Oysters, lion dancers and a Chinese tea ceremony at the wedding of sexologist Sarah Lorrimar

“I loved surprising everyone with a lion dance performance, said to bring good luck to newlyweds and ward off evil spirits.”

Here at Fashion Journal, we make no secret of our love of weddings. We’re suckers for a bit of romance and have a soft spot for weddings that do things differently, whether it’s a Las Vegas elopement or a tropical destination celebration.

Although Sarah Lorrimar and Elliot Lind first crossed paths when they were teenagers, it wasn’t until their early twenties that they reunited. Realising there was, in fact, a romantic spark, the couple dated for several years before getting engaged in Naxos, Greece. Elliot surprised Sarah with a custom ring made by Melbourne-jeweller, Preyada, that was imprinted with a piece of fur from their cat. They celebrated by running straight into the ocean with friends.

Looking for more thought-provoking reads? Try our Life section.

The couple were legally wed in their hometown in Perth and later celebrated with a laid-back gathering in Melbourne. Knowing she wanted to honour her Chinese-Indonesian heritage, Sarah wove traditional elements into their celebrations. Their Perth wedding featured a Chinese tea ceremony and Sarah wore a traditional qipao the couple happened upon at a Chinese newsagent the day before the wedding.

For their Melbourne reception, they transformed Bar Romantica into a dance floor. “I got emotional when the final song of the night, ‘All My Friends’ by LCD Soundsystem, played,” Sarah says. “It’s a song that’s ended many parties over the last decade with our friends, and seeing everyone in the same room again, with our arms around each other singing and dancing to it, was one of my favourite memories of the day.”

Fashion Journal: Hi Sarah! How did you meet Elliot and how did the proposal happen?

Sarah: Elliot and I first met through a mutual friend when we were little teenagers. It wasn’t until we crossed paths again in our early twenties that we realised there was a romantic spark.

We’d decided we would get married in a conversation at home but Elliot still managed to surprise me. He had a custom ring made by Preyada, a local Melbourne jeweller. It’s imprinted with a piece of fur from our cat George!

We were holidaying with friends in Naxos, Greece when he proposed. That morning, Elliot couldn’t convince me to get out of bed for an early swim, so it ended up being a very sweet proposal in bed – immediately followed by jumping around with our friends and running into the ocean.

What venue did you choose for your ceremony and reception, and why?

Our wedding took place over two separate events. We were legally married in our hometown of Perth, where we also had a traditional Chinese tea ceremony in Elliot’s parent’s backyard and an enormous banquet with our extended family at a local Chinese restaurant. It was important to us that we had the space to celebrate my Chinese-Indonesian heritage and we loved sharing these aspects with everyone we were celebrating with.

Back in Melbourne, we had a laid-back ceremony at our local community garden. Following the gardens, we walked over to Bar Romantica for dinner, drinks and a boogie. Romantica was the first place we thought of – we’ve always been drawn to its warm, moody interiors. It was just what we wanted.

Where was your outfit from and what was the process of sourcing it?

I wanted to wear a traditional qipao for the tea ceremony and finding the right one proved more difficult than I expected. After endless searching, I found one that I thought would do, until literally the day before the ceremony when Elliot and I walked past a Chinese newsagent. I was rummaging through wedding decorations, when Elliot called out and showed me to a back corner of the store.

The lights were off and all the racks were covered in dust, but he pulled out a red qipao with an embroidered phoenix and dragon (symbolic of luck in Chinese weddings). I tried it on, and it fit perfectly. It was meant to be!

When it came to choosing an outfit for Melbourne, the idea of trying on a hundred dresses at different bridal stores was not something I wanted to do. Thankfully, I found exactly what I wanted when I happened to be scrolling TikTok. I came across a dress from Murlong Cres – a small, sustainable clothing label in Norway. It’s ivory cotton with silk details. I wanted something timeless and affordable; something that I still felt myself in.

My splurge item was a pair of Amina Muaddi heels. They’re chartreuse green with a square toe. On a whim, I purchased a short veil from Etsy. I wasn’t sure about it but there was a collective “Yes!” from my friends when I tried it on the morning of the wedding. I ended up having lots of fun wearing it. I accessorised with some gold sun earrings from Mountain and Moon.

What about your partner’s outfit?

Elliot’s outfit is from Man-tle, a Perth-based, Japanese-made label. The fabric is pretty special – it’s waxed cotton so it’s stiffened. I think the suit could stand up on its own! He also wore a silk shirt from Kaptain Sunshine and shoes from Marsèll.

In terms of beauty, tell us about the look you went for on the day.

I left my hair and makeup in the talented hands of Shella Martin. I wanted something classic and romantic, and she nailed the brief.

What kind of food did you have on the day?

We were so lucky to have our beautiful friends help set up the food and drinks at the gardens. Elliot went to Preston Market in the early morning to pick up fresh oysters, baguettes, white anchovies, dips and olives.

At Bar Romantica, we arrived to Americanos and margaritas before indulging in a delicious dinner of canapes, pasta, salads, tiramisu and wines.

How did you choose the cake?

I became a bit of a baker in the days of lockdown, which resulted in me creating cakes for many a loved one’s birthday. So, I was going to make our cake myself… until my friends convinced me that was a stress I did not need to add. We wanted the cake to be a bit kitsch and ended up choosing a $30 cake from Costco. It was delicious.

What kind of entertainment did you have on the day?

Elliot and I put together a list of our favourite music to play at the gardens, with ‘Strange Overtones’ by David Byrne being the song we both entered to. After dinner, a few of our close friends DJ’d, which had the whole restaurant turn into a big, sweaty dance floor.

I got emotional when the final song of the night, ‘All My Friends’ by LCD Soundsystem, played. It’s a song that’s ended many parties over the last decade with our friends, and seeing everyone in the same room again, with our arms around each other singing and dancing to it, was one of my favourite memories of the day.

I also loved surprising everyone with a lion dance performance, said to bring good luck to newlyweds and ward off evil spirits. It was so much fun to see the dancers weave through our friends and family, with all of the loud drums and gongs.

Tell us about the photography. How did you capture the event?

We had the beautiful Yaseera Moosa take photos on the day. Elliot and Yaseera used to work together at an architecture practice and we both knew we wanted someone familiar taking photos on the day. Yaseera’s calm presence was so nice to have around. She took a mix of film and digital photos that captured our day perfectly.

Keep up with Sarah here.