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Wedding Style Profile - Celine and Michael

May 08, 2011  | Comments:

Still jetlagged from the flight home after six incredible weeks in the US, one of the highest priorities on my to-do list was to share with all of you one of my favourite, most highly anticipated weddings of the season. I had promised to update my blog before leaving, but with so much to do right before the grand adventure which took us from the West to East Coast and a toe into Canada to marvel at the glorious Niagara Falls, I had no choice but to hold my breath...but I shall no more!

Celine and Michael, once in a while we meet people who we know without doubt, are simply meant for each other, and working alongside you these months leading to your wedding day confirms this for me. Though there’s always room for poking fun and friendly bickering, I observe the realness of your relationship, the unwavering bond between yourselves and your family, and your shared determination to protect and care for each other.

Thank you for entrusting me with the planning and styling of your wedding day. As any one of your guests would tell you, the depth of emotion, warmth and heart that filled the room were truly the secret ingredient to an amazing day. I wish you both many more days like the one you had on that fine day in February. Lots of love, Joanie xox


Celine and Michael’s wedding ceremony was held in the centre of the Parterre, a magnificent and lush landscaped English garden, with a lily pond and fountain and the Mansion Hotel building perfectly positioned for a dramatic backdrop.

Chloe, Weddings and Events Manager at Mansion Hotel was amazing to work with, and despite our countless requests and unique arrangements, nothing was ever too much. Thanks Chloe!

The pictures here speak for themselves - one couldn’t ask for sunnier skies for a garden wedding than today!


The Ceremony

The groom wore a Georgio Armani suit and stood with calm confidence alongside his wingmen - best friend and Celine’s two brothers. Melting hearts on the aisle were the flowergirls, each carrying bouquets of pink and cream garden roses created by the lovely ladies at Amos and Smith. Too cute!

Celine looked ethereal in her timeless Vera Wang strapless gown with tiered origami skirt and multi-bow. If she was even slightly nervous, she certainly hid it well behind that gorgeous million dollar smile!



Golden Wishing Tree and Flowers from One Wedding Wish
Golden Wishing Tree concept, design and construction by One Wedding Wish
Flowers consisting of Children’s Rose, Pacific Pearl Rose, Lisianthus, Golden Solidago and green berry foliage

French Macarons from One Wedding Wish
In pink and brown sprayed with edible gold in a glass apothecary jar

Canapes in the Library
Celine and Michael were the consummate hosts and never for a moment left their guests without food, drink or entertainment. Guests were encouraged to explore the historical Werribee Park Mansion, enjoy a tipple at the local Shadowfax Winery, or simply indulge in platters of gourmet canapes in the Library and drinks on tab at Joseph’s Bar while the bridal party adjourned for location photography. Guests also took their time to fill the golden tree with an abundance of well-wishes for the couple. All of this and the evening’s reception has not even begun yet!


The Reception

Guests took the tree-lined path toward the Pavilion, embarked a timber ramp and deck guided by wooden boxes of lush green hygrangea and rustic lanterns to arrive at pre-dinner drinks/canapes overlooking panoramic views of the Polo field. One Wedding Wish enhanced this natural setting with plush cushions, candles, vibrant flowers in bottles, jars, birdcages and watering cans to create a space for both revel and relaxation.

Guests were greeted upon entry into the dining room with this spectacular candy buffet, complete with monogrammed chocolates, giant lollipops and some of the couple’s all-time favourite candies and chocolate. We also organised a little something special for Celine’s baby brother, Andy - a jar of peach rings just for his pleasure, and boy was he pleased!!




My Favourite Moments

I had the utmost pleasure of sitting with Celine and Michael’s guests and truly take in the warmth and love surrounding this very special day. If I had to pick but a few of my favourite moments, it would be the speeches. As many revisions as we have made to the timesheet and each activity carefully scheduled to the minute, I believe there is always time for impromptu speeches. As Celine’s maid of honour and long-time friend made her speech, we were transported back to a time when two young girls, who’ve been through the best and worst of days, grew together and learned about life together. Family friends presented the couple with a traditional song of blessing that moved me to tears.

To see Celine and Michael’s wedding highlights captured by the exceptionally skilled Pete of Living Lens, please follow this link.

Celine and Michael, it has been an honour working alongside you both to fulfill your dreams of this absolutely incredible day. Thank you and lots of love to you both. Joanie xoxo



Images by Gavin Luu for One Wedding Wish

Tags: Real Weddings, Wedding Style Profiles, Wishing Tree, Message Tree, Apothecary Jar, Floral Styling, Melbourne Wedding Planner, Melbourne Wedding Stylist, Sugar Almonds, Mansion Hotel, Werribee Park, Living Lens, Garden Weddings, Vera Wang, Garden Ceremony, Macarons, Birdcage, Lanterns, Candy Buffet

Wedding Style Profile - Jade and Adrian

Mar 05, 2011  | Comments:

Here are a few things you might not have known about Australia.

