Our Melbourne Wedding

How We Planned Our Wedding in Three Months and Made It Ours

I never imagined my wedding would come together in just three months. But then again, I’ve always believed that the best decisions are often the ones made on a whim, guided by instinct and sentiment rather than rigid planning.

I met Alex on Hinge, and his kind eyes were the first thing that caught my attention. Our connection felt easy and natural. We had casually discussed marriage, but one morning, we decided—why wait? By noon, we were at my diamond consultant’s, choosing stones for our rings. I took it from there, designing each piece to reflect our story and values.

The Ceremony

On a scorching summer day, 20th December 2024, we were married at the Old Treasury Building in Melbourne’s CBD. I’ve always loved the simplicity of a registry wedding—it’s so iconic, so effortlessly romantic. The light-filled rooms, the sense of history in the space, and the ease of it all made it feel just right for us. It was intimate, thoughtful, and understated, exactly as we had envisioned.

My brother read a passage from Rainer Maria Rilke, a meditation on love as a lifelong work, something to be nurtured and learned over time. It was the perfect reflection of our journey together, a reminder that love is not just about merging but about growing alongside one another.

When it came to my wedding attire, I wanted something sentimental yet practical—an outfit I could wear beyond this one day. Natasha from Van der Kooji and I worked together to design a made-to-order ensemble using silk my mother had bought in Florence in the 1980s. It felt fitting to wear something with a history, something passed down through generations.

The result was a waistcoat with elongated panels, a skirt with ruched detailing, and a timeless elegance that honoured my postpartum body while allowing for comfort and movement. Alba, our daughter, had a matching bonnet and bloomers made from the same silk, paired with a vintage blouse from La Manotte.

Alex kept to the theme of sentimentality with his vintage Prada suit from The Real Real, my late father’s Prada shoes, a vintage tie, and his late father’s watch. During the ceremony, I gave him my dad’s wedding ring, a piece imbued with so much meaning.

For jewellery, I wore pieces I had designed myself: a golden bracelet, The Croatia Crucifix earrings with pearls, and several solid gold rings, including one inspired by an ancient Roman nymph (links below).

"To love is good, too: love being difficult. For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation. For this reason young people, who are beginners in everything, cannot yet know love: they have to learn it. With their whole being, with all their forces, gathered close about their lonely, timid, upward-beating heart, they must learn to love. But learning-time is always a long, secluded time, and so loving, for a long while ahead and far on into life, is — solitude, intensified and deepened loneness for him who loves. Love is at first not anything that means merging, giving over, and uniting with another (for what would a union be of something unclarified and unfinished, still subordinate — ?), it is a high inducement to the individual to ripen, to become something in himself, to become world, to become world for himself for another’s sake, it is a great exacting claim upon him, something that chooses him out and calls him to vast things. Only in this sense, as the task of working at themselves (“to hearken and to hammer day and night”), might young people use the love that is given them. Merging and surrendering and every kind of communion is not for them (who must save and gather for a long, long time still), is the ultimate, is perhaps that for which human lives as yet scarcely suffice.
- Rainer Maria Rilke

After the ceremony, we moved to Trattoria Emilia, a favourite spot in the city, for a long lunch with our closest friends and family. We wanted it to feel like an extension of our everyday joys—good food, good company, and an atmosphere of ease and warmth. Later, we headed to Poodle Bar in Fitzroy for drinks, where the night continued in that blissful, celebratory haze that only a wedding day can bring.

The biggest surprise was how smoothly everything fell into place. Even with minimal planning, the day felt exactly right—personal, relaxed, and full of love.

In the end, our wedding was like one of my jewellery pieces—made with care, sentimentality, and an appreciation for the details. It was simple, meaningful, and perfect for us.

Credits & Details

• Wedding Date: 20.12.2024

• Ceremony Venue: Old Treasury Building, Melbourne CBD

• Reception: Trattoria Emilia, followed by drinks at Poodle Bar, Fitzroy

• Cake: Ricotta and pear cake by Pulcinella, Brunswick

• Photography: Jessica Grilli (Sentient Studio)

• Bride’s Attire: Made-to-order ensemble by Van der Kooji

• Baby Alba’s Outfit: Silk bonnet and bloomers from the same silk as my outfit, paired with a vintage blouse from La Manotte

• Hair & Makeup: Marlene Olsson

• Groom’s Attire: Vintage Prada suit from The Real Real, my late father’s tie, and his late father’s watch. My dad’s wedding ring, gifted during the ceremony (pictured here).

• Jewellery:

  • Custom rings I designed for us: Agenor Ring, Egeria Ring, Psyche Ring

  • Earrings: Crotalia Crucifix Earrings

  • Bracelet: Tengri Bracelet