Real bride Melanie says 'I do' in Levana gown

The Special Couple: Melanie and Sven 

THE FIRST SIGHT & THE PROPOSAL 

Sven and I met on Tinder. Both aimlessly swiping on a Tuesday evening while bored. The day after we matched, we spoke over the phone for over three hours and set a day to meet face-to-face. We've been inseparable since then.

Sven had organised a date night in the city and told me to dress up. We arrived at the Park Hyatt (my favourite hotel) and had dinner and drinks there. I had a hunch that he would pop the question for a few weeks, but I thought he'd propose the same way he asked me to be his girlfriend (with red roses brought to the table instead of the bill). However, Sven told me that he had already sorted the bill and asked me to go for a walk. We walked around The Rocks to where we had our first kiss.

I started trembling because I was holding back tears. I felt so stupid that I was so obsessed with getting engaged, and it wasn't happening, so I told him I was cold and asked if we could go home. He said "We're not going home. We're staying there tonight," and pointed to the Park Hyatt. I stayed a few steps behind him as he led the way up to our room. He let me walk in first. The opera house was in full view, and the room had roses, champagne and bride and groom teddy bears. I was utterly silent. He then told me to look in the wardrobe and open the safe. I asked him what the code was, and he said, "You know what it is", so I entered the date of our anniversary, and there was a box inside. He took the box, went on one knee, and I honestly don't remember a word he said after that. Safe to say, I said "yes" as a bumbling, crying mess.

THE VENUE & INSPIRATION 

The dress code was White Tie. I've always loved old-world charm intertwined with contemporary touches. I have been in awe of traditional balls for as long as I can remember. Movies like Age of Innocence drew me in, and I thought, well if we don't go to events like this, we can host it! As black tie is often interpreted to include cocktail dresses nowadays, I thought I needed to elevate it, mainly as I knew most people would underdress anyway. So, White Tie it was! It didn't take much convincing from Sven either; he was on board immediately. We love an excuse to dress up and want to see our guests don their best attire. We made this extremely clear on our wedding invitations and website, with links to rentals for men and women. As everyone was to be dressed so elegantly, I wanted to keep the decor simple—all crisp whites with touches of gold and silver. My bridesmaids were all in a shade of silver/metallics with some sparkle. Our flowers were white with green foliage.

THE BRIDAL LOOK & SAYING "YES" TO THE DRESS 

My Spanish and Italian roots were the inspiration behind my bridal look. I always knew I wanted lace and a Spanish Mantilla veil. I had this mantilla lace veil in mind when trying on dresses, and I tried different styles just in case. However, my initial instinct was right; lace was for me.

Eternal Bridal was my first wedding dress shopping stop, and I tried three styles before the Le Lee Studio Levana. My sister-in-law chose it for me to try on, and I was a little hesitant, although as soon as I had it on, I was in love! I wanted to be sure about Levana being my wedding dress, so I went away and tried on another 15 dresses at two other stores and with every dress I tried on, I compared it to the Levana gown. When Eternal Bridal emailed me to check how my dress hunt was going, I knew I had to try it on again. So I went back with my friend, tried it on with my Badgley Mischka shoes I bought online from Eternal Bridal, and yep, it was the one! I bought it on the spot and never looked back!

THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR DAY 

We had many highlights and took the time to write them down together the morning after. However, my top highlight has to be seeing everyone enjoy themselves, two families connecting, and friends of each side meeting and getting along. Most of all, dancing the night away together.

MELANIE'S ADVICE 

The best thing we did was choose our vendors to match our personalities. So, like choosing your partner in life, don't settle for anything less. Your wedding day is one of the most memorable days of your life, and you want to make sure that your vendors are as amazing as you are and will make your day as stress-free and wonderful as you deserve.

Learn more about Melanie's 'Levana' gown here.

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