A love for helping others is what brought Melbourne’s Joy Lee and Warren Tu together.
The couple met at a fund-raising morning tea where avid home-chef Joy, 31, had baked 100 cupcakes for the event. “Warren asked to take the leftover cupcakes for his friends doing it tough. [Warren, 30, is the director of homeless charity 300 Blankets.] I was only too happy to oblige but was insistent on the return of my precious Tupperware,” Joy laughs.
“Warren returned my container, but only one! It contained a teddy bear and had a ransom note on it – I had to have a dinner date with him in order to get the rest of the containers back… turns out he wanted to get to know me more.”
One year later Warren surprised Joy with a beach proposal at the aptly named Cathedral Cove in Joy’s home country – New Zealand. The loved up pair then held their Yarra Valley wedding at Stones of the Yarra Valley on Melbourne Cup Day, November 3, 2015.
The couple invited 185 friends and family to join in the celebrations and they sparked tears with their personal vows at the ceremony, held at the venue’s chapel. The reception followed in the spacious barn. Joy says the rustic charm was exactly what they were after. “The green lush vineyards and the backdrop of the rolling hills was a stunning and perfect backdrop to our day,” she says.
The couple planned most of the wedding themselves and the day was dotted with personal touches, from Warren’s unique hand-made Lego cufflinks to Joy’s mini blackboards, collection of mismatched bottles and table numbers made of ribbon-wrapped chopsticks.
“When I think of our wedding I smile and remember happiness, beauty and love – a day which was truly personal, reflecting the two of us and filled with all of our favourite people,” Joy says.
Photos courtesy of Will Chao Photography.
Joy chose a stunning Mia Solano gown from Luv Bridal for her ceremony, it featured a ballgown tulle skirt, chapel-length train, illusion neckline and lace and beading overlay.
Flowers were a major element of the day. “I wanted lots of spring flowers – with pops of blues and lots of green foliage.
Sugar Bee Flowers provided plenty of spring blooms for the day.
For the reception, Joy changed into an Anna Campbell lace and silk dress and flat shoes so she was free to kick up her heels.
As the rustic reception venue began to fill up, The Daedels got everyone onto the dancefloor.
