Jemmy + Jessie by Akaness Sharks Photo - Together Journal

When you find someone, you’ll click with them incredibly.

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

We are two strange peas in a pod who have continued to bond over the years through a shared love of food and café-hopping, travelling, gaming and anime, as well as puzzles and board games. At our very core, we are homebodies, and we spend most of our time at home reading, binging Netflix, and hanging out with our chonky British Shorthair cat named Willow. Jemmy tolerates Jessie’s ever-growing collection of miniature toys and figurines scattered all around the house. At the same time, Jessie enjoys watching Jemmy go from declaring that he does not like cats to being the best and most attentive (and very clingy) cat dad to Willow. Vocationally, we come from very different spaces, with Jemmy working in technology in financial services and Jessie working in the child protection / social work sector. Jemmy brings a logical, focused, and structured approach to life and problem-solving, while Jessie brings a more “go-with-the-flow” and “bigger picture” perspective on things. Jemmy very much embodies “responsible eldest child energy”, while Jessie thrives as the youngest sibling and believes this is why the dynamic of this relationship has worked and continues to work so well.

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

While dating in current times can feel like endless swiping, we would not have met each other without the magic of online dating. Jemmy was born in Indonesia but grew up in Perth before moving to Sydney for work. Jessie was born and raised in Sydney; we just ran in very different social circles, but we happened to meet through Coffee Meets Bagel back in 2016. Jessie will never let Jemmy forget that he had spent his in-app “coffee beans” to get her attention. We spent a few weeks chatting before meeting up in person for dinner and late-night coffee, and we finally understood what friends meant when they said, “You will just know.” When you find someone, you’ll click with them incredibly. Jemmy’s first impression of Jessie was that “she was smart, witty, and pretty” and someone he was immediately comfortable around and could banter with. Jessie’s first impression of Jemmy was that “he was pretty interesting for a guy in a suit who works at a bank”, but also surprised by how easily they could chat and laugh and joke together on a first date.

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

Jemmy found this hard to pinpoint, highlighting it was always how comfortable he felt and how easy it was to spend time together since the beginning of the relationship. He felt understood and supported, but Jessie also challenged him to go outside of his comfort zone whenever he needed a push in his personal and professional life. For Jessie, it was when she realised that despite Jemmy always wanting to appear serious and stoic, they would always agree to go along with her impulsive ideas, such as re-enacting that kitchen scene from “500 Days of Summer” in a very crowded Ikea. Our respective families also very quickly took to our partners, and we have luckily always had wonderful relationships with our in-laws, who generously welcomed us into their homes, special events, and overseas vacations. From early on in the relationship, getting married and spending the rest of our lives together was definitely a question of “when” rather than “if.” It was a quiet easiness that had always existed between us, the willingness to make each other happy and push each other to be the best versions of ourselves that have helped us to overcome any hurdles. But if in doubt, there is nothing a good cuddle and bubble tea cannot fix. 

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

While the proposal did not come as a surprise to Jessie, it was very much in tune with who we were as a couple. We had booked a getaway at the most idyllic tiny house in Picton, NSW, where we were surrounded by lush greenery and peace and quiet. We live together in the Sydney CBD, so this was a welcomed change of pace to the hustle and bustle. Jemmy was very familiar with Jessie’s love of space and astronomy and had hoped that he could propose under the stars. Unfortunately for Jemmy, it had been rainy and cloudy all day, and there was no chance that this would work. Fortunately, the cloud had cleared by early morning, and the next best thing was getting down on one knee during sunrise. From Jessie’s point of view, there is the memory of sheer panic as Jemmy wobbled his way onto one knee while still recovering from his ACL surgery a couple of months prior. While she could not recall what he had said at that moment, she had answered with a resounding “Yes” and accepted the gorgeous ring that Jemmy and her now mother-in-law had designed perfectly for her.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

We both agree that it would be our wonderful photographer, Aka! Our thought process was definitely along the lines of wanting to come back often to revisit the memories of our big day, and we knew we had to find someone we would vibe and work well with to create our photo album. We had spoken to a few photographers and viewed so many galleries before we stumbled across Aka on Instagram. We immediately loved her style and would have happily accepted any quote that she would send our way. Jessie particularly loved Aka’s flair for romanticism, the beautiful candids and poetic editorials. Aka worked with us on our pre-wedding shoot, too, which was so fun and relaxed and over too quickly – even for Jemmy, who is very camera-shy. Aka just understood us and our vision, which also made things much easier on our wedding day. It felt more like hanging out and laughing with a friend, and we cannot count how many of our guests came up to us throughout the reception to tell us how much they loved our photographer. You know you picked the perfect vendor when both of our mothers were signing Aka’s praises even months after the wedding.

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

Both of us wholeheartedly agreed that we could not truly relax until after our first dance had happened. We had a wonderful and amazingly professional dance teacher, Christina (from Sydney Dance Rhythms), who was so patient while working with four left feet. We prayed to every higher power that muscle memory would kick in a while, experiencing flashbacks to when Jemmy had accidentally dropped Jessie onto the floor while practising one specific lift or when Jessie’s rogue left hand had smacked Jemmy’s glasses clean off his face. Photographer Aka had even snapped a picture of Jessie sitting at the bridal table and staring into space (likely dissociating) right before the first dance was set to begin. The dance thankfully went well, especially as the dry ice fog hid our questionable footwork, but Jessie recalls friends who said they saw her shoulders visibly relax once the song ended. While we can now look back fondly and laugh at how wound up we both were, it is something we can confidently say we would never do again in front of a large crowd, or at least sans any risky lifts.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story? The history of the ceremony dress…

After we had locked in our reception venue, which featured stunning arches, drapery, and exposed bricks, we had a vision of our guests arriving in black and white outfits, in contrast to the bride and groom in red and burgundy, respectively. Jessie opted for a classic white dress for the ceremony, which had actually been purchased way back in 2020. While marriage was definitely on the cards even back then, Jessie just knew she had found the dress she would get married in when trawling through an online sale from Lover the Label, and purchased the Serenity Silk Maxi Dress for a grand total of $350. She did not tell Jemmy about the purchase, although when it arrived, she quickly explained to Jemmy that he should not panic as it was not to pressure him to propose; instead, it was just too good a bargain to pass up. Minimal alterations were made to the length as it had, by some miracle, fit like a glove, and tulle wings were also added in lieu of a veil. Jessie’s reception dress was a show-stopping gloved red velvet number by Miscreants (@miscreants__) that had been love at first sight. To complement the colour palette of the reception dress and flowers, Jemmy opted for a sharp customised suit in burgundy from the wonderful team at Brent Wilson (@brentwilsonfashion) that fit like a dream. Jemmy had re-wearability and comfort in mind when customising his suit, and it is one he continues to wear to special events and important work events.