A Valentine's Day Cocktail Wedding: Jess and Elliott's Day at The Terrace, Royal Botanic Gardens
Updated: Sep 8
If you're planning a cocktail-style wedding in Melbourne and wondering whether The Terrace at the Royal Botanic Gardens is worth it, let me tell you about Jess and Elliott, who got married there on Valentine's Day with 120 of their favourite people and not a single sit-down dinner in sight.
They wanted big party energy over a formal occasion, all their favourite people in one room, a day that actually reflected who they are rather than what a wedding's supposed to look like. Cocktail hour has always been their favourite part of any wedding, so going cocktail-style for the whole day was an easy call early on. Slight problem: neither of them had ever actually been to a cocktail-style wedding themselves, so they had no idea how to structure one. That's where I came in, alongside their celebrant Kate, to help shape the flow of the day from the ground up.
Jess is an architect, Elliott's a doctor, and by their own account there was plenty of "trust the process" happening whenever Jess's styling vision, all designed in-house, in their actual house, went a bit over Elliott's head. He ran logistics, she ran the look, and a shared mood-board spreadsheet kept the whole thing sane whenever decision fatigue hit. They were planning it all from interstate too, which meant plenty of vendor meetings done remotely and more patience required than usual.
The ceremony leaned properly into Jess's Sri Lankan heritage. Drummers and dancers walked them in, there were moments of thanksgiving to their parents and to Elliott's Nan and Grandma, and a lamp lighting and coconut breaking with their siblings. Kate kept the whole thing personal without ever tipping into stiff or overly serious, exactly the balance this couple wanted.
Jess and Elliot describe themselves as "camera shy", but that's most people, honestly, and it's pretty much the most important part of my job, making them feel comfortable in front of my camera. What actually made the day was in the details: Elliott's suit came together seamlessly once Samuel Diamond Tailors got hold of Jess's mood-board of preferences, no stress required on his end at all.
Jess's outfit situation was a different story entirely. Her first look, meant to reflect her heritage without the full effort of a sari, went sideways when a custom order from Sydney fell through two weeks out from the wedding. In a genuine moment of last-minute desperation, she ordered the original inspiration piece from India instead, and it landed two days before the wedding looking exactly like the photos, needing only a quick alteration squeezed in at the very last minute by the team at My Alterations. Her second dress, from Rachel Gilbert, was the easy one: spotted in a shop window, tried on, done. Elliott had joked for months she'd turn up in something gold and shiny. He wasn't wrong.
My favourite detail of the whole day might be the cake, a wine-coloured number that stained every guest's lips pink without anyone planning it that way, extremely on brand for a Valentine's Day wedding. A close second: the flower collar made for their dog, who hated every second of wearing it and looked like an absolute angel regardless.
They made a point of staying together as much as possible through the day so they'd actually remember it side by side rather than pulled in different directions, and a quiet walk through the Botanic Gardens together at sunset became one of their favourite moments for exactly that reason.
Not every part of the lead-up went smoothly. The Airbnb they'd booked specifically for its architecture and location, for photos, cancelled on them about a month out. A bit of begging, and clearly a persuasive case, got the cancellation reversed. Their only real regret from the whole day: not ordering that dress sooner, and not getting to try a single bite of the food they served everyone else.
If a cocktail-style wedding is on your radar and you're not sure how to structure a day without a sit-down dinner in the mix, or you're weighing up The Terrace, that's exactly the kind of thing I love talking through. Get in touch.
Vendor line up
Celebrant Kate (celebrantkate.com.au), Samsul Creations, The Beautiful Bunch (florist and cake), Sivy Beauty (hair and makeup), Pernia's Pop-Up and Rachel Gilbert (dresses), My Alterations, Samuel Diamond Tailor (suit and bow ties), Black Finch Jewelry (rings), Nikos Cakes (cake), Hey Jack Group (entertainment)
Comments