Emily Simms, one of the bachelorettes from the popular show “The Bachelor”, tied the knot recently with Pierre Ghougassian. Their romantic wedding took place in one of the most beautiful venues we have ever seen “The George Ballroom in St Kilda, Australia”. The beautiful photos by Ateia, captured every moment of the day in detail, giving us the chance to witness the couple’s wedding day. We loved everything about the elegant invitations by Bwedding Invitations, the dazzling wedding dress by Tanya Didenko and the impressive venue!



We asked Emily how she met her husband “Pierre and I first met at Pontoon, a trendy bar on St Kilda beach (the old Riva). I went there with my friend Anna (one of my bridesmaids), and as soon as we walked in, she said, “oh there’s my friend Pierre at the bar!”. Turns out she used to be very good friends with a girl that dated Pierre for 2 years, about 9 years ago.”




“Pierre’s birthday is the 14th of February, Valentine’s Day, and I had arranged to take him out for dinner at The George on Collins. He suggested we get a nice photo out the front before we go in. So, we asked a nice passerby if they could please take a photo for us. He then turned to me and proposed. The lady taking our photo, switched it to video mode, so we have both photos and videos of the gorgeous moment.” the beautiful bride shared with us about the proposal.




How did you find the experience of planning a wedding? From where did you take your inspiration? “I was always very clear about what I wanted, and Pierre likes my taste, so he trusted me in choosing everything. As we only got engaged in February, and our wedding was August, we decided on things very quickly. The style I went with, was glamorous and a sort of antique feel. The George Ballroom where our reception was, is simply stunning, so not much needed to be done to the room. We had simple garlands down the centre of the long tables, and arrangements around the welcome sign, seating chart, bar and wedding cake. I did find all of the planning incredibly stressful at times, as I was doing everything by myself. It is like a full-time job! So much coordinating, and of course every bride wants it to all go perfectly, so the stress of that all adds up.”






“We had exactly 100 guests. We wanted only our closest friends and family there. Our ceremony was on the balcony of the Melbourne Town Hall. I loved the columns, and I found it in keeping with the style of The George Ballroom. I really wanted everything to flow nicely.”








“Our reception was at The George Ballroom in St Kilda, with 100 guests. The George is simply amazing. It is by far the most beautiful venue I think I have seen in Melbourne. The way they have restored it is so divine, it was the perfect setting for our wedding day.” Did you employ a certain style or theme for the day? “I tried to stick with a glamorous, old world sort of theme. I was adamant about there being no black, and there wasn’t any at all. Everything was white, cream, soft pinks and rich, deep pinks. The florist really outdid herself! The cutlery, the napkins, everything just worked exactly the way I had hoped it would.”







“I told the lovely Nat from Foxy Evergreen, that I didn’t want standard flowers. I can’t stand your average old rose. I was quite specific about that. The one flower I told her I absolutely wanted, was phalaenopsis orchids in a magenta sort of colour. And no Australian natives! All whites, soft pinks, deep pinks and lots of greenery. I also told her I didn’t like a posy of flowers. I like the cascading sort of look. We couldn’t have been happier with her work.” Emily told us when asked about her choice of flowers.





“My gown was designed and made by Tanya Didenko Bridal Couture. I have dealt with Tanya for 3 years now. She has made me some stunning dresses to wear to various events over the past few years, so it was a no brainer that I would go to her for my wedding dress. I never tried on any wedding dress at all. I went to her with photos of different designs that I liked, and took inspiration from each of them. She knows me quite well now, knows my body shape and knows my style, so it all worked really well. The groomsmen’s suits were made by Remy, who is actually Pierre’s youngest brother. He owns a bespoke tailoring business, situated in Sydney. The bridesmaids’ dresses were all designed by Love Honor. I sent them through a number of inspo shots, and they made them exactly as we had discussed, and they fit the girls perfectly.” said Emily.





Were you looking for a specific style of photography and were you happy with the choice of photographer? “Ramy from Ateia was amazing. He was so easy to deal with, from start to end. I think may words to him when we first met were, no 90’s style glamour shots please! I’ve seen so many bridal shots that seem to go for this look, and that is definitely not our style. I wanted it romantic, glamorous and fashionable, without looking dated.”






What was the highlight of the day? “The highlight of the day, was definitely when we first saw each other down the aisle, and walking down the aisle with my dear old dad. It was a beautiful moment, and one I will never forget.”




What advice would you give to couples who are getting married soon? “My best advice is to make sure you know what you want, before you go talking to suppliers. Scour the net, Pinterest etc, for inspo. If you don’t know exactly what you are after, then I feel this is where confusion can start to creep in, and you become unsure if you’ve chosen the right thing or not. You need to be clear and concise, so that you don’t feel disappointed on your big day. Think about yours and your partner’s taste, and try your best to emulate that on your wedding day.”

