Jamie + Stephen by Flossy Photo - Together Journal

I had a vision of a more moody-toned, modern, elevated wedding.

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

Hello All – we are Jamie & Stephen. I am a Texan turned Australian, and Stephen is a first-generation Australian with heritage from Cambodia and England. Stephen works as an intensive care doctor, and I am a hospital social worker. Stephen is a lover of saving lives, and I am a lover of social justice! Outside of health care, we love our friends, family, food and two cats, Lily & Hubert.

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

We met through one of my best friends and bridesmaids in May of 2020. Stephen was working as an anesthetist in Busselton, and I was working in the paediatric disability sector. A blind date was arranged when Stephen got back to Perth, and we met at the local watering hole.

When we first locked eyes, we thought each other was a smoke show. We had a few more dates after that, bringing down the walls built up from many dating fiascos, and realised we shared a great deal of values, a love of life, and a dark sense of humour. Since then, we have grown into each other’s lives, families, and friendship groups, and have shared many adventures. Life would not be life without each other.

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

Jamie here – For the ceremony, I wanted to reference a gorgeous willow tree arrangement that I had found on Pinterest. I am a lover of whimsy and fantasy, and this suited our outdoor ceremony perfectly.

For the reception, I had a vision of a more moody-toned, modern, elevated wedding. Using black draping with bursts of warm-toned colours in the florals and ornaments to maximise contrast and impact.

Across both the ceremony and reception, we wanted to incorporate elements of Stephen’s Khmer heritage, having been married in Siem Reap 5 months before our Australian wedding. Hence, we used many garland flowers, fruits, nuts and offering bowls, which were fundamental in our traditional Khmer wedding.

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).

Jamie here again – For us, it was the location. Because the majority of our extended families live overseas, we wanted to have our wedding somewhere central to the city.

Luckily for Stephen, I had always envisaged our wedding at Lamont’s Bishop House, where they offer a perfect merger of central location and an oasis outdoor feel with their garden and marquee. Not to mention their immaculate reputation for food, wine and overall service.

Additionally, the aesthetic of both the ceremony and reception was extremely important to us. Incorporating aspects of our heritage, using some of our families’ collective items from around the world and honouring the people who contributed to us as people.

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

Me again – I had the privilege of having a wedding planner through Laura Smith of Pop Up Planning. She made the process extremely smooth and stress-free, which I hear from many couples is typically not the case.

Her knowledge, access to vendors and keen eye for styling made all my wildest dreams come true.

It was also extremely reassuring to Stephen and our families to have someone on the day who arranged the logistics and overall artistry.

No request was too big, and she always stuck to budget (even though I always wanted more).

My recommendation for couples who are time poor, having a larger wedding and who have the financial means to afford a wedding planner is – do it! It will make the process so much more enjoyable and as stress-free as it can be.

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

Honestly, they were all knockouts.

I especially loved the florals by Rebecca Grace from Natural Art and our wedding cake by Pink Orchid Collective. I wanted all aspects of our wedding to appear like an art gallery, and they most certainly nailed that brief.

Also, I wanted to make our stationery with my sister, Heather Bradley. I am fortunate enough to come from a family of artists, and with her savant skills, was able to make the more modern styled stationery I had been hoping for.

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

I am a lover of fashion and always feel more is more. Hence, I wore three outfits. My ceremony dress I wanted to be a more traditional look. I was fortunate enough to have a dress maker via Tatiana from T studios. With her decades-long knowledge of being a seamstress, we were able to merge two dresses I had located from Paolo Sebastian and Danielle Frankel. This created an ethereal tulle relaxed ball gown, which made me feel like something out of a Tolkien novel.

Additionally, I wanted a modern Juliet cap veil, referencing the ever-stylish Kate Moss for her own wedding. Of course, Tatiana was able to create the veil I had envisaged for many years.

For both my first dance and party dress, I wanted to wear Paco Rabanne. Rabanne has dressed the likes of Jane Birkin and Audrey Hepburn, who are both style icons of mine. Their use of unconventional materials and futuristic design matches my dream aesthetic to a tee.

Finally, for Stephen, we both thought a James Bond look with a white blazer suit would be most appropriate. This would ensure he would stand out from his groomsmen and (for me) accentuate his gorgeous skin tone.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Stephen here – When we travelled to Cambodia for our traditional wedding, we had our wedding rings made for us by a local jeweller who was also a family friend of my Aunties. I chose a simple gold band, and Jamie chose a U-shaped band with several diamonds set in it, which were our ‘lucky’ stones per Khmer tradition based on our birth signs. Jamie’s engagement ring was originally a platinum band with a high-set diamond, which, prior to our Perth wedding, we had melted down to form a platinum overlay that was set on top of Jamie’s wedding ring and on top of a new gold band that became the base of Jamie’s engagement ring. It was very important to us that we used the same rings in our Perth ceremony as they were blessed by Buddhist monks in Cambodia during our Khmer wedding, and the rings imprinting on each other symbolically of how Jamie and I imprint on each other. A mixture of two different metals to create something strong and beautiful.

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?).

For us, it was really everything. We love a party, and for our wedding, we were fortunate enough to have the budget to pull out all the stops we wanted… within reason.

We had been told by many friends when we first got engaged not to spend less on photography. Given that, we reached out to Florence of Flossy Photography straight away and were lucky enough to lock her in.

She captured our darker aesthetic using more modern techniques to match our vision for the day and in post edits. We did not want your standard “white wash” wedding, and she certainly understood the assignment.

She also knew we wanted some photos of our cats when getting ready, and she secured the shots – 10’s across the board.

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

Jamie – For me, it was reciting our individual vows.

After months of planning, the nerves of getting ready on the day, it was so lovely being able to reaffirm our love for each other in front of all the people we care about. Many tears were shed.

Stephen – Reading Jamie’s ‘letter to my husband’ with all of my closest friends and groomsmen by my side was a very special moment, and is always a beautiful reminder for me of not only how Jamie has brought so much fun and adventure into my life, but how even when I think I’ve got her all figured, she still surprises me every day!