Susan + James by Brown Paper Parcel

The skies opened and started pouring rain a few minutes before the start of our ceremony which could be seen from inside in the ceremony space. This dramatic weather combined with the sounds of our string quartet created a setting that really matched our heightened emotions as we prepared to be officially married.

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

Both of us moved separately from Australia to New York City for work and adventure in 2015. A year after our respective moves, we met through mutual friends at a night club on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and went on our first date one week later. There was an instant spark — being together came naturally, and there was a mutual and immediate feeling that we had both found someone special to journey through life with. We share a love for travel, food, weekends in Upstate New York, and running.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Susan: The proposal featured a combination of my favourite things: a crisp sunny autumn morning, coffee, donuts, and our apartment building’s rooftop. James arranged for us to have coffee on our building’s rooftop one Saturday morning in November and proposed shortly after we arrived there. It was perfect – lowkey, private, sentimental — and all captured on our building’s CCTV!

What went to plan and what didn’t?
Our ceremony was originally planned to be held at one of the lawns in the Fitzroy Gardens – we had a vision of getting married against an expansive, lush, green garden backdrop. Alas, the weather gods had other plans — it rained the entire week leading up to our wedding and was forecast to rain the day of, so we made the difficult decision to move our ceremony indoors into Cutler & Co.’s private dining room 24 hours before the scheduled start time. Our disappointment quickly turned into a deep well of gratitude as our wonderful vendors went above and beyond to accommodate the change of plans. Our incredible florist, Tegan from Honesty Flora, and stylist Laura from Weddings of Desire were able to take our vision of a lush garden ceremony and bring it to life indoors. Everything turned out so beautifully in the end and exceeded all our expectations.

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 identified early in the planning process that we wanted an intimate wedding – to surround ourselves with the people we love most and be able to spend time with each guest was crucial to us given we live so far away from our Australia-based family and friends. We ended up having 26 guests comprised of our immediate family and closest friends.

We considered different locations around Victoria, but ultimately decided that an inner-city Melbourne based wedding felt most true to us. After our ceremony, we took advantage of a break in the rain, and everyone walked together down Gertrude Street to Carlton Gardens for group portraits. Cutler & Co. was the perfect setting for the reception dinner we envisioned – every element from the food and beverage to the team’s hospitality was exceptional. We worked with the excellent Head Chef at Cutler & Co. to create a bespoke food and beverage menu for our guests. This allowed us to include a course with a nod to Chinese flavours that paid tribute to Susan’s Chinese-Australian heritage. We also loved how beautiful the dining room is and really leaned into the dark and striking vibe of space by working with Honesty Flora on a reception colour palette that included deep burgundies and plums.

Our celebrant, Christine, was a childhood friend of Susan’s and it was very special to be married by
someone who had witnessed her grow up through the years. We also loved how Christine welcomed everyone to the ceremony in both English and Cantonese which Susan’s parents appreciated. Our day was beautifully captured by our photographer Jess whose natural, romantic, and intimate style we fell in love with during the initial days of our planning process. It felt surreal to receive our photos and see our day captured in that way.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
We both shopped for our wedding outfits from New York City but found ourselves most drawn to the relaxed and modern styles of Australian designers.

Susan wore a silk long sleeve gown from Lola Varma and completed the look with heels from Aeyde and pearl drop earrings from AGMES. James wore a custom-tailored tuxedo from P Johnson and loafers from Tom Ford. When it came to our wedding attire, we both wanted something classic and elegant that we would be able to look back on years from now and still absolutely love.

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
One of our favourite moments was seeing each other for the first time across the aisle. The skies opened and started pouring rain a few minutes before the start of our ceremony which could be seen from inside in the ceremony space. This dramatic weather combined with the sounds of our string quartet created a setting that really matched our heightened emotions as we prepared to be officially married.

Ceremony + Reception Location: Cutler & Co., @cutlerandco / Photographer: Brown Paper Parcel, @brownpaperparcel / Celebrant: Christine Civil, @christinecivilcelebrant / Entertainment: Stringspace, @stringspace / Styling + Planner: Weddings of Desire, @weddingsofdesire / Hire: Table Art Event Hire, @tablearteventhire / Flora: Honesty Flora, @honesty_flora / Catering, Beverages & Cake: Cutler & Co., @cutlerandco / Bridal gown: Lola Varma, @lola.varma via The One Bridal Boutique, @theonebridalny / Groom’s tuxedo: P Johnson, @pjohnsontailors / Ring/s: Marisa Perry, @marisaperryatelier / Bride’s shoes: Aeyde, @aeyde / Groom’s shoes: Tom Ford, @tomford / Veil: The One Bridal Boutique, @theonebridalny / Earrings: AGMES NYC, @agmesnyc / Makeup: Amy Kenny Makeup Artist, @amykennymakeup / Hair: Hair by Jenn Chan, @hairbyjc / Fragrance: Byredo, @officialbyredo