The newlyweds: Kasia, 35, Social Worker, and Peter, 37, IT/AV Consultant
Guest list: 180
Ceremony: The Ceremony was at St Ignatius Catholic Church, Richmond, Victoria.
“The entire ceremony was in Polish, led by our local Polish priest. The booklets were in Polish and English, so those who did not understand Polish had an English version to follow. We had a bit of a mix of Polish and Australian traditions throughout the day. Dad walked me down the aisle (in Poland this doesn’t happen), but I didn’t want this any other way!”
Reception: Encore, St Kilda Beach, St Kilda, Victoria.
“We fell in love with the venue straight away. The staff at Encore were very flexible and did everything we asked for. The biggest selling point for us was having shared platters throughout the night, so guests had a large variety of food and they chose what they wanted to eat, and there was enough food for seconds! The food was amazing and the staff very lovely!”
Photographer: “We had Nicholas Purcell from Nicholas Purcell Studio as our photographer. Nicholas was absolutely fantastic! He went over and beyond as a photographer. It was brilliant service, beautiful photos, and he even helped us with our Thank-you cards. We would use him again for sure.”
Theme: “We didn’t have a particular style. We just wanted it to be relaxed and fun for all…”
Guests: 100
Dress: “My A-line dress was ivory and made of silk, French lace and chiffon. It was strapless with a hidden zip at the back. It had a medium size train which I could bustle when needed, which was great for dancing! It was very comfortable to wear and dance in!”
Dress Cost: “It was $1,000 for a Baccini & Hill dress! I purchased it off a girl who only worn it to the church! I looked at this dress in a store, but it would have cost over $8,000. The dress was cleaned by a dry cleaning boutique and it was in perfect condition. It’s amazing what and who you can find on Google if you know what you are after!”
Hair & Veil: “My hair was all up, but relaxed to match my dress and the mood we were trying to create on the day – I didn’t want my hair to be in my way on the day. I also wore a silver and pearl headpiece and a veil to the church. My veil was long, and hand-made by the staff at Amaline Vitali. I originally didn’t want to wear a veil on the day, but I’m glad I wore it now!”
Rings: “Peter did extremely well choosing my Georg Jensen engagement ring, as I’m not really into traditional engagement rings – I usually look for something a bit different. But this is definitely an original style engagement ring, a three-piece Fusion Ring, with the wedding ring matching the engagement ring. As the ring is made with three bands, it can look quite chunky, so the wedding band is very simple – elegant but not overdone.”
Bridal Party: “We had four bridesmaids and four groomsmen.”
Bridesmaids Dresses: “Their dresses were long in a pastel mint colour (my mum’s favourite colour). The girls chose to design the top of their dresses in a style that they felt comfortable in. I wanted them to be comfortable and feel their best on the day.”
Mini Attendants: “My niece was the flower girl. Her dress was a mix of ivory, to match my wedding dress, and mint, to match the bridesmaid dresses. She looked elegant but it was girly and appropriate for her age. And our nephew was our pageboy.”
Invitations: “The invites and stationary were very simple, clean and formal in an ivory colour. We purchased stationary then printed all on our own invitations, RSVP cards, table name tags, envelopes etc.”
Bouquets & Buttonholes: “My flowers were a mix of David Austin roses, ivory Lisianthus, pale pink freesias and soft champagne roses with green foliage, styled loosely and naturally. My bridesmaids had the same mix of flowers but they differed in size. My flower girl had ivory spray roses and wired pink Lisianthus. The groom’s buttonhole was an ivory David Austin rose with a sprig of ivory Lisianthus. The groomsmen wore the same but the Lisianthus was pink.”
The Wedding-Eve: “Peter, the groomsmen, our pageboy (our nephew) and his father, and cousins all stayed at our house the night before the wedding. They had a great time getting ready together and had photos taken at our local beach. I organised a present to be delivered, so Peter scored an awesome surf board as his wedding gift! Once again, I tried keeping to our budget, so eBay came in very handy!”
“I stayed with my dad, my sister and my flower girl at a hotel in St Kilda the night before. The four of us enjoyed a dinner together, and we organised food and catering for following morning. My bridesmaids arrived early at our hotel room and we started the day with a bottle of champagne! We got ready early, which was lovely because there was no rushing around. Peter left me a gorgeous Tiffany necklace to find on the day, which was amazing!”
Ceremony Decorations: “We made long white ribbons of tulle for each pew – the entry to the church was long, so I purchased tulle at Spotlight and made long ribbons to soften the look on arrival to church. At the main entry we placed flowers purchased from the market, and along the aisle we had two huge Provincial style stands.”
Ceremony Slip-ups: “There are always mishaps! During the ceremony, Dad and Peter’s mum were meant to bring the wine and communion up to the alter, but it was misplaced so never happened! Also, the wrong exit song played, but other that those minor mishaps, it was perfect!”
Pre-Reception Drinks: “On arrival, guests were invited to go upstairs to Captain Baxter, St Kilda Baths, to enjoy finger food and drinks before entering the venue. This saved time and meant guests had a place to go, eat and drink between the ceremony and wedding celebrations! It also meant guests didn’t need to drive long distances – we kept church and venue within close proximity. So guests were very relaxed having fun before we arrived, which added to the relaxed vibe we were after.”
Reception Decorations: “I went a bit overboard purchasing 200 tea light holders and tea light candles from the Reject Shop! They were scattered along the tables and around the venue and looked beautiful. We also had flowers on each of the ten rectangular tables. We incorporated two low glass rectangle vases filled with white and varying shades of pink flowers – roses, Lisianthus, dahlias, freesias and a touch of lush green foliage. We chose low height vases to keep the mood relaxed and allow guests to see and talk to each other more easily.