One in four of us are born overseas. Other than English, the five most spoken languages - Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic and Vietnamese, give you a real sense of where so many of us come from.

Multiculturalism is everywhere you look in Melbourne, but is it just about living amongst each other? Is there more to be grateful for, besides that late-night souvlaki and Sunday morning yumcha?

For me, the realisation that diversity was not only beautiful but vital, came one morning at the Markets. To my friends on Facebook, I wrote:

“3.40am: Back at the markets today. Waiting along with other earlybirds in our vehicles to enter as soon as the boom gates go up. Another observation this morning - a huge truck just drove past - "Fresh Produce...Joe...Frank...” + their phone numbers. Another reads P.Aauddino. It’s still pitch dark outside, but they’re well into their work day, distributing fruit and vegetables to stores all across Victoria. Generations of migrants have made Melbourne the multicultural city it is, and one of the world's most liveable cities. These migrants didn't shy away from hard work and long hours. They toil so end-users can enjoy the fruits of their labour. Next time we ask anyone to 'go away’, or judge someone because they didn’t smile at you (try waking up before the crack of dawn, in winter!), we ought to think they could just be the ones who helped us get food to our tables today.”

And so I begin this Wedding Style Profile!

As it does with every facet of society, multiculturalism brings colour, vibrance, and intricate customs to Australian weddings, so there was a real excitement when Jade and Adrian asked me to style their Wedding Tea Ceremony at Tea House, a fine establishment located in the heart of Chinatown.



What is a Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony?

A Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony is the most important part of a Chinese wedding and represents the formal introduction of the bride and groom to each of their families. The bride and groom serve tea to their parents, then to each member of their family by seniority, from grandparents to aunties, uncles, and so on. The tea is usually sweet, symbolising sweetest in the new union, and may include lotus seeds, red dates and longan to represent fertility and children. The bride and groom usually receive red envelopes and gifts of jewellery from their family as blessings of good luck and fortune for the newlyweds. Edit: Adrian’s jacket pocket could barely fit all the red envelopes he received, and he was most thankful for that! :)

I was so pleased to be able to work with Pete of Living Lens again on this occasion - to see highlights of Jade and Adrian’s amazing day, follow this link.




I thought I would let the pictures capture your imagination without saying much more.

Jade and Adrian, it was a pleasure working with you both. Styling your Tea Ceremony was a wonderful new challenge for me, and I hope I was able to bring to life a time-honoured ritual and celebration that honours you and your families, and remain respectful to 4000-year old Chinese traditions and customs!

Wishing you both blessed days ahead...Love, Joanie xox



Pictured: An array of traditional Chinese candy displayed in bamboo steamers lined with custom-made silk brocade napkins, and in tiered red and bronze ceramic pots, complete with real bamboo trunks and wooden spoons and scoops.




Images by Gavin Luu for One Wedding Wish

Tags: Real Weddings, Wedding Style Profiles, Birdcage, Floral Styling, Multicultural, Tea Ceremony, Traditions, Living Lens, Melbourne Wedding Planner, Melbourne Wedding Stylist, Red envelopes, Teapots, Red and Gold

Wedding Style Profile - Charmaine and James

Oct 14, 2010  | Comments:

Charmaine and James’ wedding is particularly special to me in so many ways. You could say, that without Charmaine and her encouragement to submit to the call of wedding planning and styling, One Wedding Wish may, quite simply, not exist. For this, I cannot thank her enough.

It is also particularly special because Charmaine was first a friend before she was a client, and I think we can both agree that this journey has brought us even closer. Meetings were more like lunch dates swooning over colour, styling ideas, flowers, wedding photos, stationery, bomboniere, and on and on we went.

I had the most indulgent pleasure of working with an incredibly talented and creative bride. I love that she personally designed every piece of stationery you see in these photos. From the eyes of a wedding planner, nothing is more gorgeous of a bride than one who is truly thoughtful, who devotes her attention not only to the celebration of two people, but to the beloved family and friends who come from near and far to love and support them. I can see why James crossed the Pacific just to be with this girl he calls “the woman of his dreams”.

My warmest congratulations to Charmaine and James on a truly heartfelt and magical wedding day. May your days be filled with laughter and sweet love for each other. Thank you for entrusting me with your dreams and allowing me to help you fulfill them, both as a wedding planner and friend.

