posted on December 18 2019
Why did you choose nevenka to walk with you on your bridal journey?
nevenka was an easy choice. In a past life, I worked in the Melbourne CBD and would always walk past their beautiful store on my route to the tram stop. I am a lover of textiles, textures and the silky touch of a beautiful fabric. Even then, with a windowpane between us, I could see the quality of detail in their designs and the tactile nature of their fabric selection.
Many years later when it came time to get married, I remembered a beautiful pink silk dress Rosemary had designed and how fascinating the pleated finish was to me. I knew then that I had to walk inside and see the designs in the flesh. The cherry on top was their commitment to sustainability and utilising one-of-a-kind textiles often made by women. I value both of those things deeply.
Tell us about your nevenka experience.
I had never really imagined being a bridal ‘bride’ and going to a one-stop bridal shop made me very anxious. I was really seeking more of a fashion experience, something bespoke with the ability to talk about the finer details and the vision for the day. Rosemary, Sam and the team, were exactly who I needed to meet during this time. Their friendly nature is the ultimate kindness and their commitment to their work means that you feel like the best version of yourself at all times – without the fuss. As a relatively no nonsense kind of person, I tried on two dresses but knew it was the first one that was the ‘one’. We popped the Prosecco to celebrate shortly after.
Which nevenka dress did you choose and how did you style it?
I chose to wear the ‘Shadows of a Woman’ dress which really was an honour to wear. I definitely went into the experience knowing a touch of colour would be needed and this dress had the hint of pink I wanted, as well as beautiful French raw edge silk which spoke to my family heritage. Not to mention, it was perfectly named for who I am and who I want to become.
As it was freezing cold on the day, I had to go with the flow and styled it with another Nevenka piece, the ‘Markaska’ jacket and my pink glittery Yves Saint Laurent boots. Both Jesse and I wanted our outfits to speak joyfully as both of us are quite quiet people. I wore two rings made by my friend Jade - one with an emerald that was given to me by my Uncle Pip many years ago – and a vintage lucky clover pin. Our whole day centered on the concept of luck and being lucky in love.
Tell us about your husband. Where did you two meet and how did he propose?
Jesse and I met at a friend’s party just over eight years ago now. It was a bit of a wild night, but we ended up finding each other on Facebook (very 2011) and messaged each other every day for a few weeks and then never really stopped…
In terms of the proposal, well, we didn’t really do the proposal thing. I think if we get down to it I would say I was the one who brought it up. We were on holiday in Sonoma, California and it was just the most perfect last day in a location you could have. There was delicious food, endless wine, and then (maybe unluckily) rain - a lot of rain. We had just come back from one of those non-fussy but ultimately so perfect Italian dinners in this adorable small restaurant and we were sitting in our room at Beltane Ranch - which is kind of a heaven on earth. I just remember looking at him and saying, ‘I have something to say but I don’t know how you will feel about it…’ and then we spent another year and a bit really grappling with how to get married in a way that suited us.
Where did you have your wedding?
We walked from my parent’s apartment in the Old Monastery down to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens for a very short but sweet ceremony on the lawn beneath the oak trees. Jesse’s mum was the celebrant and we wrote letters on our old typewriter to read to each other. It was perfectly simple.
What was on the menu?
My parents put on a homemade lunch at their apartment featuring easy recipes with lots of memories attached: roast chicken, Portuguese spiced potatoes (my Dad’s specialty) and a nice green salad. This was followed by Rosewater Madeleine Biscuits and a Lemon Curd Cake that mum and I made together. We wanted the whole day to feel low maintenance and I wanted the food to feel like something my grandmother would have made were she still with us.
What music did you listen to?
We didn’t listen to any music but we did perform a Clare Bowditch song in the Statuary Pavilion inside the gardens. A one-time-only lover’s duet.
Tell us about your beauty look for the day - hair and make up
My beautiful friend Alice did my make-up on the day. I wanted a very soft, retro feel. I knew I had to have blue eye shadow with cat eye eyeliner (a la Sophia Loren) and soft pink lips. The current trend is really brooding tones and natives and I really wanted the opposite – a little bit of joyful romance and softness. I let my hair dry naturally and wore it as I usually would, however it was too windy for the flowers I had planned to add to it.
And your flowers?
I didn’t carry any flowers but my beautiful jacket was covered with them and we were embraced by them at the Botanical Gardens. My mum, however, did set the lunch table with pink peonies, daisies, sunflowers, delphiniums and pink gypsophilia. A few of these flowers hinted at family members who are no longer with us which made it all the more special.
Describe love in one sentence.
Love is the sweetest kindness and a constant reverence enveloped generously inside a constant desire to be at peace with one another.
alex wearing shadows of a woman dress & markaska jacket
photography by em jensen
mua alice wood