“We had a family photo table displaying wedding photos of our parents and siblings, and decorated with jars and bottles filled with flowers, Ferrero Rocher chocolates, M&Ms (our favourite), jelly beans and other goodies for guests to help themselves to while signing our K&P letters – which now hang on our wall.”
Menu: “Feasting and sides were shared and placed on each table. And our family and bridal tables received Peter’s baked blessed bread, which we shared among the closest during dinner.”
Canapés
- King fish sashimi
- Yellow fin tuna
- Smoked salmon pate
- Pressed confit of duck on toasted brioche
- Assorted sushi
- Roast pork dumplings
- Duck and pistachio pie
- Chicken and leek pie
Entrée
Antipasto platter to share: a selection of locally sourced cured meats, salmon gravlax, marinated vegetables, olives, assorted dips and breads.
Mains
- Roasted chicken with lemon, garlic and thyme butter
- 12 hour roasted Rangers Valley beef rump
- Pulled lamb shoulder marinated in fennel seed and rosemary
Served with:
- Roasted Kipfler potatoes with confit garlic, rosemary and lemon salt
- Green beans with smoked almond dukkah and preserved lemon
- Maple roasted pumpkin with toasted sesame seeds and nut crumble
Dessert
“Roaming sweet treats were served, to allow guests to mingle rather than be seated.”
- House made ice creams and sorbets served in mini cones
- Poached baby pears with chocolate mousse and pistachio
- Wedding cake sliced
Drinks
“A selection of wines, beers and basic spirits were available. I supplied wild hibiscus flowers for guests to enjoy in their glass of Champagne on arrival.”
Cake: “It was just a big cylinder shaped mud cake with rough ganache finish! We didn’t originally want to cut a cake on the day, but it looked so awesome when we picked it up we couldn’t resist! The cake was made by a beautiful chef who runs a small family business in Malvern.”
“We cut the cake with no warning or announcement as the mingling and drinking had begun! Our cake topping was fresh flowers – David Austin roses and Lisianthus.”
Speeches: “We didn’t have speeches. We didn’t want to cut into the dancing time, so kept things informal where possible.”
Children’s Entertainment: “We had crayons, scissors, bubbles, lollies and lolly pops at the kids’ tables to keep them entertained. It was lovely to watch the children playing and blowing bubbles on the dance floor!”
Entertainment: “We had a DJ throughout the night but with live components – a saxophonist played while guests arrived at the venue, ate finger food and mingled. The atmosphere was very relaxed. The only formal thing we did was hold a traditional welcoming by our parents with bread and salt (the bread was baked by Peter) and a shot of vodka!”
“Guests got into the photo booth straight away – it provided a lot of fun and laughter throughout the night!”
First Dance: “We had our first dance as soon as dinner was finished, and the dancing was in full swing! It was to ‘Save the last Dance for Me’ by Michael Buble – it had a good beat for everyone to dance to. Half way through the song we changed partners, so I was dancing with my dad and Peter with his mum. Then the bridal party got up to dance, and guests joined us.”
“We had dinner while a mixture of live saxophone playing and DJ music playing intermittingly throughout the night.”
Music: “We played a mix of Polish and English music. We offered guests comfortable thongs if needed, and Polish music to start with. Even those who didn’t know the music started dancing and wanted it to continue! It was mad as 95% of guests were just dancing! We had a DJ, singer, and percussionist. People loved it and really got into it – yet again something different!”
Favours: “We had ceramic pear décor, handmade from stoneware clay and glazed in four different vibrant colours. Each pear had a loop on top so we could tie on name tags for each guest, which could be removed and a photo inserted to use as a picture frame. We purchased them from Etsy. www.etsy.com.au
Transport: “We had black Limousines.”
Best Advice For Brides: “Enjoy the lead up to the wedding and the big day – it’s supposed to be fun, not stressful! We spent quality time with family from overseas the week prior to the wedding. We went kayaking with my niece, nephew and dad, and spend a lot of time relaxing at the beach! It kept us calm on the day – when you are calm, the people around you are relaxed and you get to enjoy the day on a higher level.”
Honeymoon: “We went to Bali and the Gili Islands!”
SUPPLIERS
Photographer: Nicholas Purcell, Nicholas Purcell Studio.
Dress: Baccini & Hill (Lola Dress), bought privately.
Veil and Alterations: Amaline Vitale, 03 9509 2155.“It was brilliant service!”
Shoes: Stuart Weitzman (Mercury Satin), Chadstone Shopping Centre, Victoria.
Rings: Georg Jenson.
Jewellery: “I wore my mum’s pearl bracelet and my pearl drop earrings were from David Jones.”
Hair and make-up: Mae Taylor.
Groom’s Outfit: Hired through Spurling at MYER Melbourne.
Cufflinks: By The Sliva Diva available through Etsy
Bridesmaids dresses: Melinda Audesho, 606 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn Victoria.
Invitations: Papermarc, 71 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, 03 9818 3104.
Florist: Bud Flowers, 03 9509 3680.
Ceremony music: “Our local nun played organs and was our vocalist.”
Reception venue: Encore, St Kilda Beach, 10/18 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda, 03 9593 9033.
Entertainment: Top Dog Entertainment, 1300 658 718
Cake: Chef Momo’s Wholesome Bakery, 71 Station Street, Malvern, 03 9527 3730.
Transport: Enril Limousines, 1300 546 666.
Videography: Studio Edge & Multimedia Booking, 03 9707 5615.
Photography By Nicholas Purcell, Nicholas Purcell Studio www.nicholaspurcellstudio.com
What great mixed cultural weddings have you seen!? Tell us below…
This post was last modified on 16/03/2017 8:55 am