Our wedding day: many thanks and about the venue

(Picture by Cassie)

Our wedding day was the most amazing, fun, romantic, stylish, emotional, sigh inducing day. After almost two years of planning and saving, it came together perfectly. I am obsessed with poring over photos, recalling memories and debriefing about what happened on the day. And the two weeks since our wedding has been lovely - Adam and I are loving our time together. He told me yesterday it's been a lovely two weeks since we married.

Our wedding party was amazing - I love how they're all good friends now! Camille and Cassie (Adam's sister) were my bridesmaids, and Jason was Adam's groomsman. A really lovely, fun group of people.

(Picture by Camille)

 

My husband (my HUSBAND!!) and I are so thankful to everyone who came to celebrated with us, and who has sent wishes and presents from afar. 57 guests came to the wedding (four flew from the UK and a few made the trip from interstate!) - and hundreds followed along around the world, thanks to social media. We're overwhelmed with love. Thank you!

One of the many nice things to come in the mail was a card for Adam and I from the nurses who used to look after me on the kids' ward of the Albury Base Hospital. Each nurse wrote such a heartfelt message to us.I felt that for so much of my childhood, I didn't fit in or wasn't understood. And so when I went to hospital, the nurses and other patients on the ward were my friends - they valued me and took the time to get to know me. And so it means so much to receive their well wishes, to reflect on what I've achieved since those hospital days, and cherish the love I've found in Adam and countless other true friends. Thanks for the lovely surprise, nurses!

I've got so much to say, so I'll break this wedding story up into a number of blog posts. Let's start at the beginning. The venue.

We had our wedding at Red Scooter on 20 March. Red Scooter looks like a warehouse in a pretty industrial part of Balaclava. The outside features a red carpet, striped backdrop and a sprawling vine. Inside is stunning - there are two levels (ceremony room is downstairs and reception rooms are upstairs).

(Picture by The Good Girl Confessional)

The ceremony room (pictured above) is plain - taupe drapes, white patterned walls, clear seats and mirrored tables. The reception rooms are fancy. The drapes, the lighting, the feature wall and the table settings make for an opulent setting. Even though the reception room is opulent, it's quite a blank canvas, ready to be decorated however clients like. In the times we visited the venue prior to the wedding, we saw a few different styles of set up.

(Picture by Sandra Reynolds)

Adam and I found the venue in June 2014 and loved it from our first visit. We were impressed by the food (the chef offered us a sample that day!), and also the way Eammon was so accommodating, asking how he and his staff could make me comfortable on the day. In looking at venues and also attire, I found that accessibility and inclusion wasn't front of vendors' minds. Some vendors seemed surprised I was the bride, some sales assistants ignore me as I browsed their dress shops. Red Scooter were different - asking me what I need to be comfortable, and taking note of our diverse guests' needs. The wheelchair access was dignified - at the front of the venue, and the staff set aside a quiet area for breast feeding mothers. They created flattering lighting to reduce my redness, and raised the temperature a little. A+ for accessibility.

Laura was our event specialist - she was a delight to work with (our celebrant and wedding singer's manager told me they were impressed too!). Laura was in constant contact, providing us with all the information we needed, and sending us updated seating charts and run sheets as we made progress. She made sure everything was perfect on our day. The ceremony and reception rooms were so beautifully decorated - everything I'd dreamed of.

(Picture by Jarrod Marrinon)

Our guests commented on how much they enjoyed the food, and how attentive the staff were.

(Yes, Bob Evans was at the wedding! More about that in a later post. Click the image for the text in the tweet)

A few guests and service providers told us it was the best wedding food they'd had.

Between the ceremony and reception, there was a cash bar, and then canapés were served outside the reception room. Canapés comprised prawn dumplings (hard to eat in a white dress - very squirty!), mushroom arancini (a crowd favourite!) and lemon chicken skewers. Entree was spinach and feta ravioli with cherry tomatoes (again, tomatoes to squirty for me to eat!).

Mains were steak or pork belly (pictured below) and a tagine for the vegetarians.

Dessert was platters of eclairs, lemon sorbets with Persian fairyfloss, berry mousse cones and wedding cake.

It's safe to say no one went hungry. One friend had two servings! (The food pictures were by Camille.)

 

We were so impressed with the cost - we were under budget and had some change to splurge on our minimoon. Who knew a Melbourne wedding would be so affordable?!

Thank you Red Scooter for making our day so wonderful. Laura, Eammon, Sarah and the rest of the staff were amazing. We loved the food, the lighting, the disabled access (physical and attitudinal), the service from when we looked at the venue to the day after the wedding, and the staff's sense of humour.

(Picture by The Good Girl Confessional)

To be continued....

For more on the need for inclusion and accessibilty in the wedding industry and media, read my piece on Nu Bride.

This post was not sponsored or gifted. We saved for and paid for the whole shebang ourselves.