Karen and Dejan celebrate love and lockdown-end at Crown Aviary Rooftop wedding

Grand, luxurious and modern, Karen and Dejan’s Crown Aviary Rooftop wedding was the summer celebration everyone needed after a long year of lockdowns.

“Planning a wedding during a pandemic is no easy feat. We were down to the wire but wanted to go ahead with our date.”

After months of escalating wedding planning stress, Melbourne couple Karen and Dejan got to have their city summer wedding. Just three days after Victoria’s crushing Valentine’s weekend 5-day lockdown ended, the classic duo’s grand celebrations at the awe-inspiring St Patrick’s Cathedral and lavish Crown Aviary Rooftop were a fitting moment in time.

One hundred and eighty-five guests gathered on February 20, 2021, to witness Karen and Dejan’s traditional religious ceremony in the heart of Melbourne. The makeup artist bride (of Karen Molina Makeup Artistry) spent the morning with her bridal party, perfecting her own flawless look before stepping into her Cappellazzo Couture designer wedding gown.

Chauffered to the church in a white stretch Chrysler by Enrik Limousines, Karen was escorted between the pews on the arm of her dad to the altar where a visibly emotional Dejan held back his tears.

Citing their personal vows as the best part of the ceremony – once they were “official” – it was on to wedding venue Crown Melbourne to party!

Crown Aviary was a perfect fit because it was beautiful from the inside out. We wanted our guests to experience a luxurious setting inside, while also having scenic views of the city when outside on the rooftop.

We always envisioned our wedding to be in summer. Dejan and I always seem to be chasing the sun on holidays, and we also love the city. 

Cocktails and canapes were served on the rooftop overlooking part of the city whilst a jazz band played soothing and sensual music. Later, we had a DJ and saxophonist play who were truly amazing, wowed our guests, and brought the dancefloor to life.

Karen & Dejan

This classic luxury wedding at Crown Aviary Rooftop was captured beautifully by Theodore & Co.

“I had my eyes on these beautiful matte white Yves St Laurent tributes that were 14cm tall. I needed something with a platform so that I could last as long as I could!”

Karen’s tips for planning a wedding (in a pandemic!):

• Have a backup – things have changed so quickly in the last year, organising a backup date is critical in case you need to make a switch last minute.
• Choose suppliers wisely – from venues to planners – you have enough to worry about when planning a wedding let alone the changing restrictions. Work with professionals who are across the latest and can help you arrange your day accordingly.
• Don’t sweat the small stuff – despite the extra stress the pandemic brings to wedding planning, let go of little things which may go wrong and enjoy the special day for what it is.

There were a lot of important factors when selecting the venue, but I think the first things on our mind when going into it were, ‘What can I do with this amazing space?’ and ‘Is it convenient for our guests?’

The Aviary had so much to work with already and we just wanted to put in our own touches and designs like the centrepieces and flowers. We could even set up the tables to our liking. If we wanted round tables, rectangular tables or different centrepieces with seasonal flowers, we got it. If we had other ideas or wanted to incorporate something else other than the selection that the Aviary provided, this was an option too.

Karen

As Dejan is a little more camera shy, I wanted the photos to be candid and real as opposed to overly thought-out, modelled shots. Theo was so relaxed and so funny. He made us laugh so much and he understood everything that we wanted in these photos. They are timeless, elegant and you can just overall feel the love when you look back at the photos.

Karen

Video by This Very Now.

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