Our attraction was obvious to everyone apart from ourselves, as we were nearly inseparable every time we were in the same place.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We (Olivia and Alex) have been together for ten years after having been friends for three years before that. Olivia is a Creative Director in advertising, while Alex works in HR in Public Health. We both grew up in Melbourne, which is just a suburb away from each other. We love spending time in our apartment, which we’ve spent years curating to be our happy place; you can find us most Friday nights snuggling on the couch with our four-year-old toy poodle Nora, watching a movie with a wine in hand.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met for the very first time when we were teenagers at an after-school youth music program in 2011 and very quickly became friendly. I (Olivia) remember Alex wearing skinny maroon jeans and a very cool oversized vintage shirt (Alex – it was era-appropriate!). We bonded initially over a shared love of live music, and our friendship was strengthened by a brief teenage love affair between two of our closest friends (who were actually both at the wedding party!). We had a number of “will they won’t they” moments over the next few years, with people constantly asking each of us why we weren’t together. Our attraction was obvious to everyone apart from ourselves, as we were nearly inseparable every time we were in the same place.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
After years of friendship, we finally worked out that we wanted to be together while at a music festival in country Victoria. I (Olivia) had lost my wallet, and Alex, without hesitation, offered to shout at me all weekend, but more importantly, he showed me a kind of care I hadn’t experienced before when protecting me from the more rowdy members of the crowd.
A few weeks later, we had our first proper date, where Olivia popped the question, “Do you like like me?”. From that moment on, we were a runaway train of love, celebrating our first anniversary in Barcelona, our second in New York, and our third moving in together. The rest, as they say, is history!
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Alex – Despite having shared finances, regular conversations about our future wedding, and a suspicious “date night” that I was weirdly stressed about, Olivia claims she had no idea that it was going to happen at that time. After we got dressed up to go out, I asked her to “get the stuff out of the fridge”. Olivia, assuming that I was for some reason desperate to start defrosting some chicken, instead found a bottle of champagne and glasses. At this same moment, I started playing the song “Our House” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young over the speaker, a song that we’ve shared a love for ever since first moving into our first home together. I walked into the living room, knelt down and ‘popped the question’. We then celebrated the occasion with the wedding party (who all knew long before Olivia did) and got to work planning the wedding!
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
While we had a strict budget to stick to, there were a couple of elements that we talked each other and ourselves into splurging on. I (Alex) had a beautiful bowtie from La Boutique, which was handmade by Savile Row tailors in London, as having an authentic and perfectly sized bowtie was a non-negotiable. I (Olivia) was initially unsure about whether I wanted to wear a veil, but then I found a beautiful headband hand-beaded with white pearls from Jennifer Behr. This definitely wasn’t in our original budget, but once we saw it, we both knew that it was what I needed to wear on my wedding day.
We wouldn’t have changed a single thing about our day, so it’s hard to imagine needing to spend a single cent more.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
We were refreshing the weather forecasts every hour for two weeks in the lead-up to the wedding because we were so nervous about it raining. Our incredible photographer, Chloe May, made us feel a little bit better by saying it makes for great photos, but we thought she was just saying that so we wouldn’t worry too much. It ended up absolutely bucketing down during the reception at Bar Romantica, but it made for one of our favourite photos of the entire day. The only thing we had to be nervous about after that was not slipping during our first dance!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
Olivia – Our neighbours got married about ten months before us, so they were our main sources of advice and inspiration in the lead-up. They both got their dresses made at Brides of Armadale, so it was my first stop when looking for my own wedding dress.
Alex – I was always going to wear a tuxedo, but about three weeks before the wedding, Olivia’s (extremely stylish) boss asked if I knew about the “triangle of death”, which is the little triangle of white that pops out under the suit jacket if you’re not wearing a cummerbund. We ran all around town looking for one that worked, and now we can’t look at wedding photos without checking for the triangle!
The history of the ceremony dress:
Olivia – I had a clear idea of what I wanted; I just didn’t know if it was possible until I met with Suzie and Siew from Brides of Armadale. It was important for my dress to be short and simple but also to have a train and bow for grandeur. The train needed to be removable so that I could hit the dancefloor.
Every aspect was highly considered, from where the dress hit my thigh to the pearl feature buttons on the back. The train was a huge success for everyone involved, as the fabric was so heavy compared to the rest of the dress, and there was only a small area to attach it. I feel so grateful that I could wear my dream wedding dress at my dream wedding.
Alex – I will never forget seeing her in that dress for the first time.
LEGAL CEREMONY LOCATION Old Treasury Building, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia RECEPTION & FUN CEREMONY LOCATION Bar Romantica, Brunswick East, Victoria, Australia, @bar_romantica PHOTOGRAPHER Chloe May, @chloemay.studio FLORIST Honesty Flora, @honesty_flora CELEBRANT, MC & DJ Callum Padgham, @djbekindtootherpeople SIGNAGE & STATIONERY Design – By the Bride – Olivia Gatt; Paper Supplier – The Paper Empire, @thepaperempire CUSTOM ILLUSTRATION Katie Ford, @katieford_____ CUSTOM MATCHBOXES For Your Party, @foryourparty STYLING DECOR The Small Things Co, @thesmallthingsco RINGS Melanie Katsalidis, @melanie_katsalidis BRIDAL DRESS Brides of Armadale, @bridesofarmadale BRIDE’S SHOE Stuart Weitzman, @StuartWeitzman ACCESSORIES Earring – Tiffany & Co., @tiffanyandco; Headband – Jennifer Behr, @jenniferbehr MAKEUP Sophie Knox, @makeupbysophieknox HAIR Kenni, @kennihair SUIT Institchu, @institchu GROOM’S SHOE Bared Footwear, @baredfootwear ACCESSORIES Watch – Tissot, @tissot_official; Bow Tie – La Bowtique Bowties, @labowtiquebowties; Cufflinks – OTAA, @otaa.brothers GROOM’S HAIR Kings Domain, @kingsdomainbarbers BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES Aje, @_aje_ GROOMSMEN SUIT Black Tie Classic, @blacktieclassic
