Our Wedding Part 1

After an almost two-and-a-half year wait, on 14th November 2023, our wedding day finally arrived. I am definitely the kind girl that had dreamt of my wedding day my whole life, and to actually start planning it, and then finally see it all come together was a dream come true.

When Jarrad proposed in July 2020, we sat down to talk about when our wedding would be. Covid lockdowns were still in full swing, and with family members living overseas, and Jarrad and I living in two different cities until the end of 2023, we decided to look at dates around the time we were due to be reunited.

Our first order of business was to engage a wedding planner. It seemed frivolous and indulgent at first, but it was some of the best money we spent. Christie of Haus of Hera was worth every penny and then some. Not only was she so on the ball, happy to shoulder all vendor communication and spot on with all of her suggestions, she was like a pocket best friend that was a wealth of knowledge and made the whole planning process stress-free and thoroughly enjoyable.

Redleaf Wollombi

We knew we wanted a venue with a European feel, but nothing close to our home in Queensland was nailing the brief, and so after searching a little further afield, we landed on a beautiful Italian-style villa in the Hunter Valley, and booked it sight-unseen.

Quill Fine Art Creations custom invitation suite

Louise Jean engagement ring and wedding bands, Wallace Bishop blue topaz ring, Ferkos Fine Jewellery diamond flower studs, Sarah & Sebastian diamond studs, The Mrs Box ring boxes

Julius Marlow shoes, Etsy custom handkerchief, Penhaligons perfume, MJ Bale socks, Deacon & Francis ice cream cufflinks

Jarrad and I both had quite firm opinions from the start on certain things; he wanted a musician to do acoustic covers and good food, and I had my heart set on an illustrated invitation suite that would set the tone for our guests for the whole day. Christie suggested Heidi of Quill Fine Art Creations for our invitations and day-of stationery, and I was absolutely blown away by what she created for us.

I was also knew I wanted a photographer who was very artistic and took light-filled images. Our photos are by the amazing Lena Lim Photography. We met Lena at the beginning of 2023 to take our engagement photos in Tasmania, and I’m pleased to say that my hours of research and instagram stalking paid off. We are so grateful to have our most precious memories in the most beautiful way.

The morning of the wedding was spent getting ready in two separate parts of the villa. My sister had made the most perfect mood-boosting playlist, full of throwback 2000’s anthems and girl gang hits, and we spent the morning chatting, singing and eating with our hair and makeup artist, the wonderful Alex Penton and hair stylist to my bridesmaids, Danielle Leigh. My getting ready dress was this Maison Essentiele Slip, and my bridal party wore these satin pyjamas from Amazon. I also had them in navy for both my Mum and Mother In Law.

I knew I wanted my hair to be up, but I didn’t want a soft bun or anything that was too reminiscent of the styles I’ve spent years putting my hair in for ballet. I stumbled across a wedding featured on Vogue.com where the bride had a braided crown, and it was so different to the soft buns and glossy waves that I’d seen all over the internet that I immediately saved it as inspiration. Alex brought it to life, and turned out better than I could ever have imagined.

Across the way, the boys dressed in their custom tuxedos from The Bespoke Corner at a far more leisurely rate. I believe brunch in town, a casual game of pool and Tasmanian rum were on the agenda. For a wedding present, I bought Jarrad monogrammed ice cream cufflinks from Deakin & Francis, and had a handkerchief embroidered. We are huge ice cream eaters, and I wanted to get him a detail that was representative of his personality and our dynamic, and the handkerchief was to wipe off the lipstick that I knew he’d end up wearing after kissing me!

Finally it was time for me to get changed into my dress. I think anyone who has met me knows I’m very particular, and I have never wanted anything to be as perfect as I wanted my wedding dress to be. Like so many girls before me, I’d long admired Grace Kelly’s wedding dress, but knew I wanted something much lighter looking.

I had followed Leah Da Gloria for years on instagram. I fell in love with so many of Leah’s creations, even though most of them were things I would never pick for myself, and that was my sign that she was the person to create my dream dress. Getting a completely custom dress made is a stressful process. My third fitting, which actually involved the lace we had chosen being added, was the first true indication of whether Leah and I were on the same page, and I have never been more pleased to be so diligent with my research, because her team absolutely nailed it. I knew that going in with such a strong vision could work against me, but the final dress far surpassed anything I had hoped for. Because my dress was so beautiful and so detailed, I kept my jewellery simple with diamond studs, my engagement ring, and a blue topaz ring on my right hand that served as my “something blue”.

My bridesmaids wore soft yellow Manning Cartell dresses (similar here), and my bridesman matched the groomsmen with a The Bespoke Corner suit.

On the advice of a friend, Jarrad and I decided to do a first look before the ceremony. If you are the sort of person who gets incredibly nervous (even in front of family and friends), I cannot recommend this enough. The aisle will always be a major moment, but seeing Jarrad beforehand not only took the edge off my nerves, but meant we got some quality time together to be present and take it all in before the craziness really set in. Anyone who has been married will tell you that the day just flies by.