A mutual love of Tabouli made these two fall head over heels for one another.
Dina and Andrew share a love of life and their family and friends. Their celebration took place at The State Library with a team of amazing suppliers. After postponing several times during Covid, they were fortunate to have an amazing day in between Melbourne’s lockdowns.
What date did you get married on?
We were married on January 22nd, 2021.
How did you meet?
We met for the first time about 8 years ago – I joined a Latin dance school in Melbourne and Andrew had been asked to fill in as a guy in our small class. All the other guys I rotated with had been nice and friendly, but when it came to Andrew I just remember he didn’t look me in the eye, didn’t bother introducing himself, and seemed very uninterested in being there and dancing with me. I immediately decided that he was rude and certainly not someone I would want to be friends with. Over the course of the next almost 8 years, our paths never crossed. I didn’t know much about him, never social danced with him and never spoke again. We existed in different dance circles. Even when he joined our team three years ago, I really don’t have any recollection of him at all. For some reason, even though our small team trained and competed together, and my good friend on the team was his dance partner, my memory of him is completely wiped, and I don’t recall that we ever interacted for some reason. We even went on a team trip to compete in Miami, then onto New York – we apparently sat next to each other while we watched the musical Chicago and I have no recollection of this except that someone showed us a photo as proof. The first real memory I have of a proper interaction with him was during this New York team trip two years ago when we were walking around the town. He decided to walk next to me at one point and he started a conversation with me – he said one thing to me – “Did you know the first thing I’m going to do when I land back home is make a big batch of tabouli”. I pretty much stopped dead in my tracks on the middle of a NY street. I couldn’t believe my ears. This is exactly what I do the first thing when I arrive home from a big trip! That’s when he had my attention. I couldn’t believe this random Aussie guy had the same Tabouli obsession as me.
How long have you been together for?
Since officially dating until now is two and a half years.
How would you best describe your wedding in a few words?
Joyous, grand, warm and fun.
How and why did you choose your reception and ceremony location?
We both wanted something a little bit more original and somewhere that had special meaning beyond just a wedding venue. When I first moved to Melbourne I used to spend time studying in the State Library in the magnificent La Trobe Reading Room. So when we starting thinking of venue places I remembered it and wondered if they held functions and weddings there. Sure enough, when we called we spoke to the lovely and very helpful team who took us around the State Library and showed us all of the options. We wanted somewhere that guests could have a full experience in the one place from Ceremony to Reception without the hassle of having to change locations. Being in Melbourne, we also didn't want the added stress of being at the mercy of the changing weather, so it needed to be somewhere beautiful but also indoors. And the Library had everything - from the perfect ceremony space, the beautiful Reading Room for post-ceremony drinks and canapes, to the recently opened to the public Ian Potter Queens Hall. All were stunning and unique spaces that could host a larger-sized wedding. I also remembered Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and The City had her wedding at the New York State Library and loved that idea. Plus being a lover of studying, being surrounded by books made it all even more special.
Was your wedding in your local area or did you have a destination wedding?
Our wedding was in our local area.
What kind of jobs do you have?
I’m a pharmacist/marketer working in the pharmaceutical industry and Andrew is an OHS Advisor. So we both are in the corporate space working pretty much 9-5 jobs.
What was the most important element for you to have in your wedding?
The venue was really important to us – we wanted somewhere unique, and special.
Did you have a large or a small wedding? What were the deciding factors in this?
We had a large wedding, it was really important to us to have everyone we cared about in the same room witnessing and celebrating with us. We have a lot of special people in our lives and a wedding is one of the few occasions in life that provides the opportunity to connect with all of those near and dear. Plus we love throwing a big party with lots of joy, food and dancing!
How did you choose what to wear?
Shehzarin Batha Couture was the very first bridal dress shop I stepped into as I started what I thought would be a long journey to find my dream dress. But to my surprise, when I stepped into the first dress I tried there, from the quality and handcrafting they put into each of their designs, I knew they were the team I wanted to work with. I had a vision in mind and the staff at Shehzarin Couture helped me bring it to life. Together we designed my dream dress, based on their beautiful designs, pictures I had collected, and ideas I had in my head. They also designed and made my veil, as well as handmade and beaded my headband to match my dress beading.
I had a second dress designed specifically for our first dance. I'm really glad I made the decision to change into something else for that segment of the night to allow me to dance more freely.
Tell me all about the proposal?
In 2019 Andrew and I took a year off to travel, lucky we got that in before Covid! In October we were travelling around Italy and Andrew planned a proposal on Positano Beach at the Amalfi Coast. He waited until sunset and took me down to the iconic beach location on Positano. As we were walking down all the steps to get to the beach I noticed he seemed quite nervous, but I thought it was just because he didn't want to miss the view of the beautiful sun setting on the coast. But then when we got there, he told me he didn’t want me to be his girlfriend anymore. Then he got down on one knee and told me he wanted me to be more than that – his fiancé, his wife, mother of our children, and life partner. It was the most beautiful moment and I started crying I was shocked and so happy. We popped some champagne and enjoyed the evening view of the Amalfi Coast and decided we would go back to relive the moment on our five and ten year anniversary.
What style helped to shape your reception and where did you get your inspiration?
I love things that are grand but elegant so we tried to channel that vibe. We trusted our wedding planner to help us with the styling to suit our vision.
Did you write your own vows?
