Inside a modern romantic wedding, commencing with timeless portrait sessions at State Library Victoria.

It was a beautiful summer’s day and once again Melbourne had turned it on. I’m not sure if it was because of the weather or where we were, but I remember meeting Razz and Omer on the steps of State Library Victoria and I could just tell they had a great energy about them both individually and as a couple.We had only minutes to build a rapport before beginning the portraits session at SLV, but we didn’t need it because our connection was instant.

Being a preferred photographer for Showtime Event Group and the State Library, I had the freedom to take a longer tour thanks to the guidance of Colleen who works for Showtime Event Group. We had so much fun shooting through the main stairs leading up to the monumental La Trobe Reading room, where we spent some time pretending to read and having some fun.

We walked through so many rooms fully decorated with beautiful art, as well as the newspaper room, which is decked out with many corridors full of books – a wonderful spot for our next set of portraits. We then ended up at the Pendulum stairs, where unsurprisingly most couples love to spend most of their time, showcasing the grand white windows, the beautiful mermaid window and of course, the iconic staircase itself.

After our tour of the State Library, we spent some time in the Treasury gardens to get some garden inspired portraits, which is where we finished off our session. I was delighted to hear back from Razz and Omer who had chosen to have me again for the second part of their wedding at Meadowbank. Due to COVID and pandemic lockdowns however, they were not able to celebrate their wedding in one day, so they decided to split it up in two, which in my opinion was the best idea ever!

We started their morning celebrations with them getting dressed and family gatherings with Turkish music playing in the background, before taking the party to the streets. Once arriving in Meadowbank, they did their formalities via a well put together luncheon that was run over the course of a four hour period. Short and sharp. I wanted to thank Razz and Omer for moving things around to accommodate me in being their photographer, it was indeed a privilege.

How did your Omer propose? Whenever someone is proposed to, people immediately think it was done with some huge gesture like in the movies. But honestly, there was very little Hollywood about ours. It was just a standard weeknight and we were on the couch casually watching tv together. I can’t remember exactly what was on (maybe it was Married at First Sight and he got inspired) but Omer proposed to me then. It may not have been extravagant but the way he did it was nice and simple.

How would you describe the style of your wedding?

Unfortunately due to Melbourne’s COVID-19 restrictions, we had limited options. Omer and I had decided that the most important thing to us was to do it in the presence of our family and closest friends and we weren’t stressed as to how. We then opted for an intimate fun-filled luncheon and split it into two as we knew we would get quality time with all of our guests.

Why did you pick your venue?

We consider ourselves big fans of buildings that have heritage – ones that have a story behind them – so that was one of our biggest priorities when we were picking a location. Our chosen venue was not only a modern heritage building, it was surrounded by beautiful gardens which made it the perfect place for us to start the rest of our lives together.

What did you feel was the most unique part of your wedding?

There were a few things that made our wedding special, but I think the standout was that it was unlike most traditional weddings because it was short and sweet. Just like Omer’s proposal, the luncheon was simple and that’s certainly unique for our culture!

Tell us about the wedding dress.

I went with a beautiful Couture Jannifer Wu boob tube mermaid dress. It wasn’t your standard white but it was a nice champagne colour with Swarovski crystal stones and pearl beads. Trail was able to be pinned backed.

What about your accessories?

Just like the proposal and the wedding, my accessories were kept simple. I decided that it was best to be minimalistic considering the circumstances, however I would have to say that my Puma sneakers were definitely the highlight. After all, comfort is very important to me.

Describe your hair and make-up

It was a pretty easy decision in the style of my hair and make-up. I didn’t want to go too over the top with either so my hair was done in loose waves and it looked amazing. My hairstylist did an amazing job. As for my makeup, which also looked stunning, the choice was natural tones.

The most unexpected part of your day?

The benefit about having a small wedding was that there was nothing that required a large amount of time and dedication because of its simplicity. Despite that, in the back of my mind, I still expected something to go wrong regardless, so I suppose the most unexpected part of my day was that everything went to plan and I had a fabulous day.