Okie Dokie wedding photos: Elissa and Kenny walk hand in hand down a sunny concrete drive between white rendered buildings, Melbourne
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Real wedding · Braeside, Melbourne

Okie Dokie Wedding Photos: Elissa & Kenny

Okie Dokie · 6/1-7 Canterbury Rd, Braeside VIC · Melbourne

City: Melbourne · Venue: Okie Dokie

A twirl in a white warehouse laneway, a cake topper that said what everyone was thinking and a first dance in silver sequins under a glowing arch. Elissa and Kenny’s Okie Dokie celebration in Braeside turned one industrial room in Melbourne’s south-east into a party of red roses, big hugs and marquee LOVE letters. We were right there with them, from the first laughs by the roller doors to the KING and QUEEN hoodies at the very end, and we loved every minute.

The gallery
Kenny grins with his arms folded in a black velvet dinner jacket, bow tie and red rose buttonhole beside the window
Elissa glances back over her shoulder in a white V-back dress, a full bouquet of red roses at her hip
Turned to the bright window, Elissa shows off the low V back of her tea-length dress and red-soled nude heels
Kenny bows to kiss Elissa's hand beside a white breeze-block wall, her red rose bouquet tucked at her side
Eyes closed and smiling, Elissa leans into a kiss on the cheek from Kenny against the round-holed breeze blocks
Elissa and Kenny walk hand in hand down the concrete drive past the white rendered units at Okie Dokie, Braeside
Kenny spins Elissa so her full white skirt flares out in front of a wall of round-holed breeze blocks
Elissa and Kenny with their best man and maid of honour against a white roller door at Okie Dokie in Braeside
Elissa and her maid of honour in a black pleated dress hold matching red rose bouquets against a ribbed white roller door
Big smiles from Elissa and her maid of honour, shoulder to shoulder with their round bouquets of red roses
Kenny and his best man stand side by side in black velvet jackets and bow ties against the white roller door
Kenny and his best man share a laugh in matching velvet jackets with red rose buttonholes
Hand in hand, Elissa and Kenny stroll past the painted Okie Dokie sign on a white roller door
Elissa throws her head back laughing beside Kenny as they walk along the drive between white units and painted brick
The best man and maid of honour pose together at the roller door, her red rose bouquet held low
Elissa leads Kenny by the hand past the breeze blocks and potted greenery outside Okie Dokie near Mordialloc
A small white wedding cake crowned with red roses and a cheeky clear acrylic topper on a timber table
Elissa twirls with a drink in hand in front of a photo wall and a black door with a chalk heart
Two friends squeeze in for a selfie with Elissa under festoon bulbs as guests mingle in the warehouse room
Kenny sits up front grinning with Elissa and two friends in white shirts crowded in behind him
The maid of honour and best man lead the entrance through a steel truss arch wrapped in greenery at Okie Dokie, Braeside
Kenny waves one arm in the air as he and Elissa make their entrance past black drapes
Guests in bright dresses clap and cheer in front of the painted brick bar as the couple come through
A room full of guests clap and film on their phones under the skylights and festoon bulbs at Okie Dokie
Guests stand behind two men in grey suits watching a wedding photo on the big screen under the skylights
Guests turn towards the front of the room while an older couple sit side by side on white chairs
Guests gather along a long grazing table to watch a slideshow on the big screen at Okie Dokie in Braeside
Elissa and Kenny stand with their maid of honour and best man in a timber frame hung with white drapes
A smiling guest in a green dress with a drink looks towards the front with friends by the backlit bar
Two guests with drinks in hand smile up towards the couple from the crowd
A guest with short wavy hair smiles as she watches the front of the room, glass held in both hands
Guests clap and smile around a long timber table in the skylit warehouse room at Okie Dokie near Mordialloc
Kenny puts a hand on his heart beside Elissa at the draped timber frame as guests clap in the foreground
Seen through clapping guests, Elissa and Kenny beam in front of white drapes and painted white brick
Elissa is wrapped in hugs by guests in the lounge corner while friends wait their turn
An older guest with a walking cane and a woman in a green floral dress sit together on white chairs
Four guests in leopard print, gold patterned and black lace outfits pose arm in arm with drinks on the concrete floor
Elissa and Kenny cut a rose-topped cake beside rows of pink-iced treats and a donut wall at Okie Dokie
Kenny poses with a hand on his hip next to a laughing Elissa under giant marquee LOVE letters
Guests form a wide circle on the polished concrete floor under the skylights at Okie Dokie, Braeside
Elissa leans into a selfie with two friends in front of the donut wall, a glass of bubbles in hand
Elissa in a silver sequin dress and Kenny share their first dance before a glowing greenery arch in amber light
Kenny raises Elissa's hand to spin her across the concrete as a bright light glows behind them
Guests ring the dance floor and lounges as Elissa and Kenny dance at Okie Dokie in Braeside
Elissa and Kenny dance close in the middle of the floor while guests watch from beneath the festoon lights
Elissa laughs in a sparkling headband as Kenny holds her close on the dance floor in front of the brick bar
Backlit by a bright light, Elissa smiles over Kenny's shoulder as they dance beside the marquee letters
Elissa in a sparkling headband and Kenny throw peace signs in front of a red velvet curtain
A kiss in matching grey KING and QUEEN hoodies under the LOVE sign at Okie Dokie near Mordialloc
The wedding story

Our Okie Dokie wedding photos: a twirl in the laneway, a cake that said finally and a first dance in silver sequins

Laneway portraits at Okie Dokie · Roller doors with the best man and maid of honour · Entrance through the greenery arch · Cheers at the timber frame · Cake and the LOVE sign · First dance and the red curtain

Read the full story

A quiet start by the window

Our day with Elissa and Kenny began quietly, indoors beside a big window. Kenny had a red rose pinned to his black velvet dinner jacket and his arms folded, grinning as if he already knew how good the night was going to be. Elissa wore a white tea-length dress with a low V back and red-soled heels, and held a full bouquet of red roses at her hip. We turned her side-on to the glass so the soft window light would trace the line of the dress and catch her smile as she glanced back over her shoulder.

