A Two Hour Elopement at the Melbourne Registry Office: Abby and Andy

If you're looking at the Melbourne Registry Office and wondering whether two hours is really enough time to get married and get proper photos out of it, Abby and Andy are the proof you're after.

They're both originally from Christchurch, now calling Melbourne home, and they got married on the 13th of March with just seven people in the room. Well, six, plus a emotional and thrilling surprise. Abby's sister flew in from the US the night before and everyone managed to keep it a secret from Abby - even Andy.

We started at the Conservatory in Fitzroy Gardens at 3.30pm, which gets you that soft pink backdrop everyone's after, and it worked beautifully against the sister's pastel outfit and the bouquet. From there it's a genuinely short stroll to the steps of the Registry Office, so we squeezed in portraits along the way and were on the steps by quarter to four.

The ceremony ran from 4 to 4.30 in the Thomas Room. Private vows, a few sitcom quotes snuck in (no further comment), and Abby's dad walked her down the aisle even though there were only seven people there to see it. Small crowd, still all the moments.

After the ceremony we sent the two best friends ahead to order drinks, which meant Abby and Andy got a stretch of photos together without an audience. Some playful, some quiet, exactly the mix you want when you don't necessarily want to be smoochy in front of your mates.

We finished up on the steps of Parliament House right as a proper sunset hit, overcast all afternoon and then the light turned up at exactly the right moment. From there it was a walk down Bourke Street, past Pellegrini's, and into a little cellar bar for champagne in the last of the light.

Abby wore a simple off the shoulder dress. Andy's dog Tilly, a cocker spaniel, didn't make the guest list this time, which everyone was sad about.

They added film to their gallery, and it might be some of my favourite frames from the day. If you're planning something small at the Melbourne Registry Office and wondering how much you can actually fit into two hours, the answer is: more than you'd think.