Michael and Julie Wedding [Montsalvat, Melbourne]

Have you been through the process of planning a wedding day? Even if you haven’t, you probably can still imagine that the experience is a little overwhelming. Endless to-do lists, lots of people to please and, sometimes, just the fear of being in front of all those guests can be a little too much for many couples. These types of issues can sometimes cause a couple to consider eloping, just to avoid all that stress and anxiety!

Well, what if you could organise a no-fuss wedding day for you and your guests. A wedding where there isn’t any big build up, no endless chasing of RSVPs, no one has to agonise over wearing black (or white!), you’re either just there, or not.

Michael and Julie organised just that sort of wedding. All their guests made their way to Montsalvat, one of my most favourite rustic wedding venues, to celebrate their engagement at this beautiful artist colony tucked away in Eltham. Only it wasn’t their engagement, it was their surprise wedding!

From the moment I met Michael and Julie, I was fascinated by how these two people had come together. Michael is an emerging photographer. He is passionate and is drawn to the romantic side of life. Julie is studying psychology, is highly analytical and has a strong connection to family. Together,they have not just joined each other on this crazy journey called life, but with daughter Bree, they are uniting to form a perfect little family.