Joanie xoxo

Images captured by Gavin Luu for One Wedding Wish



9th of October, 2010 was like a page out of December (in the Southern Hemisphere). Blessed with cloudless blue skies and balmy temperatures, one could never have guessed that it rained incessantly just days before. Quat Quatta, one of my all-time favourite function venues looked absolutely gorgeous, with flowering ornamental pear trees lining the driveway at the front of the building, and the back terrace to be prepared for our ceremony awash with white azalea and lush wisteria. Trust the Restaurant and Catering Victoria Hall of Fame inductee to have pick of the most talented members of staff in the industry. A very special thanks to Fiona, Katherine and their simply brilliant team at Quat Quatta!

Channelling rustic, natural and vintage, guests were greeted upon arrival by an insatiably fabulous signing-in table featuring blooms in bottles, a wooden suitcase filled with wedding programmes, porcelain birds with their very own bird house, an antique timber chest and other intricate details. Especially gorgeous is an original Paloma’s Nest Ring Bearer Bowl engraved with our newlyweds’ names - oh, it is to be adored!

Doing away with the traditional guestbook, One Wedding Wish was commissioned to design and create this glorious wishing tree for Charmaine and James’ guests to pen words of love and congratulations on wish tags and suspend them on its branches. Befitting of the Spring season, silk peonies appeared to blossom from these branches, fresh ivory roses and more peonies graced the rim of the white porcelain vase. Glass balls with flickering tealights finished the look.

Another bespoke element One Wedding Wish had the pleasure of creating was a white, shabby-chic wooden easel which held the guest seating list, featuring tables numbered by names of cities Charmaine and James have been to, such as Paris, where they met for their first date.





Annabel and Fiona complemented Quat Quatta’s spaces wonderfully, bringing the terrace and dining room to life with meticulously arranged fresh flowers. Charmaine and her Maid of Honor, Emily carried ethereal bouquets of David Austin roses, lisianthus and ranunculi.



Charmaine was a perfect picture of style and elegance. Arriving in a flawless Karen Willis Holmes designer wedding gown in the arms of her father who was beaming with sheer pride, I couldn’t stop telling her how beautiful she was! And she was.




Charmaine (and I too, for that matter!) is a devout lover of the French Macaron, but it is their falling in love in one of the world’s most romantic cities that made the French Macaron the perfect gift to their family and friends. Although this delicate, irresistable treat was not destined to last long, we devoted much care in the sourcing of its packaging. The final result - an oversized scented wooden rose atop a chocolate brown box that guests can bring home. Whilst packing freshly-made French Macarons late the night before, I couldn’t resist taking a photo of these bite-sized pink (raspberry jam) and brown (salted caramel) petite beauties! Charmaine, this one’s for you! :)

The wedding cake, Orange and Almond Flourless, was a towering 3-tier beauty. Guests each took a piece home in cute personalised noodle boxes.



James made a dashing groom with a smile ever on his face, a smile just for her. I just love James’ expression in this photo as they danced to their first song -Adam Sandler’s Grow Old With You, as husband and wife.



Did I mention that Charmaine is truly thoughtful, and truly beautiful, inside and out? Usually nothing escapes me, but she managed to pull this off right under my nose! A wonderful photo here by Charmaine’s cousin, capturing us in a big warm hug as she bestows upon me the most beautiful posy! The limelight is not my thing, but I felt terribly special and was oh so touched. Thank you Charmaine and James for letting me share in this very special journey with you both. I hope these photos will delight you each time you see them, and remind you of the incredible and magical day that it was. Love, Joanie



Edit: Just hours after this blog entry was posted, I humbly received this heartwarming message from the Father of the Bride ~

Joanie....you have done a great wedding at Quat Quatta, Ripponlea on behalf of Charmaine and James. Everything went perfectly, smoothly and flawlessly. What a great and fantastic day for all of us. As Charmaine's father, I am indeed glad and proud for Charmaine and James. What a great event, all our guests and family members enjoyed the flow of the event from the music to the ceremony, the food and the drinks, etc etc. From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much for making my daughter's biggest day of her life such a great success and a very memorable one. I will highly recommend you anytime to anyone planning to have a great and memorable wedding day. Wishing you and One Wedding Wish great success in the future. Once again a BIG THANK YOU. - Mr Yick Koon LEW, Father of the Bride

Image Credit: Chateau Photography. For more beautiful photos of Charmaine and James’ wedding by Chateau Photography, visit their brand new website!

Tags: Real Weddings, Wedding Style Profiles, Melbourne Wedding Planner, Melbourne Wedding Stylist, Macarons, Vintage, Wishing Tree, Message Tree, Quat Quatta, Garden Weddings, Garden Ceremony, Bomboniere

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