Heather + Jordan by Stephan & Nakita

We were inspired by the art deco architecture in the bay

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We’re a big foodie couple based in Melbourne. We love cooking, hosting and throwing parties together. Generally, if there’s an event, we’re cooking! We’ve also been slowly ticking off the plethora of restaurants we have at our disposal here in Melbourne. Outside of fattening up our friends and family (and ourselves), we’re both low-key nerds who love nothing more than collecting and organising the mass amounts of paraphernalia we’ve gathered over the years. Recently, the most recent obsession has been one-piece trading cards, and whatever weird colourful ceramic items we can find. Professionally, we both currently work on a renewable energy project; Heather is an Engineering Surveyor, whilst Jordan is an Industrial Electrician. We both work a 2-week on, 1-week off roster, which can be quite hard at times, but the week off together definitely makes it all worth it. In the little time we do spend alone, Heather enjoys a sweet vanilla chai latte, with a sci-fi book usually, whilst Jordan tinkers with his car.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We’ve now been together for almost 6 years, and we first met the old-fashioned way back in 2020 (on Tinder) just before the peak of Melbourne’s COVID lockdowns. Our first dates were spent mostly in the car, driving around chatting, showing each other our favourite places to eat and promising to take each other once restrictions eased. Three months later we moved in together, and the rest is history.

Jordan: My first impression of Heather was that she spoke… A lot… There definitely wasn’t a moment of silence from the moment we met, but it wasn’t a bad thing at all; I quickly learned that she was not only beautiful, but also intelligent and hilarious! I’d hit the absolute jackpot and pretty quickly realised she was the one.

Heather: Initially I thought Jordan was a quiet, reserved and handsome gentleman. I quickly learnt he was actually a chatty, larger-than-life, handsome gentleman.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.). 

We always knew we wanted to get married in Hawke’s Bay, where Heather’s family were and where she grew up. It was important for us to find a venue that doubled as a wedding venue and accommodation so we could have both families close by throughout, so Mt Vernon was the perfect choice. We were inspired by the art deco architecture in the bay and thought it was only fitting to have a party fit for the roaring twenties. We worked closely with our stylist Claire Donaldson, who helped us achieve the moody, vintage vibe we were after. I’m sure we had Claire running around headless, looking for appropriate vendors to cater for every mad idea we had, including flooring decals, specific lighting, custom napkins, ever-changing floral ideas and the draping of not only the marquee, but also the house itself.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

Our lighting/draping team (La Lumiere) worked their absolute magic across the whole day. We had a mad idea to have a custom draped backdrop and bar to suit the vintage vibe we were going for, with the custom bar and backdrop paying tribute to Napier’s own soundshell. We came to Claire with the ridiculous request who was all on board. We knew we didn’t want a giant seating chart, so instead had custom stationery made up for each person to open and direct them to their table. Each menu was individualised with each person’s requested menu option, which was decided prior to the wedding. Heather’s mum is a fantastic seamstress who made us custom cushions, foot stools and lamps for our cocktail hour, which really helped with the overall vibe we were trying to achieve. Overall, it’s difficult to pick out one particular item or visual element which worked best for us, as everything was custom and unique to our vision; none of it would have come together as seamlessly as it did if it weren’t for Claire and the other vendors who were happy to go above and beyond for the day.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

Whilst wedding planning can be quite difficult and overwhelming, we enjoyed the time spent together not only with each other, but also with our respective families and friends who helped make our perfect day come to life. This includes all the dress and suit fittings, tastings, cushion-making session, princess flower girl things, etc. If there’s any advice we could give to couples starting their wedding planning journey, it would be to remember that your partner is your best friend. During the planning stage, tensions are high, and things don’t always go to plan, but it’s something you’re doing for each other, and as such there has to be some ebb and flow.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

Honestly, every vendor on our list was absolutely amazing to work with; each of them went above and beyond to bring together our special day, and if it weren’t for all of them, it could have possibly turned into an incoherent mess. Claire Donaldson went above and beyond before the event, ensuring everything was in its place and looking immaculate prior to handing over to Marc at The Great Catering Company, who always ensured we had a drink in hand and were running on schedule. Jordan somehow managed to get a cut across his nose the night before the wedding, and Penton & Co not only managed to do mine and all of the family’s makeup, but stayed back for my second look and covered up the scratch on his nose. Alex and her team were amazing to work with on the day,

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

We’re both big fans of dressing up and knew we wanted to lean into the gilded glamour of the day.

Heather – I knew I wanted both dresses to have a vintage feel to them but still look modern and new. Working with Mia from Mia Ateliers in Melbourne, we designed two fully bespoke dresses. The first being a nod to the ball gowns of the mid-century with an exaggerated pleated skirt and satin corsetry. On the day, I had the honour of wearing my Grandmother’s watch but knew I also wanted something to represent Jordan and his family. My Mum ended up sourcing a pair of beautiful jade earrings that nodded to both Jordan’s Vietnamese heritage and my Kiwi background.  

Not to be outstaged by the bride, Jordan also had two looks on the day. Jordan’s suits were made by YSG Tailors in Melbourne. Prior to going with YSG Tailors, he had been to a few different tailors and suit makers, but none of them had felt quite right. Travis at YSG was super knowledgeable on all things suits and helped create both of Jordan’s custom suits. For the ceremony, he went with a classic ivory look to complement Heather’s dress. Inspired by the oversized suits of the 90’s, Jordan’s reception outfit was all black with subtle silver throughout.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.  

I had initially had Heather’s ring custom made by a small jeweller in Melbourne. I believe Heather knew it was coming because, every now and again, we’d be scrolling through TikTok and any time rings were brought up, she’d sit there sharing her opinions on each one. I’d saved some of the inspiration Heather had sent to me and shared them with the jeweller. After proposing, due to the unique design of the ring, we thought it would be best to go back to ensure Heather’s wedding band could fit seamlessly within her engagement ring, and I had my wedding band made in a similar style to hers.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

Being foodies, the catering was probably where our largest portion of the budget went. Marc and the rest of the team at GCC (The Great Catering Company) were absolutely phenomenal. Living in Melbourne, Marc had allowed us to organise the time to complete a tasting whenever suited us, indulged our every silly idea from picking up custom ice blocks for the oyster bar, personalised changes to the menus and every other mad thing that popped into our mind. Photography was probably the next most important thing to both of us; whilst we wanted to enjoy our day, we definitely wanted to have stunning photos and videos to remember it by. Stephan and Nakita were the obvious choice for us when looking for NZ-based photographers; their style and previously shot examples were exactly what we were after. Stephan and Nakita also made us both feel extremely comfortable in our own skin, helping us capture the most amazing shots on our beautiful day.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?  

Jordan: There are a few stand out moments that will live in my heart and mind forever, the initial moment I saw Heather walking down the aisle, I couldn’t hold back my tears. The second was during our first dance. I was definitely anxious, and of course Heather could tell, but she put a hand on my cheek and said: “Look at me, it’s just us”. In that moment, time slowed, everything else faded, whilst she remained vibrant; it is, and will probably forever be, my most vivid memory of anything.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?  

We knew we’d be together forever, but being married just made it public. It was a public declaration of love. I don’t know if there are any rituals, so to speak, but we avoid going to bed mad or upset, make sure we always tell each other we love each other before bed, and make sure we’ve given each other a good night kiss (3 otherwise Jordan gets grumpy).