We had our celebrant help us with choosing the vows that felt best and suited us the most.
Did you include any special elements into your ceremony?
We had a live acoustic rendition of one of our favourite songs as I walked down the aisle. We also had a couple of our closest friends do special readings for us. I still get goosebumps when I think back to those moments.
How did you choose your suppliers? Who were the stand out suppliers on the day?
Many of our suppliers were recommendations from either our wedding planner or celebrant. We hired a 7-piece band from The Baker Boys and they were simply phenomenal! They stayed the whole night right from Ceremony, to drinks, to reception planning live music and really getting everyone into the spirit. Our celebrant Charis was amazing, we didn’t know her to begin with but felt like family by the end of the process. And of course the venue State Library managed by Showtime Events blew us away with everything they did to make our night better than we had imagined. We have the magnificent Dan Brannan to thank for all our glorious photos.
Why did you decide to marry?
We wanted to start our future together. Our upbringing and culture is such that marriage is a target for every relationship to hit. We love each other and love each other’s company and in the future we’d like to start a family. In our culture, once you prove your ability to stick together through thick and thin, marriage is the next logical step.
What was an absolute stand out on your wedding day?
I would have to say the venue – we always knew it was breathtaking, but seeing it all come to life with the flowers and decorations and filled with people that we love was really special.
What advice would you offer to future couples?
Don't hold back on pushing for things you know matter to you - if it's a certain type of chair, or napkins, or welcome drinks - if it's important to you then don't let it slide. I would also say that a good photographer and videographer are well worth the investment. At first we weren't sure if we would get a videographer to capture the day, but we are so glad that we did. Reliving the memories as best you can will be what you end up treasuring the most.
What supplier did you book first and why?
The venue – getting the right venue and making sure it was available was our number one priority. We found that everything else came together pretty easily and quickly once we locked in the venue.
Is there anything you would change about your wedding day?
No it was exactly how it was supposed to be. The only thing is that I wish we could re-live it all over again.
How much did you budget for your wedding and did you stick to the budget?
We didn’t really set a budget for the wedding, we just knew the elements we wanted to have and were happy to make it work if it was important to us.
What was the most stressful part of the wedding planning process?
Definitely dealing with the impact of Covid – the constant postponing and unknown made it quite an emotional ride to the alter!
Were there any funny moments in the day?
Something funny from the night were the traditional dancers we had to come and start off the traditional dance segment. Half-way through they decided to lift Andrew up on their shoulders. Next thing I knew they pulled out a chair and were asking me to sit on it. I did against my better judgement. Suddenly I was in the air bouncing up and down on this chair holding on for dear life. The chair was tipping forward and my dress was so slippery I was starting to slide off. But they didn't seem to notice that they had titled the chair too much. There wasn't much I could do and no-one seemed to notice I was sliding off! I fell from the chair in the air to the ground. Luckily my dress was so big and poofy as it acted like a nice pillow! I'm still waiting to see some footage of that moment!
Did you both equally plan the wedding together or did one person have more input?
Both Andrew and I planned the wedding together. It was mostly me instigating some of the main ideas and running them all past Andrew who was great in providing his feedback and direction. We were very lucky in that we were on the same page about pretty much every decision.
How did Covid affect your planning?
We were originally supposed to have our wedding in May 2020 so had to postpone due to Covid. We postponed to October, but as Melbourne was still in lockdown and restrictions were not fully eased, we had to postpone again. This was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, but the sooner we were able to accept the situation the easier it felt and we took a more relaxed attitude to the planning knowing that during Covid times we just needed to know what our contingency plans were.
Did you have to plan your wedding multiple times?
Although we had to postpone multiple times, we didn’t have to re-plan as such. Since most things were already planned for and ready to go, and because we were working with a fantastic venue through Showtime Events, we were able to simply move our plans across to the new date. Our wedding planner Nadia from the Super Styler was also amazing and we couldn’t have done this without her – each time we had to move the date she would reach out to all the vendors and coordinate the new dates with them all. If a couple of the vendors weren’t available on the new date, she would reach out to another in their place.
Did anything go wrong on the day of your wedding?
I wouldn’t say anything really went wrong which we are extremely thankful for. The only thing that was a bit tricky was the NSW border restriction which meant about 30 of our guests including one of my bridesmaids couldn’t attend!
What are your hopes for your married life?
I hope that we will continue to support each other to be the best versions of ourselves and that we will help each other continue to grow and achieve and dream in life. My hope is that we continue to respect each other, share beautiful moments together, and continue to deepen our love for one another.
VENDORS
Photographer: Dan Brannan Photography
Videographer: Crystal D Studio
Venue: The State Library of Victoria (Conversation Quarter for ceremony, La Trobe Reading Room for drinks and canapes, Ian Potter Queens Hall for the reception)
Celebrant: Charis White
Wedding dress: Shehzarin Batha Couture
Suits: Oscar Hunt
Flowers: Bellewood Flowers
Cake: Vivalicous Sweets
Jewellery: Veil and headband custom made by Shehzarin Batha Couture
Band: The Baker Boys
Hair: Pearly Hairstylist
Make-up: Stella Tu Makeup
Emcee: Alexander Bryan
Rings: The Diamond Guys and Cartier
Cars: Star Chauffeured Cars
Drummers: Zaffet Royale
Wedding planner: Nadia Rados-Crystos of The Super Styler
