We really loved the idea of an outdoor wedding, a garden party that felt formal but relaxed.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We’re equal parts the same and total opposites – which somehow works perfectly. Both sarcastic to our core, big on family and friends, always planning our next meal out or trip away.
We’ve got a cocker spaniel pup, Ralph, who runs the house – and, if we’re being honest, most of our lives. We love the beach, so much so that we just moved to Maroubra and have found our new home. Probably motivated by the fact that we spent almost 3 years abroad living in London, which, although epic, required a lot of sunshine once returning home to Australia.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met just over seven years ago – James was living in the Blue Mountains and Jacquie in the Inner West. Our first date was at a little cocktail bar in Kirribilli, which quickly pivoted to the pub next door for beer and schnitzel once we realised that was much more our speed. From the very start, it was easy – a lot of laughing, a lot of time outdoors, and a pretty clear sense early on that this wasn’t just a one-off.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes, etc.).
We really loved the idea of an outdoor wedding, a garden party that felt formal but relaxed with all our favourite people. Because we chose Somerley House, we really wanted the venue to do all the heavy lifting visually, but added in blue hydrangeas (Jacquie’s favourite flower) with whites and greens for details. We also loved the idea of our something blue being a visual element of the wedding, including the wedding stationery, bridesmaids’ dresses and flowers.

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).
Simplicity was everything for us. Somerley is such a beautiful venue on its own, so we didn’t feel the need to overdo it – the goal was to complement the setting, not compete with it.
As a graphic designer, Jacquie created a custom monogram along with all the stationery and reception details, which gave everything a cohesive feel from the start. From there, Gemma at Sub Subtle brought the florals and styling to life in a way that felt refined but effortless – nothing overworked, just thoughtful details that tied it all together.
We’d always been drawn to the idea of a big marquee wedding, which was the main reason we chose Somerly House. We both grew up in families where the best celebrations happened outside – on balconies or in backyards – so having a marquee felt natural. It gave the whole day that relaxed, at-home energy, just on a slightly bigger scale.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
We actually planned most of the wedding while living in London, which, in hindsight, helped keep everything in perspective. Being overseas meant we couldn’t obsess over every little detail — and that distance probably saved us a lot of stress. Jacquie didn’t see the venue in person until two weeks before the wedding, which says a lot about how relaxed we were about it all. Our family and friends kindly went and saw the venue for us, and from there we selected a lot of our vendors based on recommendations from friends/family or from things that we loved at previous weddings we had attended.
Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?
We can’t recommend three of our vendors enough. 

Firstly, Gemma from Sub Subtle Studios, who in our absence in Sydney, helped us plan out the logistics, create the florals and generally style the wedding to what we had envisioned.
Secondly, our amazing photographer Zoe, who was on Jacquie’s list for months. We knew we wanted more reportage pictures than traditional portraits and were beyond happy with the result. We were also incredibly lucky to have Lucie attend as an additional photographer, and it’s clear that together they had such an amazing eye for detail, but also candid moments, which are some of our favourite photos from the day. We always had the opinion that the only real tangible element that lives on from the day was the photographs (and videography from the amazing Craig!), so we were so incredibly lucky to have secured the team that we did for the day.
Lastly, we have to mention the best in the biz (and our friends), Holly & Will from Top Shelf Live. James met Will when they were both starting out in their own businesses, and have backed each other ever since. They truly are the best live entertainment you can get, and they had everyone on their feet from the first 30 seconds all the way to midnight.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?
Because we were living overseas whilst planning our wedding in Sydney, a lot of the more traditional special moments of dress shopping weren’t an option for Jacquie. But, out of complete spontaneity, when on a long weekend trip to New York with James and her sister, Jacquie decided on a whim to try and book Kleinfields as longstanding fans of the show, Say Yes to the Dress. What started as a joke actually ended up in Jacquie finding her dream dress in a 45-minute appointment, only later to find that the one stockist that supplied the designer (Watters) in Australia was from James’s hometown in Penrith, so it felt like fate. For James, and with much quicker turn-arounds, he was able to spend the day trying on and designing custom tuxes with P Johnson in their Paddington store, which, from all accounts, seems to have given his bucks party a run for its money with the amount of beers consumed.
Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.
They say it pays to have friends in high places, and so luckily for James, his mate Doug Ely, who owns York Jewellers, designed all our rings, from engagement to wedding bands. James designed the engagement ring alongside Doug, which was so special, and then Doug crafted the most beautiful wedding bands for both of us. We also can’t recommend him enough!

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?).
James has always said food is the heart of the wedding, and we made sure that the menu reflected our perfect date night meal. Not skimping on food was always a priority for us. The other is absolutely the entertainment, having a live band was just incredible and Top Shelf Live brought so much energy to the dancefloor it was hard to leave.

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

The ceremony itself was a really special moment for James and me. It can feel daunting at first, but then it becomes this really beautiful moment of realisation at the same time. We also realised how in-sync we were, having the same joke to round out or vow’s without the other realising.

The dancefloor was also definitely a highlight for both of us. Being friends with the band but also having Top Shelf Live play for some of our bridal party at their own weddings meant that everyone had the best time, passing the mic around and ending with James’ best man singing the full version of Shallow as a finisher.
LOCATION Somerley House, @somerleys.suttonforest BRIDE Jacquie, @jacquiehalloran GROOM James PHOTOGRAPHER Zoe Morley Photography, @zoemorleyphotography VIDEOGRAPHER Craig Holbrook, @craigholbrook.weddingfilms STYLIST, PLANNER & FLORIST Gemma of Sub Subtle Studio, @sub.subtle ENTERTAINMENT Top Shelf Live, @topshelflive RINGS Doug of York Jewellers, @yorkjewellers BRIDE’S GOWN Watters, @watters BRIDE’S SHOES Dune London, @dune_london MAKEUP Samantha Tonkin, @samantha_tonkin HAIR Jaimi Irving, @jaimi_irvinghair GROOM’S SUIT Custom Made – P. Johnson, @pjohnsonworld GROOM’S SHOES R.M. Williams, @rmwilliams BRIDESMAIDS DRESS Wore significant other dresses GROOMSMEN SUIT Custom Made – P. Johnson, @pjohnsonworld
