Here’s a quirky, travel-themed vintage wedding that looks like loads of fun! Melbourne lovebirds Belinda Hogarth, 30, and Marlon Young-Healy, 25, took vintage and made it all their own, with French-inspired red and white styling (and red can be so hard to pull off), super cool vintage cars and yesteryear props for use by photographers, Itsuka Studio, in their wedding photos.
The jet-setting pair infused their passion for travel throughout the event in the most imaginative ways. Their seating plan was a world map, headed with, ‘Where in the World are You Sitting?’, and each table was given the name of a destination to which the pair had travelled, including Borneo and New Zealand.
Their place cards were red luggage tags which doubled as practical bomboniere. And postcards, which the pair created themselves from holiday snaps, were placed on each table for guests to write a message on and deliver to a vintage suitcase placed at the door, entitled ‘Wishes for Our Journey’.
Even Marlon’s proposal was travel-themed (and just as inventive!). Belinda recalls, “Marlon organised an ‘Amazing Race’ through China for the two of us. We travelled around for three weeks as I solved clues to get to the next destination. In the Carefree Valley of the snow-capped Mount Wudang, Marlon proposed on a bridge over a half-frozen lake with absolutely no one around us except a few elegant swans. He had organised the whole trip for the proposal.”
Wow! The 144 guests at this wedding must have had a ball. Congratulations.
The boys wore stylish grey three piece suits with black buttons and pocket trim from Roger David. Contrasting the groomsmen’s black ties was Marlon’s red paisley tie, which he surprised Belinda with on the day. “I absolutely LOVED it!” she says. “The perfect splash of red.”
Owned by Marlon’s family, the groom’s party cruised to the wedding in this very cool 1958 Chevy, ‘pimped’ with red and white wedding ribbon.
Belinda found her bridesmaids’ dresses at Alannah Hill – 50s style frocks in vibrant cherry with creamy grosgrain ribbon. She says, “We wanted something quirky, fun and not too formal, which somehow also matched the themes of travel and vintage. These dresses were just perfect.”
The bride’s French lace and tulle wedding gown was custom designed by Simonelli Bridal Couture. “The end product was pure indulgence,” gushes Belinda. “I cannot recommend Julie Simonelli and her staff highly enough.”
Belinda accessorised her couture gown with red satin peep-toe pumps, and a vintage birdcage veil which she converted into a glamorous hairpiece for the reception.
Belinda’s favourite part of the whole day was during the ceremony at St John’s Heidelberg. She tells, “We were signing the wedding register and our fun-loving bridal party started bopping to the music behind us. Once we had signed we joined in and the next thing you know, Father Chris looked about, shrugged his shoulders and joined in with us all!”
“This spontaneous choreography that sent giggles throughout the congregation more or less summarised our day – travelling along a journey, not always sure what’s coming around the corner, but bopping along and enjoying every moment as it comes.”
The bride explains these quirky pics: “As Marlon and I are members of the Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne, Marlon organised for a lion dance and blessing following the ceremony, which was a surprise to all the guests and me! It added great colour and noise to the joyous, celebratory mood from the ceremony.”
The creative couple designed their own ceremony programs and wedding invitations. Belinda says, “On rustic brown card we printed a silhouette image of ‘us’ in a hot-air balloon. The balloon part comprised five cardboard discs held together with a silver eyelet; so you spin each card around to get to the next part of the information.”
The girls’ red and white themed bouquets were enthusiastically created by Jaclyn Roma Floral Design. “Jacki was excited about the quirky, vintage theme of our day. She designed beautiful bouquets, incorporating stunning seasonal blooms in red and white with some foliage and even herbs such as mint,” says Belinda.
“The whole day was a celebration of everything that is meaningful to us – our guests truly appreciated all of the detail that communicated some insight into our relationship,” says Belinda.
Photos courtesy of Itsuka Studio.