Sophie & Paola’s Old Treasury Wedding
These two sweeties, had a wholesome and easy wedding at the Old Treasury Building on a Spring day that had mixed ideas on weather it wanted to be.
Paola’s parents dialed in via Zoom from Mexico, everyone taking the time to wave and make them feel part of process.
They were absolute troopers with the icy cold wind, starting their photo session in basically sunshine, to turn to windy and sideways rain, then later sunny again. But we made it work, jumping from building to building down Treasury Place behind the Vic Marriage Registry. Later they would join their friends and family at the upscale Hyatt Centric.
Tell me about the beginning!
We met at a summer camp in Maine, USA, where a fast friendship turned into something neither of us could quite name yet.
That summer, we were inseparable; leaning on each other through both the hard and the beautiful moments, building a connection that felt effortless and constant, and when the summer ended, distance didn’t weaken what we had... it deepened it. From opposite sides of the world, our relationship grew through late-night calls, messages, and the quiet certainty that this was something worth holding onto.
The following summer, in 2023, we reunited in Miami and finally made it official... since then, we’ve built a life that spans continents and families.
We found our way back to each other in Melbourne, where we moved in together, got our first apartment, and adopted our dream puppy... creating a home that feels entirely ours.
When and where did you get engaged?
Somewhere along the way, it stopped being a question of if we’d get married and became simply when. Life together felt easy, full, and exactly right and we couldn’t wait to spend the rest of it side by side. On May 16th, we got engaged at the Royal Botanical Gardens. Both of us had a ring prepared, for at any moment one of us would drop to the knee and propose. Paola had this occasion planned - a photographer in the gardens just 'happened' to ask to take a photo of our puppy, and there the question was asked. You might have guessed, but the photographer was 'in' on the engagement and we spent two hours taking beautiful photos together in the serene Botanical Gardens.
What style/theme have you chosen for your Wedding Day? Feel free to elaborate about your choices and venue.
We knew from the start we wanted something small but classy. We were prepared to have two weddings, as Paola's family is located in Mexico and mine in Melbourne. Here we wanted an elegant looking but stress-free event and the Old Treasury Building seemed like the perfect venue to suit our needs. We actually stumbled upon this venue looking at a blog post by Marcel and knew instantly that we wanted to hire him as our photographer. Not only do we trust him in taking gorgeous photographs of our special day, we know that he is familiar with weddings at the Old Treasury and will put our minds to ease when we are unsure on the day. Our reception is at the Hyatt Centric hotel in a private dining room located on the 25th floor - another small but classy venue to commemorate our special day.
What are you most looking forward to on the day?
We are looking forward to seeing all of our Australian-based loved-ones all together in one place. We are also looking forward to finally becoming 'wives', as we already consider ourselves to be married in all sense of the word.
Your Top Tips on planning your day!
1. You do not need to take years to plan your perfect wedding day. With access to the internet, there are many resources out there who can help you organise a wedding as fast or slow as you like!
2. Do as much as you can pre-wedding so that the day itself is as stress free as possible. We have jobs lined up for willing family and friends who will take the mental and physical load off of us on a day that can already feel nerve-wracking.
3. Your wedding does not have to be big to feel classy! Even elopement-style wedding venues can be absolutely beautiful. Saving money on the venue allows us to splurge more on decorating the reception venue, hiring an experienced photographer, and having a honeymoon!
