A good sense of humour is key to overcoming a lot of life hurdles, including planning a Melbourne wedding during a global pandemic, as this couple discovered.

After seven years together, Hannah and Silva tied the knot at Glasshaus Inside – a 1920s warehouse-turned-nursery in Melbourne – where Silva lived out his lifelong dream of saying ‘I do’ dressed as his favourite Batman character and gifting his guests a travel-sized hand sanitiser. That’s a joke, but it did happen. As did a strip show, which Hannah described as, “disgusting – but wooooooo!”

Scroll down for more laughs and to see the incredible handiwork of Wedshed photographer Jackson Grant.

How long have you been together and how did you meet?

Our relationship was conceived seven years ago while working at hospital. He was a loveable, vulnerable junior intern. She was a predatory vulture-cougar. The meeting was as one sided as if they’d met on the Serengeti. It was over in the first round.

Can you tell us a bit about your proposal?

Just your generic hospital proposal by Hannah’s mum’s bedside which turned her diagnosis into a stroke, of luck. She’s now doing very well after recovering and was pleased to have the only seat in the house to her own day time soap scene.

In a few sentences, how would you describe your wedding?

Well we saw Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding and we thought, “yeah, we’ll go for something like that”. So yeah, for those that couldn’t be there, I’d basically describe it as similar to that in the end.

We did have a larger wedding planned, but I’d like to thank democracy for culling our guests by 190 people with one fell governmental swoop.

Did you write your own vows? How did you find that experience?

We chose to write our own vows together on the eve of our wedding, the last night we were eligible for the Bachelor, or Bachelorette TV shows, or indeed, Bachelor in Paradise.

Whilst Hannah managed to finish hers in a few hours, it was suggested she not start and end with “Bah, Humbug!”. Her counterpart managed his less than an hour before the wedding, which his parents commended was actually unexpectedly well organised for him.

Were there any traditions you did not partake in or any specific to your family or religion that were special to you?

In the end, we just had a small ceremony that lasted for an hour or so before having dinner together, alone at the highest restaurant in Melbourne. I think once weddings are all stripped down to their bones, these are the only bits that matter anyway.

What was your wedding budget? Did you stick to it? If not, how much extra did you spend? 

I’m sure it’s been said before, most probably in 1918 but it’s not often you get to have a wedding during a global pandemic. Our situation is hence a bit unique in that the entire economy had just cratered and millions were left unemployed weeks before our wedding.

Our lovely vendors provided us with adjusted pricing to fit the nature of the shorter, smaller event and economic hardship, although some of them drew the line and refused to accept chocolate gold coins. The others, much like me when I purchased these gold bullions, probably didn’t realise.

Was your wedding in your home town or was it a destination wedding?

In the context of the current global pandemic and stage 4 lockdown restrictions, we had a destination wedding. It was a plant nursery 8.7km away from the apartment we’d been confined to. After such a rough year in which we’d both worked through difficult circumstances without a break, it was just great to finally get away from it all. For four hours to Richmond.

How did you decide on the location of your wedding and the venue itself?

They say “when love hurts you, dare to love again”, and this probably explains why over the course of our relationship, we’ve lost countless plants to the compost. Plant, after plant would leave in leaves. Not sure if plants make ghosts but hoping for the best, we held our wedding in a plant nursery.

Glasshaus Inside were lovely to work with and provided us with a lush backdrop of foliage that would make any other backdrop, simply green with jealousy, as the old saying goes I believe.

How many guests did you have?

Eleven.

Were you inspired by a particular wedding style or vibe when bringing your day to life?

We booked our wedding at a plant house suggested by our amazing photographer Jackson Grant. Inspiration was provided by chic 15th century weddings hosted by the House of Medici – old Italian style never dies! As well, Armani, Fabergé eggs, and someone who I assume is French royalty – the style of King Louis Boutan XIV, were all influential.

Unfortunately, due to logistical issues, none of these features or style elements were present on the day. Or as the owner of the venue pleaded, “Look, I wouldn’t be able to organise these things at the best of times, this is so unreasonable, please let go”. At which point I relinquished my grip on the Fabergé eggs.

Where did you gather your inspiration?

Seabiscuit – what a horse. Lifted and carried a nation during a time of despair on that saddle, not just the jockey.

Did you partake in any DIY elements to your day?

Once emancipated from our families, the two of us snuck off for six courses at the Eureka 89 restaurant, after which our bride was provided some uber amazing transport back home where in the absence of any further entertainment, she was treated to a DIY one time only, one hour, one man strip and interpretive dance show, which, the only critic present raved as “disgusting – but wooooooo!”

How did you find your dream team?

If Jackson Grant was the coach, then Leah Brady, our beautiful celebrant, was our team’s MVP. Jackson recommended us to Leah who was so accommodating of our changing situation and did everything she could to make our wedding work. They are truly a dream and highly recommended.

What are some of the most memorable and special moments of your wedding?

Just knowing that all those plants were wildly and silently ‘rooting’ for us was amazing. We may have only had 11 other people present, but we had hundreds of hearts. If plants have hearts. Which they do. Don’t be ridiculous.

Any funny elements that just made the day or lead up even more amazing?

Many of us would be familiar with visits to Office Works and Ikea where we often leave with things we hadn’t necessarily intended to purchase. But rarely has a trip to a plant nursery gone so wildly off piste. I left with a wife and a complimentary bottle of hand sanitiser. Quelle chance!

Tell us about your dress/suit, how did you find it? What did you love about it?

Having not bought any new clothes for the duration of the relationship, Hannah was concerned dressing myself for the occasion may be a step too far. Enraged by this, in an act of defiance, I chose to dress as my favourite Batman character, The Penguin, by wearing an outfit closely resembling arguably the greatest villain of all time. It wasn’t until I saw Jackson Grant’s amazing photos that I realised how similar a penguin costume is to a traditional tuxedo.

Hannah, adapting to the IQ and attention span of the man-child she was about to marry, chose to wear something as shiny as possible in an attempt to hold focus. Her outfit reflects light as well as the maturity, which plays a lone hand in the relationship.

Now that you’re married, what’s the best piece of advice you can give other couples in the middle of planning their own weddings? 

Wedding planning will often lead to a lot of arguments. But don’t let that get you down, arguments are a lot like shopping malls, if you wanna get to where you want, you just gotta ESCALATE!

Do you have any standout suppliers that you would recommend in a heartbeat? Who are they and why?

I would have to say that would be Sebastian Judd-Mole from Uncanny Sanny, who generously supplied everyone with a small bottle of complementary hand sanitiser and insisted they all keep their dirty paws off us, in line with the government’s advice at the time. No touching!

Finish this sentence. The best (or most unique) thing we did at our wedding was…

Social distancing.

What are you most looking forward to now that you’re married?

For me, that would be the same thing I looked forward to before we were married, which is spending every day with Hannah.

CREDITS: Photos Jackson Grant Weddings // Venue Glasshaus Inside // Celebrant Love Leah Brady // Flowers Lulubird // Dessert platter Fat’s Story // Bridal gown Suzanne Harward // Brides shoes Badgley Mischka and Tony Bianco // Hair piece Lisa Barron // Grooms suit Jack London // Rings MG Jewellery Designs // Hair and makeup Studio 2 Makeup and Hair // Colourist Telleish Hair Studio // Grooms hair Saros Barber Shop // Rug One Big Day Event Hire  // Favours Uncanny Sanny.

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For more advice and guidance navigating a wedding at this time, join our couples’ only Facebook Group ‘Wedchat by Wedshed‘. It’s a supportive space for thousands of couples experiencing the same challenges right now.