Real Wedding | Lavinia + Johny

Tell us a little about yourselves!

I'm an artist specialising in oil painting. Johny's an accountant turned barista. We met in Milan, Italy through a mutural friend back in 2016, where Johny was new in town and I showed him around. We started dating shortly after that and we have been together ever since.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We didn’t decide on a location to get married per se, as the whole thing was planned in lockdown. We sort of just picked whatever that was the easiest and available to us!

How many guests did you have?

We had 10 guests due to Covid restrictions in Melbourne at the time of our wedding.

Tell us about your outfits.

I had a pretty good idea of what I like and didn’t want which helped to narrow things down. I knew I wanted something that was contemporary and elegant with just the right amount of a vogue twist. This dress from Bianca Spender offered just that. My veil was handmade and had lots of details. I paired it with a vintage-looking hat from Lack of Colour with tonal grosgrain ribbon to make a statement. As for my Dior heels, I love the textural details of frills. I was really intrigued by how they were made with PVC-tulle.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

We knew planning a wedding/elopement, even as small as ours could be challenging and time-consuming. We’ve decided from day one to make an effort to take it slow, try not to sweat the small things, enjoy the process and everything else will just come together. And in the end, it seemed just that.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

We wanted our guests to be able to enjoy themselves. We planned a small gift of cookies from Cookies + Crumbs for them to take home with and champagne to celebrate this important day with us.

Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?

Things change, but everything happens for good. Take a deep breath, go for a quick get-away if you ever find the planning process too daunting. Remember at the end of the day, you’re marrying the person you are in love with - and that’s the most important thing.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

We had to change our wedding date twice because of the on-and-off lockdowns in Victoria. However, we were lucky enough to have Emotions + Math Photography onboard. Working with them was a breeze, and our visions really aligned. Their attention to detail was impeccable. We loved the bright and beautiful blooms that were elegantly fused together by Brett Matthew John too!