An Italian-Inspired Wedding In the Heart of Melbourne

On their 10^th anniversary, Nicholas wanted to surprise Louise by taking her back to the Safety Beach jetty – the place where they first met.

Louise had no idea that he planned to propose on that freezing night in May.

“He kissed me under the lamp post and through chattering teeth I said ‘let’s go!’ As I walked away, he replied ‘Okay but before we leave…’ and when I turned around he was on one knee!”

Louise was so surprised and overjoyed that Nicholas couldn’t even finish his speech before she screamed a big “YES!”

When it came to planning their wedding, the happy couple knew that they wanted to embrace the cultural diversity of Melbourne.

“We began in the artistic European surroundings of Montsalvat in Eltham and danced the night away by the avant-garde, waterfront venue Maia in the Docklands.”

Although they initially hoped to be married in Italy, a few family members were unable to attend. So, rather than have a destination wedding, the newlyweds decided to bring the destination to Melbourne.

“We tried to tie aspects and features of Italian culture into the day when planning and styling,” Louise told us.

“Our first look at Montsalvat was a tribute to this and we really felt as though we were not in Melbourne, but abroad!”

The gorgeous ceremony took place at the Carmelite Monastery in Kew, where the nuns allowed Nicholas and Louise to personalise the venue as much as they needed – they even asked if they could come to the ceremony so they could sing and pray for Nicholas and Louise’s love!

For their reception in the Docklands, the couple wanted to incorporate a city chic vibe while carrying though the European theme.

“The space was decorated with cascading foliage arrangements and tea light candles. Each table so had a bottle of Montenegro with orange slices, which is our favourite Italian liqueurs,“ Louise said.

“We had live music from our favourite soul band, Afrodescia, and Nicholas’ Dad played a set of Italian music too.”

The gorgeous couple danced the night away to the Tarantella, pulling each other behind the bridal table and through all the guests tables too.

With so many wonderfully unique elements, this wedding went off without a hitch. A stunning day filled with love, laughter and champagne!

Congratulations to the happy couple!

All photography by Brown Shoes Productions