A wine bar, garlic bouquets and guest portraits: Inside Zoe and Rich’s Melbourne wedding

“I chose to propose on the day of my parents’ wedding anniversary, because in my eyes, there’s no loftier benchmark than their relationship.”

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, a tropical getaway or a Town Hall celebration.

Zoe Cuthberston proposed to her now husband, Richard Healy, three years ago on a beach with a surfboard in lieu of a ring. “In front of the new board, I dropped to one knee and popped the question,” she remembers. Having roped a few friends into the plan, they’d snuck onto the beach with a few bottles of wine, ready to celebrate.

For other perspectives on the people around us, head to our Life section.

Although the pair had planned to hold their ceremony at the pavilion in Melbourne’s Edinburgh gardens, a downpour redirected them to Public Wine Bar in Fitzroy earlier than expected. “We tied the knot in front of the fireplace and a huge bouquet of garlic,” Zoe tells me. Their friend Simone styled the upstairs room, filling it with clusters of grapes, artichokes and garlic cloves, tied together with fabric offcuts from Zoe and Rich’s wedding outfits.

In the lead-up to the event, Zoe says one piece of advice stuck with her: “Instead of those you’ve spent the last 10 years with, invite those you want to spend the next 10 years with”. In the end, the couple marked the occasion with 30 of their nearest and dearest. “It felt like a big dinner party… and I felt like I got the chance to have a meaningful conversation with everyone in our presence.”

Fashion Journal: Hi Zoe! How did you meet your partner, Richard, and how did the proposal happen?

We met in 2017, having relocated to Sydney from London and San Francisco, respectively. A mutual friend put us in touch, who thought we might be able to help each other on the soul-destroying journey that is looking for a rental. We met for a drink to swap horror stories and the rest… just happened!

I proposed to Rich in 2022, on Honeycombs beach in Margaret River. One of the spots he took me when I visited his hometown years earlier. In lieu of a ring, I proposed with a 1970s-inspired surfboard from Byron Bay shapers, McTavish. Our close friends helped with the plan, sneaking onto the beach before we arrived and hiding in the sand dunes with a few bottles of Pet Nat from a local winery.

In front of the new board, I dropped to one knee and popped the question. Eventually, after a few expletives, he said yes. I chose to propose on the day of my parents’ wedding anniversary, because in my eyes, there’s no loftier benchmark than their relationship.

What venue did you choose for your wedding and why?

We celebrated our nuptials at Public Wine Shop in Fitzroy North. It’s a small wine bar, with a grand old room upstairs, just big enough to fit our nearest and dearest. I was pregnant with our daughter, Rafaela, so we wanted something low-key. This place is one of our local haunts. They serve fantastic food and wine, and I’m always warmed by the hospitality there.

Originally, the ceremony was meant to take place in the pavilion in Edinburgh Gardens, but the rain redirected us to the reception venue. In the end, it was perfect. We tied the knot in front of the fireplace and a huge bouquet of garlic. The brilliant Simone styled the space for us, where she installed clusters of grapes, artichokes and yes, garlic, tied with lace and fabric offcuts from our wedding outfits. It felt very personal to us, and I love that nothing went to waste.

Our good friend Nick was the celebrant. Rich and I don’t enjoy being the centre of attention, but he made us feel so comfortable and at ease. Lots of laughter (and a few tears) peppered the celebrations, but it was short and sharp, just how I like a wedding to be!

How many guests did you have?

It was a very intimate affair, with just 30 of our closest friends and family. I insisted no one travel from far and wide, it was just a small gesture to mark our commitment before our baby arrived. It felt like a big dinner party, guests moved around the space with ease, and I felt like I got the chance to have a meaningful conversation with everyone in our presence.

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

My dress was made by my darling (and very talented) friend, Ruby, the designer at Kateri. We came up with the design together as I wanted something that celebrated my growing bump but didn’t put any pressure on my changing body. I also wore a headband from San Francisco designers, Kamperett, a nod to a place Rich called home for so many years. My shoes were a simple black pair from Camilla and Marc, and I still wear them to this day.

We chose our rings together, from local designer Hamish Munro. We have matching gold bands, and my engagement ring is studded with blue sapphire. Serendipitously, this ended up being my daughter’s (Virgo) birth stone.

What about Rich’s outfit?

Richard wore a classic black suit, tailored by P. Johnson and his shirt was again, designed and sewn by Ruby. I had collected beautiful lace doilies (an obsession of mine) that she layered onto the shirt. It was short sleeve, with no tie. Casual, like the man himself! He wore Doc Marten lace ups.

What kind of beauty and hair look did you go for on the day?

Very simple! I got a blow-dry with a couple of friends earlier in the day, and the brilliant Lenita from AF Makeup Artistry did my makeup at home. I don’t wear a lot of makeup day-to-day, so my inspiration was Lara Worthington – very natural, radiant, nothing over the top. She gave me a lip colour to keep applying over the night but I think I forgot after the first hour, I’m a bit hopeless!

What did you do to celebrate after the ceremony?

We had a beautiful long table dinner. Wine and conversation flowed, but we were all in bed before midnight (it was a weeknight after all, ha!). I also run a small catering business, and a friend who I work with regularly, Alex from Mondaine provided all of the props for the tables. I deeply admire her taste, so it was a pleasure to choose from her incredible collection.

What kind of food did you have on the day? And how did you choose the cake?

The menu is still framed in our home – sheep’s cheese gougeres, beef rump cap with horseradish and celeriac, chocolate mousse with lemon. Simone crafted the most incredible cake from pure butter, accompanied by a pile of crusty, fresh bread rolls. Iconic!

How did you capture the event?

We chose of my favourite photographers, Phil, whose work I came across after working with In Bed, editing their online journal. I never dreamed he’d be into it but he’s one of the most gracious people I’ve ever met, and he captured it so perfectly. I’ll be honest, I hate seeing photos of myself but with Phil’s photos it’s not even like that, he just captures the whole essence of a person. I’m forever grateful for his talent.

Did you have any other fun or unique quirks about your wedding day?

My friend, and graphic designer, Serrin kindly designed our invitations and place cards, written in the style of my dad’s handwriting. Another dear friend, Alex created our beautiful bouquet and buttonhole using tulips (my favourite flower) with radishes and olives, inspired by my love of food.

As an icebreaker, Rich and I placed paper and a pencil at each table setting and invited our guests to draw a portrait of the person opposite. Many of our friends and family hadn’t met each other before and soon the room had erupted into laughter and chatter. We collected all of the hilarious results to create a wedding favour – a portrait tea towel inspired by those you got in primary school. Richard is an incredible artist and when we first met he was always sketching me, intimidating for someone you’d just met but this was also a little homage to that time.

In Richard’s vows he even mentioned that drawing, over the written word, is how he best expresses himself, so he’d collated a book of all his favourite drawings of me that he shared on the night.

Looking back, what do you think are the benefits to hosting a small wedding?

Honestly, I can’t speak more highly about hosting a small wedding! It didn’t leave us in debt, or feeling regretful. I think the venue, food, drink, outfits, rings, everything cost us less than $10,000. I said it in my speech too but I feel fortunate to have been raised by my mum who believed a wedding day is not the most important one of your life – it’s all the hard work in the days, weeks, years that come before and after it that really cement a relationship.

Another great piece of advice I received in the lead up was about the invite list: instead of those you’ve spent the last 10 years with, invite those you want to spend the next 10 years with. History isn’t always everything!

Keep up with Zoe here.