Vintage Glam, Art-Deco Melbourne Wedding at Ormond Collective

Kat and Andrew had an elegant ceremony at an art-deco building in the City of Melbourne, the Ormond Collective. They kicked it off into a major party where they danced all night. They pushed away from the traditional wedding look by having uniquely designed flowers. Kat wore a custom-designed, 70s-inspired gown, and just wait until you see their vintage-styled, old world cake.

They met 13 years ago when they were younger through mutual friends at a house party, and Andrew proposed to Kat whilst travelling throughout the Scandinavian and Baltic Coast, in Lithuania.

They always wanted the day to revolve around our family and friends. They have been together quite a while so all the people, despite the origins of the friendship, have become involved in both their lives. They wanted it to feel like a giant party - good food, good wine and a great dance floor.

“We really wanted to eliminate as many of the traditional elements as possible and stick to the bare bones of legal requirements so the focus could be on our personal vows. We loved having everyone gathered around as opposed to rows of seats as it felt intimate. Having our family friend be the celebrant was another layer to that personal touch and was very special to us.”

“When planning the wedding we played to each other's strengths. I (Kat) am an organised personality by nature and a fast decision maker, so it was easier for me to do most of the planning, and then give Andrew tasks to execute. We formed a checklist and just worked our way through it. Work out what your biggest themes are - for us it was dancefloor and friends/family - and just keep coming back to those”.

“Re: married life, we don't expect it to change anything day to day (we've been together for so long anyway!) but it is really comforting to have that comfort in knowing that the person you've chosen to stand by and support feels just as strongly about you as well”.

They chose the art-deco venue of Ormond Collective in St Kilda because it had the heritage feel they wanted for the building without being stuffy, had three separate spaces to move through the night (ceremony on site) and the big group were the most impressive when we started the process.

Kat didn’t want to wear white. But when she was hunting online, she couldn't find a dress that didn't give me the impression of an overdressed guest. She didn’t want lacey or beaded so the options were slim. Therefore, she decided to go down the custom route. She was terrified at first because whilst she trusted her dressmaker’s craftsmanship, “I couldn't help but worry that in the end I may get something that is finished impeccably, is exactly on brief, but when I pulled it on it just wouldn't work for me. However the process goes through so many layers of conception, that the dress just naturally evolved”.