Georgie + James by Jackson Bright

Our vision for the styling was colourful and modern, we wanted to make the most of the beautiful scenery at the McCallum Residence but turn it up a notch with lots of bright colours. An aspect of our wedding which was so special was all the little touches that our family and friends helped with, both in the lead up and on the day.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Georgie: We met in Auckland in 2017 when I moved into a flat in Ponsonby with my best friend, Sarah, who happened to live with James’s best friend, Coutts. The first night we met was when Sarah and I went to join James and Coutts at James’s after work drinks, which were happening nearby. On the walk there I said to Sarah ‘I feel like I am going to meet my husband tonight’, and I did! The four of us got along really well and spent lots of time together as James lived just around the corner. We realised a few months later that we had a bit of a thing for each other, and our first proper date was going to see Mac Miller, who we both were big fans of. It was such an awesome night and one of our most special memories together.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it….
James: At the end of 2020 after spending most of the year being locked down in Melbourne, I planned a trip up to a remote island on the Great Barrier Reef called Wilson Island. It is a remote little island on the reef with only 9 huts, where you can go snorkelling off the beautiful beach. I had purchased the ring earlier in the year but didn’t have a good enough opportunity during lockdown to propose. I planned a sunset picnic for our first night, the staff helped me out by setting up a blanket, cheese board and champagne on the beach. I suggested a sunset walk and surprised Georgie with the picnic all set out. As we were sitting there watching the sunset, lots of turtles were landing on the beach and laying their eggs all around us. I waited for the right moment and got on one knee and popped the question. It was magical.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
Georgie: We wanted an intimate and fun celebration with just our closest friends and immediate family. We didn’t want to feel like we had to ‘host’ or make small talk with anyone on the day, and almost all our 30 guests knew each other which made for such a nice atmosphere where we felt so relaxed and comfortable. Our vision for the styling was colourful and modern, we wanted to make the most of the beautiful scenery at the McCallum Residence but turn it up a notch with lots of bright colours. An aspect of our wedding which was so special was all the little touches that our family and friends helped with, both in the lead up and on the day. As James’s mum, Robyn, was a big cook and entertainer, Sophia made her recipe for limoncello, which we used to do a toast to her with all our guests during James’s speech at the reception. James’s family sourced driftwood from beaches around the venue, and their family beach house at Whangapoua, and used it to build our arch. The way it came together, along with the flowers from Isadia, looked so incredible and was such a stunning feature at the ceremony.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Georgie: My mum gave me her original wedding band as my ‘something borrowed’ and I wore it on my little finger on the wedding day. Just after I had walked down the aisle for the ceremony, I looked down at my hands and it wasn’t there. I think the first thing I said to James after I walked down the aisle was ‘I’ve lost mum’s ring!’. At the end of the ceremony, I had to send my bridesmaids off to look in the venue and all over the property to try to find it and they had no luck! James ended up finding it in one of my bags later in the night.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
Georgie: I think I tried on about 30 different dresses and started to get so overwhelmed and confused that I ended up buying my shoes first and figuring I would just pick a dress that suited them! My dress is by Mariana Hardwick, however, I ended up buying it second hand off Still White. I found someone just down the road from me in Melbourne who was selling it, which was so lucky. It was a bit big for me, but I thought it would be easy enough to get it altered. It wasn’t! It turned out to be a massive job due to the fact that it was all hand beaded. A place in Melbourne quoted me almost $4000 for all the alterations, so I had a bit of a freak out and thought I may need to try to find a new dress three months out! Luckily I found someone else who could do it for a much more reasonable price and I was really happy with how it turned out and how the outfit looked on the day.

James: I spent quite a while looking for the right suit but couldn’t find it anywhere. I was looking for something that was summery and not too formal, that fit with the relaxed vibe we wanted for the wedding. I found a tailor up the road from where we lived in Melbourne called YSG Tailors and had a really good initial consultation with them to custom make the suit. My mother Robyn passed away a couple of years ago, and one thing that I really wanted was to incorporate one of her favourite dresses into the lining of the suit so that I could have her presence with me on the day. The team at YSG were great and were able to line the jacket with her dress, as well as include a number of other cool little features like the date of the wedding embroidered on the inside of the jacket.

Ceremony & Reception Location + Catering & Beverages: McCallum Residence, @themccallumresidence / Photographer: Jackson Bright, @jacksonbrightweddings / Videographer: Mata Films, @matafilms / Celebrant: Hope McRoberts / Entertainment: Lee Gray Music, @leegraymusic / Flora: Isadia, @isadiafloral / Cake: The Caker, @thecakernz / Stationery: Laser Foil, @laserfoilprint / Table Items Hire: TableLook, @tablelook / Table Linen Hire: Tble. Linen, @tble.linen.hire / Coloured candles: Iko Iko, @ikoiko_nz / Georgie’s First Dress: Mariana Hardwick, @marianahardwick / Georgie’s Second Dress: Rebecca Vallance, @rebeccavallancebride / James’ Custom Suit: YSG Tailors, @ysgtailors / Ring/s: (Georgie’s engagement ring) Louise Jean, @louisejeanjewellery; (Georgie’s wedding band) Saphira Diamonds, @saphiradiamonds; (James’ wedding band) Guys Gold, @guys.gold / Shoes: Loeffler Randall, @loefflerrandall / Earrings: Custom made by Covet Goldie, @covetgoldie / Makeup + Hair: Dani Froude Makeup, @danifroudemakeup / Fragrance: Gucci, @guccibeauty / Groomsmen’s Attire: Barkers Clothing, @barkersclothing / Bridesmaids’ Attire: Shona Joy, @shonajoy; Third Form, @third_form; Juliette Hogan, @juliettehogan