. We each have our own interests; Cam loves playing footy and basketball, and whenever he’s not playing it, he’s watching it. Emma loves cooking, literature and getting creative when she has time to herself, things like pottery, writing and more recently, drawing. Together, we enjoy our little walks around our neighbourhood, working out together and curling up on the couch in the evenings with a good show, cats on laps and chocolate. We are close with our family and friends and really enjoy both hosting and going to dinner parties.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We technically met when we were 18 through school, but barely knew each other. We saw each other here and there over the years and played in the same mixed basketball team at one point too, but we were each dating other people. In 2018, we were both on dating apps and saw each other. A first date was organised at a bar in Fitzroy, and the rest is history. That night, Emma’s first impression of Cam was that he was attentive, warm, kind and witty. She felt immediately at ease with him, enjoyed their conversations and loved how his mind worked.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

We collaborated closely with Bow Creative (BC) to find a venue that was classic with interiors that we already loved but left room for our styling preferences. Chancery Lane’s private dining room and atrium met all our criteria and informed the styling decisions we would inevitably make. The tablescape that Bow Creative and Tweed Twigs put together for our reception dinner greatly surpassed our expectations and pleasantly surprised our guests. It was the styling highlight of the evening. The tablescape consisted of elements that were creative, futuristic, playful, and chic, and woven together thoughtfully to complement the space and the brief we had provided. BC and Tweed Twigs had shown us their styling ideas well before the wedding, but seeing it all come together was better than we could’ve imagined. The edible elements like the chocolate and plums were a fun touch and particularly appreciated by our guests.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

We loved talking to each other about how we wanted the wedding to ‘feel’ based on our personality and our values. From there, we had fun finding inspiration from various people, places and experiences and starting to piece it all together with Bow Creative.

If you care deeply about what you want your wedding to look like and how you want it to feel, but find the whole process overwhelming, definitely consider working with a wedding planner (if you can!). We started the process on our own, thinking that because we were having a small wedding of only 20 guests, it couldn’t be that hard. However, we quickly discovered that a lot of our time and energy were being eaten up doing research and contacting vendors, etc., and we were starting to feel a bit burnt out trying to juggle it with other commitments. Emma owns a small business and needed that time and energy to invest in building it up at that time. We also had friends who had worked with a wedding planner and recommended it for the amount of time they saved and the stress they encountered. Once we got BC on board, we felt significantly lighter and more excited about the whole process.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

Graham from Tweed Twigs really put a lot of effort into creating our florals based on the vibe and inspiration we had given him, and he did an exceptional job. What he ended up creating felt very carefully considered and unlike anything we’d seen before at a wedding. He is incredibly talented at what he does, and we feel that no one else could’ve put together what he did for us based on the venue and vibe we were after.

Our photographer Kristy was such a joy to spend time with on the day; she has such radiant energy and made us feel so special and comfortable. We were a little nervous to have a camera pointed at us for so long, but Kristy truly made it fun. When the sneak peek of our photos came through, we were thrilled! She has such a talent for using natural light and capturing a range of emotions that occurred across the course of the day.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

Emma was keen to wear something that felt comfortable and was a little different. The Cortana dresses were on her radar for a little while, and she was thrilled when she realised Carte Blanche in Hawthorn stocked them (the only stockists in Melbourne). She tried on a few Cortana dresses that she’d seen online, but they didn’t quite sit as she’d imagined they would. The Lirio dress had not even been on her radar, but when she put it on, it felt comfortable and chic. Emma tried a dress on from a different designer that she loved almost just as much, and it was a difficult decision, but she couldn’t let go of the way the Lirio dress felt on, even though others encouraged her to go with the other one. The moral of the story is to go with your gut and try to block out the noise of what everyone else thinks.

Cam doesn’t often wear suits and started out looking for a plain black suit that he could wear again. He went to Oscar Hunt based on a recommendation from his brother-in-law. Cameron found that they were really helpful in guiding him through the options and selection process (colours, materials, styles, accessories, etc.). After looking at various styles, he found he preferred the idea of a formal tuxedo, because how many times in your life do you have an excuse to wear a tuxedo? The final ensemble was a classic three-piece black tuxedo with a pointed satin lapel and patent leather shoes.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Cam knew that Emma’s style was non-traditional and that she preferred abstract and organic shapes. She had provided some hints as to which jeweller was her favourite. So Cam had a consultation with Eloise Falkiner, and together they collaborated on an organically shaped yellow gold band with a featured parti sapphire, surrounded by white diamonds and sapphires. Emma also selected her wedding band, a beaten yellow gold stacking ring from Eloise Falkiner.

Cam wanted something a little bit different from the traditional gold band, but was uninspired by a lot of the options he came across. He discovered Julia Storey’s terrain collection, e.g., et al., which featured a chequered pattern of white and yellow gold. After seeing it in person, he felt excited by the prospect of wearing it.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

The stationery, food and wedding favours! We wanted the space and smaller details of our wedding to feel considered and memorable to our guests and us. For this reason, we were happy to spend a little more money and energy on various elements. For example, it was important for us to have real, hard-copy invitations that people could hold in their hands and keep as a memento for the evening. The invitations had letterpress features, and Emma’s sister, Anne, illustrated the venue, which the stationer put on the front.

Given we were having a small wedding, we wanted to ensure everyone was well fed, which is why we selected Chancery Lane. We also love France and its food, so we’re excited by the menu on offer.

The wedding favours were another element that was important to us. We decided to buy each of our guests a gift that was unique to them, their interests and personality. We wanted them to be items or objects they could keep forever and that were meaningful or useful to them in some way. So, everyone got something different. It was a lot of fun to surprise them with a gift towards the end of the night. We also gave everyone handwritten letters! The whole process took a lot of time and organisation in the lead-up to the wedding, but was absolutely worth it in the end.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

There were many wonderful moments, but the most special moments were when we felt particularly connected with each other. The two main moments that encapsulated this were morning breakfast and, of course, our vows. We really enjoyed spending the night before our wedding together, and waking up early in the morning of our wedding to have a quiet moment with one another before getting swept up in the schedule of the day. We walked to the South Melbourne market and had coffee and pastries together as the sun started to rise. That really helped set the tone of the day. Reading our vows to one another was much more emotional than both of us had anticipated, and it felt like everyone else in the room disappeared for a moment while we listened and cried together.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?

We were quite clear that being married wouldn’t particularly change the way our relationship operates or feels, as we’d already been committed to each other for some time before tying the knot. However, we wanted to have a wedding to celebrate our partnership and future together, and knew it meant a lot to our families.