A Vibrant Wedding Extravaganza In Melbourne
Adarshna Shankar married Aurnen Mikhaeel at St Brigid's Catholic Church, followed by a reception at San Remo Ballroom both in Melbourne, Australia, on 30th April 2017. She says:
I’m Fijian Indian and Aurnen is Assyrian, so that automatically meant our guest list was going to be long. In the end, we invited 250 people in total (including the kiddies). San Remo Ballroom in Melbourne was just the right size, and we loved decorating it. We had a white flower wall that ran the full length of the room, which was created by Melbourne Event Florals. It made the venue pop and was totally beautiful. Our colourful flower wall at the Indian celebration was made by the same team. It was nice to have the contrast between our two ceremonies.
It was the look on my bridesmaids' faces that sealed the deal for my white wedding gown. I had a slight idea of what I wanted already and had done tonnes of research on Instagram, of course! When I tried on the fishtailed, strapless design at Kylie J Bridal, the decision was made. I was lucky that I found it in the second shop we visited.
My favorite moment from the day was sitting alongside my husband in the vintage car we'd hired from Triple R Luxury Car Hire. We were on our way to the post-ceremony photoshoot at the Royal Botanic Gardens, which was also a reminder of when Aurnen proposed to me. He had decided to recreate our first ever date, taking me to dinner at Squires Loft followed by a walk around those beautiful gardens. When he asked me to marry him, it was the most perfect, warm, still night. As we made our way to the Botanic Gardens on our wedding day, I was aware that this was the first time it was just the two of us – newly married. I still smile thinking about it.
My biggest piece of advice to couples planning to get married? Communicate and respect. You should listen to each other and support each other’s decisions and choices. Pursue your mutual hobbies and interests together, because those are the things that made you fall in love in the first place. Surprise your partner: cook their favorite meal or book a spontaneous date night. Do things together that make you smile. Just like I smile every time I think of that post-wedding car journey together.
Photographs by Ferndara Creative
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The bride's stunning hair and make-up was done by Lajeen Artistry
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Opulent jewellery and a rich-red saree are the traditional attire for Indian brides
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The lovely bridal party in their embellished sarees. The colour palette for the Indian ceremony was deep purple, bright red, various shades of orange and gold
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The newlyweds
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The ombréd flower wall was created by Melbourne Event Florals and contrasted with the wall-to-wall white one they had at their reception
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Stationery was designed by Giant Invitations and printed by Ink Tank. The sparkling accessories Adarshna wore with her white gown were from Seriously Twisted. Her engagement ring was by Vera Wang
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A feathery white buttonhole also contrasted the bold colours at their Indian celebration. The bouquets and buttonholes were made by Elegant Occasions
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The couple had two ceremonies: one Catholic, the other Indian
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Outside St Brigid's Catholic Church
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Adarshna's favourite memory: a quiet moment with her new husband on the way to have their photographs taken by Ferndara Creative
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Inside the Royal Botanic Gardens, where Aurnen not only took Adarshna on their first date, but is also where he proposed to her
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The groom's grey pinstriped suit was bought from Sacks Menswear in Victoria, Australia
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It takes a village! The bride bought her white strapless gown from Kylie J Bridal
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Florists from Elegant Occasions wedding planners created simple white-rose bouquets for the bridal party. The midnight blue dresses Adarshna's maids wore came from The Doll House XOXO
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The white flower wall that stretched from one end of the room to the other was one of Adarshna's favourite features
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A beautiful 5-tiered creation by Jessicakes
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San Remo Ballroom was big enough for all 250 guests!
