We moved over to London around the same time (the argument on who followed who is still ongoing!) and were initially both unemployed and friend-less so spent lots of time together… the rest was history!
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
(Mon) Born and bred in Sydney, Australia. Moved to London in 2017 for two years to travel. Five years later we are still here! We love travelling and exploring Europe together.
(Michael) We are particularly fond of learning about culture through food, travel and trying new things.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
(Michael) We met in Sydney and were great friends with similar interests and the same sense of humour. We moved over to London around the same time (the argument on who followed who is still ongoing!) and were initially both unemployed and friend-less so spent lots of time together… the rest was history!
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
(Michael) We moved in together quite quickly as we were both living in different share houses in a similar part of London. After living together for a few months and several successful European holidays I think we both knew, I definitely did!
(Mon) I knew straight away ha!
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
(Michael) Well we actually decided to get married and not to tell anyone except our family and very close friends. I officially proposed a month or so later while we were in Amsterdam and once the ring was ready.
(Mon) It certainly wasn’t conventional but it was perfect.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
(Mon) We both didn’t want to have a traditional or large wedding. We had always enjoyed walking down the Kings Road in London, observing happy couples come out of the Chelsea Town Hall.
(Michael) The people were always so cheerful but unpretentious which made the decision easy. Our romance also began in London with many dates in Chelsea so it was fitting to get married there too
(Mon) The mood was London Summer – classic with a sense of fun. We had a lovely recurring motif of shells. Clam shell macarons, my clutch bag, the stationery design, my earrings, shell shaped candles etc.
(Michael) We are both from the beach in Australia as well so it was nice to honour our childhood spent by the sea.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
(Michael) The food and wine was very important to me and Iain Smith the Head Chef at No. Fifty Cheyne absolutely delivered a spectacular meal.
(Mon) Oh hands down our wedding planner. She was an absolute guru.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
(Michael) It was 33 degrees in London – one of the hottest days of the year. Let’s just say I couldn’t take my jacket off the whole night!
(Mon) I was lucky to be wearing a short dress that day. All the guests were glowing.
(Michael) I also bought my best man a pair of matching loafers to wear, however we (he!) didn’t think to try them on until a few hours before the wedding. They were too small so we had to spend an hour or so trying various ways to stretch them – they were better by the time the ceremony started, but let’s say his feet took a while to recover!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
(Mon) I never imagined myself wearing a wedding gown. My late mother was married in a stunning and simple knee-length Carla Zampatti dress in Sydney which inspired me to also wear something short. She paired it with a gold clutch bag in the shape of a clam shell. The dress and the clutch bag unfortunately didn’t survive, however, my Father managed to find her beautiful gold Rene Caovilla heels which I changed into at the reception which felt very special. My dear friend, Anna Coroneo, who painted our stationery design by hand, gifted the most beautiful Lulu Guinness pearl clam shell bag for my sister and I to both wear to our weddings.
(Michael) Yes, we had shell mania! My suit was from Edit Suits in London, the team there were great –albeit brutally honest regarding what suited me and what did not.
Ceremony location: Chelsea Town Hall London, @marrymeinchelsea / Reception location: No. Fifty Cheyne, @50cheyne / Photographer + Videographer: Kat Gillespie, @kat.gillespie assisted by @0liviacartwright / Entertainment: Colette Hazen, @colettehazenviolin / Planner: Olivia Malcolm Berry founder of OMB Events, @omb.events / Flora: Lucy Crosthwaite Studio, @lucycrosthwaitestudio / Cake: @cakediarieslondon / Stationery Artwork: Anna Coroneo, @anna.coroneo / Printing: Georgia Eleanor Design, @georgiaeleanordesigns / Registry: Wedding Shop, @theweddingshopuk / Bride’s ceremony dress: Alexandra Grecco, @alexandragrecco / Reception dress: 16Arlington, @16arlington / Groom’s suit: Edit Suits Co., @editsuits / Tie: Hermes vintage from Vestaire Collective / Bride’s ceremony shoes: Christian Louboutin, @louboutinworld / Bride’s reception shoes: My mother’s wedding heels from Rene Caovilla, @renecaovilla heels from 1980’s / Bride’s headband: Emily London, @emilylondonheadwear / Bride’s blue sunglasses: Celine, @celine / Bride’s bag: Lulu Guinness pearl clam shell bag, @lulu_guinness / Makeup: @emmasteviemakeup / Hair: @chloesandozhair / Fragrance: Diptique Ilio / Maid of Honour’s attire: Zimmermann, @zimmermann
