Blog.
Real weddings, real advice, and most importantly of all… real love
Sarah & Jean Paul: An Intimate Sunday Wedding at Recoleta
Most couples default to a Saturday without ever really asking why. Sarah and Jean Paul didn't. They chose a Sunday afternoon, and it changed the entire mood of the day. There was no rush to beat traffic to a reception, no sense of a wedding wedged between other people's plans. Guests arrived relaxed, already halfway into weekend mode, and stayed relaxed. The light through Recoleta's upstairs windows had that soft, low, end-of-weekend quality that no amount of styling can fake.
As a Celebrant and MC I've married a lot of couples that felt like they were racing the clock. This one didn't race anything.
Shenay and Joe’s beautiful Recoleta Wedding, Melbourne CBD.
Shenay and Joe took a slightly different approach to the traditional wedding day structure, and it worked beautifully. Just 31 guests joined them for the ceremony and lunch, keeping things close, personal, and warm. Then, later in the day, they opened the doors at Higher Ground for a post-wedding celebration - a cocktail party for 160 guests who came to toast the newlyweds in style.
Getting Married at Recoleta, Melbourne | A Celebrant's Guide to Melbourne's Most Intimate Wedding Venue
As a Celebrant and MC I've had the privilege of standing in that first-floor room, timber floors underfoot and faded murals overhead, and marrying couples who wanted exactly what Recoleta gives so effortlessly: a day that feels timeless, classic, romantic, and full of love.
If you're planning a wedding in Melbourne and you're drawn to intimacy over spectacle, Recoleta deserves to be right at the top of your shortlist - and I'd love to be part of your day there.