Any couple getting married should be unique and incorporate their sense of style and personality into their big day. In this review, the bride and groom have embedded their taste into every facet of their wedding but did they take their sense of style too far?

Location:  Dockside Darling Harbour, Sydney

Sydney couple Yanna and Kosta Elsefees, inspired by their love of Gun’s and Roses and wrestling decided on a theme of rock and roll for their  Greek wedding. Set against the colours of black and hot pink, the couple married at a  Greek Orthodox church in Kogarah followed by a reception at Dockside, Darling Harbour, Sydney. The bride incorporated the rock and roll style with a $9000 gown with a  heart shaped plunging neckline bodice, embroidered with pink crystals,  a short ruffled tulle skirt with detachable long train and a short fascinator for her veil. This dress was inspired by the Gun’s and Roses song November Rain. The groom wore a white suit and shirt with no tie. The bridesmaids kept pace with floor length black gowns with hot pink bow belts, plunging neckline included, and the groomsmen channelled the gangster look with black suits and t-shirts with hot pink suspenders. The theme of hot pink and black was reflected in their cars, 3 stretch hummers, one in pink, two in black  and their reception decor which consisted of black tablecloths, black chairs covers with hot pink bows,  modernised chandeliers, crystal filled martini glasses topped off with a hot pink and black polka dot cake toasted with playboy insignia champagne flutes .  

Whilst you cannot say the wedding was an elegant and stylish affair, as the plunging necklines can never allow this, once you look past the inherent deficiencies there are certain aspects of this wedding which give it merit.

Who said less is more

When it comes to her wedding dress and her bridesmaids, Yanna seems to have gone with the less is more theory. With her short tulle skirt and her bridesmaids plunging necklines it is obvious that Yanna was seeking a sexy look to placate her rock and roll theme. But what the bride should have considered is that you can still be a sexy bride without looking like you work the streets at night. Sometimes less is not more. Had the bride considered a moderately higher necklines for herself and her bridesmaids she still could have been sexy without comprising on taste. Additionally having a short skirt with detachable train would also have worked had the front not been so short, or in my opinion, full length the whole way around. After all there a lot of permutations of the basic style of the brides dress, a bodice with ruffled skirt, just with more material. Also the bridesmaids dresses,  had their neckline been a little higher,  were actually appropriate for the theme of the wedding.

Fascinator

The choice of a short fascinator in lieu of a veil by the bride was an ingenious choice. The bride did not want a long veil covering her dress and so has opted for the fascinator, a great decision. Additionally the bride has cleverly swapped the fascinator for a crystal hairpiece for the reception. Replacing the veil with a flower, hairpiece or some form of accessory is one of my top weddings tips, as brides in wedding reception photos can sometimes look like a guest in a white dress without some form of distinction, especially when a brides dress is very simple. Even though Yanna is not wearing a simple wedding gown,  by replacing her fascinator with a hair piece it is simply impossible for this bride to be confused as a guest.

Gangsters?

A fatal mistake that most couples make in planning their weddings is dressing the groom/groomsmen in suspenders, top hats, black shirts (one of my most hated looks for men) and long coats. I understand that couples think this adds a vintage gangster feel to their day but most of the time it looks like the groom/groomsmen are going to a gangster dress up party. People who have had a wedding with the groomsmen dressed this way might disagree,  but if you view wedding photos of such weddings carefully, you will understand that it really can look like a dress up party. Here the couple have made a similar mistake dressing the men in black t-shirts and hot pink suspenders. Black Shirts on the men in a bridal party look particularly bad if not done is a sleek way. I would advise to steer clear of a black shirt unless your wedding theme is actually 1920’s gangster, where the black shirt works extremely well.  The use of  t-shirt in black at this wedding makes the look even worse. These groomsmen look like waiters at a hens/bachelorette party.

Are the 80’s back?

The bridesmaid are beautiful women but their beauty is diminished by the dated and poofed up curly hairstyles they wear. Small curls are no longer in fashion, neither is overly teased hair.  Some brides, including Yanna make the mistake  of having the hairstyle that they choose for the wedding when they first dreamed of it as a little girl. Hairstyles change as quickly as fashion and whats in vogue now is not what was in vogue 20 years ago. If the girls had bigger, GHD curls it would have suited the girls better. Alternatively the girls could have had their swept to the side and curled for a more elegant look.

Chandeliers and Cars

Typically, chandeliers create a very fancy and stately feel to a wedding reception. They are traditional and old world. In keeping with her quirky theme the bride successfully has added modern style chandeliers to her reception. The shape of the crystals in the chandeliers is rectangle which works wonderfully with her edgy theme. For cars, the couple decided on stretch black and pink hummers for their affair. This was the perfect choice for the wedding as Hummers are the cars of rock stars, and thus truly reflected their theme.

Consistency

Whether you consider this wedding tacky or not, one cannot argue that the couple have seamlessly kept a consistent theme through every aspect of their wedding. Brides should take note that consistency is the key to flawless wedding, whatever your individual taste. Through consistency you gain symmetry, through symmetry you create beauty. Although personally I would not make the choices the bride and groom made, it is obvious that they have kept to a vital key to a wedding.  The extent to which the couple maintained the theme is admirable. The bride had pink streaks throughout her jet black hair, and the couple toasted the night with pink champagne.  The bride even walked down a red carpet aisle! There was nothing in this wedding that did not fit the rock and roll theme intended by the couple and for that the bride scores extra points.

Make your wedding yours

No matter what you might think of their style this heavy metal loving couple were successful in expressing their personality in their wedding. From the pyrotechnics and wrestling songs used for their entrance into the reception, their playboy champagne flutes and down to the brides racy dress, the couple were true to themselves and the wedding reflected who they are.  This is best expressed perhaps, by the bride herself who commented in the Herald Sun, “”I’ve seen a few comments with people saying things like ’slapper’ and whatever but, you know, it was my wedding. That’s how I wanted it and I loved it.” The bride also commented that her guests went to her wedding and said “Yep, this is Yanna“. What can be learned from this over-the-top affair is the need for brides and grooms to make their wedding special to themselves and to express their personality.  As the bride herself said “I don’t want to change it because people will think different of me“.

Rating: 4.5/10

Although the bride and groom have successfully stuck to their wedding theme and kept the consistency they have failed to impress with their attempt to appear sexy. Your wedding day is still your wedding and a sacred ceremony.  Appearing in church with an extremely low neckline was not a good choice and it cheapened the look of the whole bridal party. Had the women covered up a little more and modernised their hairstyles  there was potential in the looks chosen. That being said,  I respect that the bride and groom choose to have their wedding exactly the way that they wanted, which after all, is most important as it is their day.

What we have learnt

• Sometimes, less is not more
• Consistency is the key
• Tailor your cars to your theme – do not mix a Ferrari with a vintage themed wedding
• Do what you want to do. Take inspiration from Yanna and Kosta’s courage to have their wedding exactly the way they wanted it.

(source of pictures: Daily Telegraph)