Calypso + Jordan by Primopiano Photografica - Together Journal

We wanted a simple and elegant wedding that took advantage of the natural beauty.

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

We were both born and raised in Sydney but have called London home for the last six years. Like so many Aussies in London, we love to travel and are trying to make the most of our European base to explore. We are both fairly extroverted and love spending time with our friends, and we both love to cook and eat delicious food. We are constantly trying to combine these things, hosting dinner parties or trying to plan trips away with our friends.

Jordan works in anti-financial crime and Calypso in corporate restructuring. We are both accountants by trade so quite often joke we are a “very cool couple”.

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

Calypso – We met at work in 2017. We were working in a very social team, and Jordan’s best friend was also my manager. We were spending a lot of time together both in and out of the office and it was very platonic to start with. Jordan has a huge infectious laugh, and he was very easy to be around. My bridesmaid in her speech joked that Jordan was locked in the “colleague zone, much worse than the friend zone”.

Jordan – We did not have that “love at first sight” moment. Calypso and I were good friends at first, and she actually helped me book a date for the girl I was seeing at the time! I remember thinking that there was something about her, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it, however I really enjoyed being in her company.

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

Calypso: We had a date very early on at this incredible local restaurant. We had delicious entrees and mains and were looking at the desserts. I joked that we should just do entrees and mains all over again – and Jordan looked at me deadpan and said, “Let’s do it,” and we had another 2 courses. I knew he was the man for me.

Jordan: It wasn’t a specific moment, but I can remember when I first moved to London, I had some sort of realisation. I moved 3 months before Calypso did, and whilst I was loving living in a new city, I couldn’t stop thinking how it would all be better if Calypso was here with me.

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

The main vision for the wedding was all about the guest experience. As people were flying across the world for it, we wanted to make it a wedding worth the flight! Stylistically, we wanted a simple and elegant wedding that took advantage of the natural beauty. We tried to draw on colours from the venue and wanted seasonal local flowers.

Jordan’s sister has an incredible eye, and she foraged for wildflowers in Sicily to be included in the bridal bouquets and groomsmen button holes which was pretty special.

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 venue was breathtaking and beautiful all on its own and had so many special spaces. We loved that we were able to move through the venue so that we were in a different space for each part of the wedding. We had the ceremony in the wheatfield and had the seats arranged in a circle around us. Aesthetically, it looked amazing, and in the moment, we loved being able to stare beyond each other to see all of our loved ones surrounding us. We had dinner on a long table underneath the olive trees, which was unforgettable, and there were some incredible photos looking down the length of the table.

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

Calypso – I absolutely love planning, so I really enjoyed the process. If I could have quit my job to plan our wedding full-time, I would have! I had multiple Excels, runsheets and lists that helped me stay on top of it all. Regarding tips, I think it helped us to find “workstreams” that we were each naturally drawn to help us divide the load. I didn’t want to feel like I had planned the wedding without Jordan’s input

Jordan – For me, it’s a no-brainer; visiting Sicily a year prior with my parents and meeting our wedding planners was such a dream. We were able to source locations for drinks and dinners with family in the lead up to the weddinging beautiful Ortigia, secure our day one venue and do a tasting with our fantastic caterers, which really gave us confidence that our guests would be well looked after and be able to enjoy themselves over the weekend of our wedding. If you are getting married in a country where you don’t speak the language, I think a planner is essential.

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

Calypso – my wedding outfits were never the main focus for me, and I was keen to try and get a second-hand dress. I had heard about Brides Do Good, a bridal social enterprise in London that sells pre-loved and pre-made dresses and donate a portion of its profits to support charities working to empower girls and end child marriage. I was delighted to find my dress here. I bought my dress in London, so I wanted to buy my veil with my Mum in Sydney. We went to Jennifer Go, who was amazing and so helpful.  I love colour so I changed into a blue feather Cult Gaia number once we got to the dancefloor.

Jordan – I wore a tuxedo I already had and had some custom shirts made at Cad & Dandy on Saville Row for something new. However, I did leave the shirts behind in London… luckily we had one wedding guest left in London who was able to pick up for us and save the day. I also had a pair of cufflinks which my Grandma gifted me on the day of the wedding.

What was 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?).

Food and music were our two biggest priorities, and we couldn’t have been happier with the vendors we chose.

Our planner, Marica, really guided us with our caterer, and we are so happy with Seby. The showstopper for us, and one of the most memorable moments for our guests, was the raw tuna bar. It was out of this world. For the music, we had attended a friend’s wedding in Sorrento, Italy, in July 2022, right after we got engaged, and we absolutely loved the band. We couldn’t stop dancing, and at 3 am on the dancefloor, we asked the lead singer, Valentina (from Shanti), if she would come to Sicily. We were able to book Shanti in, and they met our very high expectations.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

We were lucky; it was pretty smooth sailing! We give our planner, Marica, all the credit!