Breeze blocks in the laneway

The plan was an hour of portraits at Okie Dokie before the guests arrived, and the laneway outside gave us everything we needed. The units here are crisp white render with a wall of round-holed breeze blocks, and on a bright overcast afternoon that white bounces light straight back onto faces. Kenny kissed Elissa’s hand, then her cheek, and she laughed with her eyes closed. They walked hand in hand down the concrete drive towards us, and when Kenny spun her, the full skirt flared out in a perfect circle. We shot that twirl wide so the breeze blocks framed it.

Roller doors and red roses

Industrial venues hide great backdrops in plain sight. A white roller door became our studio wall: clean ribbed lines, no clutter, nothing to fight the black and red. Elissa and Kenny stood with their best man and maid of honour, everyone in black or white, the two women holding matching red rose bouquets. Then we split them up. The girls hugged in close and laughed, and the boys stood shoulder to shoulder in velvet jackets, sharing a grin. On the next door along, the painted OKIE DOKIE sign gave their Okie Dokie wedding photos a signature frame as Elissa and Kenny strolled past it.

A cake that said finally

Inside, the details were already waiting. A small white cake crowned with red roses carried a cheeky acrylic topper that ended with the word ‘Finally’, and once you know the story you understand it. Elissa and Kenny had already said their vows at a small ceremony in Fitzroy Gardens, and this was the party they had been waiting for. Elissa stopped in front of a wall of their photos, pinned up beside a black door with a chalk heart, glass in hand and laughing. We always photograph a cake and a photo wall before the room fills, while every rose is still in place.

Through the greenery arch

Then the room filled. Elissa was swept into hugs and selfies before she had taken three steps, and Kenny pulled two friends in for a shoulder-to-shoulder photo. When it was time for the big entrance, the maid of honour and best man came first through an arch of steel truss wrapped in greenery, then Kenny strode through with one arm in the air and Elissa beside him, beaming. Guests packed both sides of the floor, clapping and cheering. We stood low and square to the arch, so the greenery framed every face that came through it.

Cheers at the timber frame

Under the skylights and festoon bulbs, the whole room turned towards the front, guests crowding in with drinks in hand and big smiles. Elissa and Kenny stood together in a timber frame hung with white drapes, Kenny with a hand on his heart, while everyone around them clapped. We worked from behind the guests here, using their shoulders as soft foreground, so the photo feels like you were standing in the crowd. Then came the hugs, one after another, and an older couple seated near the front smiled their way through all of it.

Cake knife and the LOVE sign

The dessert table was a proper spread: the rose-topped cake, rows of pink-iced treats and a donut wall on a timber stand. Elissa and Kenny cut the cake together, her bouquet still in her other hand, then posed under giant marquee LOVE letters, Kenny with a hand on his hip and Elissa giggling beside him. Guests gathered in a wide circle on the concrete floor, and two friends grabbed Elissa for a selfie. A big warehouse room like this lets us step right back with a wide lens and show just how many people turned up.

Silver sequins on the dance floor

By the first dance Elissa had changed into a silver sequin dress, and the room had warmed to amber. A light stood behind them and a lit greenery arch glowed at the back, so we shot into the light and let it outline them as Kenny spun her across the concrete while the guests ringed the floor. Later, in front of a red velvet curtain, Elissa wore a sparkling headband and the two of them threw peace signs at us. Our last frame was the sweetest: matching grey hoodies printed KING and QUEEN, and a kiss under the LOVE sign.

Photographer's venue notes

Okie Dokie, Braeside: laneway portraits before the guests and a first dance under amber light

Read the venue notes

One building, the whole party

Elissa and Kenny had married earlier, so Okie Dokie was all about the celebration, and every part of it happened under one roof. We began outside in the laneway with the two of them, their best man and maid of honour, then slipped indoors for the details while the room was still empty. From there the night flowed through the greenery arch entrance, the cheers at the draped timber frame, the cake and the dance floor, without anyone needing to step outside again.

Overcast white, then warm amber

The afternoon was bright but overcast, and the white render outside acted like a giant reflector, lifting soft light into faces with no harsh shadows at all. Inside, the skylights kept the room evenly lit while guests arrived and mingled. As evening came on, the festoon bulbs and stage lights turned everything amber, and for the first dance we placed ourselves so a bright lamp sat behind the couple and traced their outline against the glowing arch.

Backdrops we leaned on

Outside, the round-holed breeze blocks gave us pattern for the twirl and the hand kiss, while the ribbed roller doors made plain walls for the four of them in black, white and red. Inside, the steel truss arch wrapped in greenery was a ready-made frame for the grand entrance, and the draped timber frame did the same job for the cheers. The giant LOVE letters and the red velvet curtain gave the later, sillier portraits their colour, right through to the matching hoodies at the end.

Planning a similar night

If you are planning a party here, give us the laneway first, while the daylight is still up and the room is quiet. A second outfit for dancing, like Elissa’s silver sequins, looks gorgeous under warm light and gives the gallery a clear change of chapter. And keep your formal moment at the front of the room where guests can crowd in close, because their shoulders and raised glasses become part of the picture and make it feel like a real party.

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