wedding style— An Immersive Wedding In An Old Sydney Tram Shed

Bride & Groom celebrating just getting married in front of their wedding guests.

Written by Helen-Louise Dudney

Photography by Hello Sweetheart Photography

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A dry cleaner’s might not be the first place you think of to find love, but back in 2006 a photographer who needed extra money for her lenses and equipment and an audio engineering student who needed money for his uni books and rent ended up working at a Dry-Cleaner’s in South-Western Sydney at the same time and so this love story began….

Jess and Seb were not used to bumping into other like minded people who were into cool stuff, so they quickly became very good friends and say meeting each other for the first time was “like a cool drink on a hot day”. Of course there was always the flittering of a spark, but whilst they both dated the obligatory unsuitables alongside pressing shirts and getting to know each other the timing was never quite right and it would take 4 years until they finally had the potential to be more than friends. Even though neither of them have ever asked the other one out (that night or since) you know you’ve found that special someone and you’re in for the long haul when you’re hanging out and chatting until 3am, not caring that you have to be in work 3 hours later!

The photo from the polaroid camera Seb modified to ask Jess to marry him! — The awesome polaroid from the modified camera.

The proposal.

When it came to getting engaged, with their mutual love of all things film, Seb wanted to add to their ever growing eclectic pictures which had captured their adventures together so far. But even though he knew exactly how he wanted to propose it turns out that spending many night shifts at work figuring out how to modify a Polaroid instant Land Camera to spell out the message “Will you marry me?” was the easy bit! In Seb’s words “I suppose what no-one ever tells you is how freaky it is to actually propose! The whole process, I loved the plan, I loved the action of making the art... but when it came to the action... wow, WHAT IF SHE SAID NO?! It's like being turned down for that dance, but on a whole new different level of impossible. Even though we all know they would say yes... but there is always that one little voice in your head that would say 'but... what if?!' The nerves are real. That's a good thing though; it means it matters.” After many opportunities that weren’t quite right (too light, too dark, neither wanting to be in the photo…) finally, Seb got the perfect moment to snap Jess at the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne overlooking the ocean. Perfect! Except for what Seb hadn’t factored in was Jess grabbing the camera (perks of both being photographers) to snap Seb instead and instantly popped the photo under her top to cook it quicker! So not quite as planned. Hours passed….a walk and dinner (although how you would eat with the nerves and anticipation is beyond me) but finally, Seb asked Jess how the polaroid had turned out! It was after Jess realised there wasn’t anything wrong with the image she was looking at and asked “IS THIS REAL?” that Seb showed her the ring he was holding in his hand. Seb recalls the whole moment was a bit of a blur and when they were back in the car driving to get dessert Jess cheekily made sure Seb still had to say those 4 words as she said “you didn’t really ask me to marry you!” “Well, will you marry me?” “Of course!”

Bright and modern wedding invite. Photo credit @hellosweetheartphotographyau — The couple’s cool wedding invite stuck on the fridge amongst other magnets, polaroids and notes.

The plan.

Post engagement they gave themselves a year to plan their wedding, but the pandemic gave them an extra two! Instead of being downbeat about the situation they turned it on its head and used it as an opportunity whereby they could plan the best party ever. Both Jess and Seb were determined to be unconventional wherever possible and were focused on an immersive experience for their guests. First and foremost they wanted everyone to have fun and as they are privileged to work within the wedding industry they have front row seats every weekend to research and see what works and more importantly what could be ditched! Unfortunately due to the apocalypse and fallout of 2020 Jess and Seb lost their celebrant and their original venue went bust BUT this meant that they ended up finding an amazing venue which allowed them free rein to do whatever they wanted with the space. As for the celebrant well, they got their mate to do it (how cool is that!!)

Celebrant leading the ceremony and the bride and groom laughing. Photo credit @hellosweetheartphotographyau — Bride & groom standing in front of their guests laughing together as the Celebrant leads their wedding.

Making traditions.

