Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
Jarrad is a specialised boilermaker and works mostly offshore on a fly in, fly out roster. Laura is Social Worker who works in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program facilitating group therapy.
Although spending time apart has been difficult at times, we believe it has made our relationship stronger and made us appreciate each other more. We both love food (cooking and eating out), we are both very social and have lots of dinners at our place and lots of catch ups with friends. We also enjoy travelling, going away for the weekend and going for walks etc. We thrive on humour, we both tease each other/take the piss out of each other on a regular basis, but we still always support each other.
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details…
I did not hire a planner or stylist for our wedding but we had a relatively good idea of the kind of wedding we wanted. We wanted something understated but still beautiful, we also wanted a nice balance between modern and rustic. Montalto was the perfect venue choice for this, beautiful views of the vineyard and surroundings, a stylish building and reception venue but with plenty of nice natural wood inside which fit with the surroundings. I knew I wanted some colour in my florals but not too bright, instead romantic deep reds, pinks/ lilacs and plenty of green foliage. We both wanted an outdoor ceremony and Montalto was a great setting for this. Having good food was also really important to us and our venue did not disappoint. One very special thing about our day was how many talented friends that were involved. We had our friend doing the florals, another friend who designed the invitations and other signage, a friend DJ-ing, friends doing hair and make-up and also a friend who was the MC. This made the day really personal and meant that each person really knew exactly what we wanted.
Tell us about your main outfits:
Bride: I chose the Wyatt Gown by New Zealand based brand, Lovers Society. I did try on some others prior to this one but what captured me about this gown was the beautiful low back and the fact it had panels of lace detail and panels of plain material. The gown was young, modern and special without being over the top.
Groom: Jarrad had been to another wedding where the groom and groomsmen had Institchu suits and he was impressed. He and the groomsmen had navy tailor made suits and tailor made white shirts. The groomsmen had charcoal coloured ties and Jarrad had a bow tie for contrast. They looked very handsome!
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
There were so many it is hard to pinpoint one! The ceremony was perfect, lots of laughs, joking and emotions. I also really enjoyed the food, it was the moment where we could both finally relax, have a drink and chat to friends. The dance floor was also another highlight, we didn’t do a traditional first dance but we opened the dance floor with Whitney Houston ‘I wanna dance with somebody’ and got everyone to join us which was fun. Our friend Steve nailed the tunes the whole night, everyone was having the best time.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Share your hopes and future goals and make sure you are on the same page. In terms of the wedding, make sure both bride and groom are involved, delegate jobs and support each other. Also, savour the day because it goes so quickly!
Photography: Georgia Verrells | Ceremony and Reception location: Montalto Winery | Celebrant: Jessica Edwards | Bride’s gown: Wyatt Gown by Lovers Society | Groom: Tailor suit by Institchu | Rings: Kalfin Jewellery | Shoes: Bride- Bianca Buccheri, Dolci Firme, Groom- Aquila | Jewellery: Steven Khalil earrings and bracelet | Makeup: Ellie Scarlett Make-up | Hair: Beauty Call Hair and Makeup | Fragrance: Jean Paul Gaultier, Classique | Bridesmaid’s outfits: Shona Joy | Groomsmen’s outfits: Institchu tailor made suits | Entertainment: ‘Lazy Steve’ as the DJ | Flora: Margaret Zhang | Hire: Wedding Hire Melbourne | Food/beverages/catering: Montalto Winery | Cake: Cheese tower | Design work: Hannah Grey Design
