By Elissa Friday
How the boy with the scratched face became the man of one girl’s dreams
HOW THEY MET
Before their wedding, Evan Robinson Lived at Torquay and Emily Lannello in Bell Post Hill.
Neither could recall their first conversation, having known each other for as long as they can remember.
“Our parents are family friends so we grew up with each other but it wasn’t until we were about 14 and 15 that we had our first proper conversation,“ Emily says.
“My parents had invited Evan’s parents over for a barbecue in the summer and we just started talking and hit it off from there.
“Funnily, when I was a little girl my mum asked me what I thought of Evan and I replied, ‘Oh no, mum, he has too many scratches on his face from climbing trees’,” Emily laughs.
THE PROPOSAL
Evan took Emily to one of their favorite places in Lorne on a “picture-perfect day”, she says.
“Evan suggested a nice spot, so we drove to a lookout and went for a walk along the beach.
“I noticed posts in the sand with written messages on them.
“Walking closer, I noticed my name on the first one.
With candles and flowers on the beach, Emily describes the setting as “honestly, one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen”.
THE PLANNING
Emily planned most of their wedding herself with some help from mum.
“Chloe from Pretty in Paper created our wedding invitations”.
Emily chose a formal style with black cursive writing on white card.
Her Nanna pressed lavender from her garden that they tied around the invitations with a cream twine.
HENS AND BUCKS
Emily’s bridesmaids’ organised her hen’s day celebration.
“It was a surprise” she says.
“I was really excited about what they were going to do for me”.
Arriving at Melbourne, friend Eloise surprised Emily with fresh flower crowns she had made for all the girls to wear throughout the day.
The hens had a picnic lunch at Fitzroy Gardens before heading to Cocktails and Canvas.
“We painted while drinking cocktails – it was really funny because I’m not much of a painter,” Emily laughs.
Afterward they went out to dinner.
Evan went go-karting in Melbourne for his bucks celebration, followed by drinks with his groomsmen.
THE DRESS
Emily searched high and low to find the dress of her dreams.
“I ended up buying one of the first ones I tried on,” she says.
Wanting to try on a few more dresses, Emily looked all over Melbourne and Geelong. In the end, she returned to a shop in Brunswick where she made her initial choice.
“As soon as I put it on again for a second time I knew that was the one.”
Emily’s dress was lace and fitted with a long train.
She also wore a veil in the back of her hair to the ceremony.
BRIDESMAIDS AND GROOMSMEN
Emily’s maid of honor was sister Olivia and the bridesmaids were two of her best friends, Eloise and Helen.
Emily’s little cousin Isabella was flower girl.
“She came from Sydney to be a part of our day and it was so special to have her there,” Emily says.
Evan’s best man was long-time friend Nathan. His groomsmen were his younger brother Alex and friend Ashley.
THE FLOWERS
“As soon I got engaged people were asking me what type of flowers I would pick,” Emily laughs.
She chose cream peonies for her bouquet. The other girls had cream and soft pink tones in their bouquets.
“For the tables, I was set on having greenery running through the middle with white flowers intertwined – Catherine from Stems of Geelong put the table runners together, she did a perfect job!”
THE CEREMONY
The two wed at a ceremony held at Torquay and had photos taken at Point Addis.
“Evan is from Torquay we both love the area,” Emily says.
“We said traditional vows – I think there’s something really beautiful and special about them.”
THE PHOTOGRAPHY
“John Yau and Tom Beanlands from Artifex Photographic Media did the photography.
“They were so amazing on the day and we’re really happy with the work that they’ve done – it was so great having the two of them there to capture different parts of our day.”
THE RECEPTION
Three months before the wedding, the original reception venue called Emily to inform her it was double-booked.
“I was devastated, especially considering I had already booked all of my suppliers for a certain date. I was also getting ready to sit exams so it was a really stressful time.”
But it was a blessing in disguise. Barwon Edge Boathouse was available on 14 November.
“It was the only available reception venue on our date, so we feel like it was really meant to be!
“The team at Barwon Edge were so organised and set the venue even better than I imagined. I couldn’t recommend Barwon Edge highly enough.”
THE CAKE
Emily knew she wanted her wedding cake to be adorned with white flowers and greenery.
“Jan from Noni’s Sweet Treats created a stunning three-tier cake and Catherine decorated it with white roses – it was just stunning and exactly what I wanted.”
THE FIRST DANCE
Evan and Emily danced to a cover version of Elvis Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’.
“After putting my wedding dress on, I was a little bit concerned about doing the dance we had prepared.
“So when we started dancing I said to Evan, ‘We can’t do the jump – I can’t jump in this dress’.
“But when it came time, Evan whispered to me, ‘We’re doing it’ and before I knew it I was up in the air. Thankfully I didn’t end up on the ground,” Emily laughs.
THE FAVOURS
Emily’s sister Olivia makes homemade natural soy candles.
“My sister is such a perfectionist with her candles, so I knew she’d do an amazing job. She made over 100 candles to go on the tables and each guest took one home to keep.
“We chose sweet vanilla and wild honeysuckle scents to alternate on the tables.
“Evan’s grandma had sadly passed away before our wedding, so we also made a donation to the Cancer Council on behalf of each guest.”
THE HONEYMOON
Emily and Evan enjoyed a tropical honeymoon to Fiji.
They stayed at Denarau Island for the first five nights and then they took a boat out to Tokoriki Island.
The two also did a snorkeling trip throughout the Mamanuca Islands.
“I’d definitely go back to Fiji,” Emily says.
The couple now lives at Armstrong Creek.
Emily’s dream team
Dress; Raffaele Ciuca, Melbourne.
Groomsmen shirts: Eddy Elias Menswear, Geelong.
Suits: Raffaele Ciuca, Melbourne.
Bridesmaid dresses: Asos.
Hair and makeup: Rebeccah Vivian from Blondie Hair and Cosmetica, Geelong.
Flowers: Catherine Toffolon from Stems of Geelong.
Invitations: Pretty In Paper, Geelong.
Cars: Wedding Jaguars of Geelong.
Violinist: Hannah Walters, Melbourne.
Cake: Noni’s Sweet Treats, Mt Duneed.
Wedding favours: OliviaEllen Candles, Geelong.
Band: The People’s Poets, Geelong.
Reception Venue: Barwon Edge Boathouse, Newtown.