It was super important for Jess and Seb to go against the grain and do what felt right for them. So they decided to walk one another down the aisle and trashed the tradition of flowers for the bride only and both had beautiful bouquets… which also meant both a double bouquet toss!

Smiling couple walking together with their fabulous bouquets. Photo credit @hellosweetheartphotographyau — Smiling couple walking together with their fabulous bouquets over colourful confetti pieces.

Focus on the details.

A festival vibe with lots of fun, colour and rowdy chaos was what Seb and Jess designed and they pulled it off by pulling in lots of favours and focusing on what was really important to them. The setting for the room was crucial as it was where they got married and partied and they didn’t skimp, filling it with heaps of colour. An incredible alter that looked sensational was framed at every angle by colour, from hanging from the rafters to interactive light panels, it set the scene and the guests were free to roam, from bench seats for the ceremony, to couches and tables and chairs for the stand-up cocktail event. Their guests being part of their day and not stood on the sidelines as observers was fundamental to their planning. Party duties from distributing shots amongst guests, to blasting confetti-canons at crucial moments were assigned to friends and family so everyone was involved. As it’s such an important part of who Jess and Seb are, the music was also key as it was essential the DJ could make the room explode! And so of course the first dance wouldn’t be boring. It did happen, but it was lets say tweaked… with ‘The Dancing Accountant’ gatecrashing to The Hives – ‘Hate to Say I Told You So’.

A wedding party guest leads the way in front of the bride & groom, throwing colourful confetti out of her belt bag.

Style!

So we’ve talked about the importance of photography and colour and music so it will probably come as no surprise that these two have STYLE in abundance and boy did they showcase this on their wedding day. With costume changes all equally as gorgeous as the outfit before. The extra couple of years that they didn’t know they wanted at the time meant that Seb’s original style decision changed dramatically, but Jess and Seb said the idea behind the fashion was the party “it highlighted our eccentricities and made it an asset. It also really resonated as uniquely us, and we looked damn good in doing so too” and who doesn’t want to be comfortable and look kick ass awesome, especially on your wedding day!

The grooms awesome customised belt. Photo credit @hellosweetheartphotographyau — The groom’s awesome customised belt with the couples names on, hung in front of his shirt.

Jess had a stunning white top and skirt combo to start but made sure to do away with anymore tradition by wearing a holographic headpiece and purple clogs with changes of dresses and jumpsuits featuring sequins and tinsel in between. Seb went with Doc Martin slip ons with leopard print, to go with his western style outfit featuring a custom belt and saved his costume change for much later in the evening when he changed into a Dickies Coverall with custom patches and Vans.

Bride sat smiling in a yellow chair wearing her gorgeous white top and skirt outfit showing off her stunning purple clogs. Photo credit @hellosweetheartphotographyau — Bride sat smiling in a yellow chair, wearing her gorgeous white top and skirt outfit showing off her stunning purple clogs.

Advice and best bits.

Neither Jess nor Seb had anticipated just how much fun their actual wedding ceremony would be, but Seb said the lead up to getting hitched was one of his favourite parts of the day. The electricity and anticipation was palpable in the space and then, with their incredible celebrant holding the reigns, they were overcome with happiness and cried and laughed throughout.

With that much love in the room it’s not surprising that dancing was also imprinted as a key part of the day, that and a kick ass DJ who imparted some wise words “you could have amazing taste in jams, but make sure that the music is for everyone, not just yourselves!” And advice from the couple themselves “don’t be afraid to make the party uniquely yours” and hire a professional to be a co-ordinator on the day so that you can focus on enjoying the party that you’ve been planning for so long. “If this is the first day of the rest of your lives, start it off with a bang and not a flash in the pan”.

Bride and groom lay on the confetti covered dance floor, elated and surrounded by their guests feet. Photo credit @hellosweetheartphotographyau — Bride and groom lay on the confetti covered dance floor, elated and surrounded by their guests feet.

The budget?!

Even though they didn’t really have a budget it cost a load more than they thought it would even after calling in all the favours from friends and vendors within the industry, but they don’t care and said they “would gladly do it again, a thousand times over”.