Sophie: Jono and I did everything backwards. We met on university exchange in the Netherlands. We were really close, but didn’t start dating until we had both moved home to separate cities, Melbourne and Sydney. We moved in together when I arrived in Sydney eight months later.
We ran a design studio together for three years before getting married. We are best friends with identical interests, but our personalities are opposites. Our proposal was low-key. We were walking through a park on our way to a favourite local restaurant. We kept the news to ourselves for two days until we could tell our parents in person. We told our friends three days later at my birthday. It was great to be able to see their reactions, rather than announcing it on social media. It also allowed for lots of hugging!
We are both private, it’s a miracle anyone was invited to our wedding at all! But we decided to have a wedding so that we could share the occasion with friends and family who are an extension of our relationship and deserve to be celebrated as well. We made it about our favourite things: excellent food, our favourite beer and amazing music.
The theme was ‘a party with a ceremony attached’. Despite being camera-shy, we had loads of fun with our photographer, Van Middleton. We took photos together in the streets of Surry Hills before the wedding, which meant we got to enjoy each other’s company for a few hours.
We bought our shoes first. Black ankle boots for me and sneakers for Jono — comfort is key! I bought my top from David Jones the night before the wedding. I have to sing the praises of the amazing suppliers who contributed to our special day. Sarah from florist Pandanus Design just got it immediately. I was in awe of what she created for us, and by giving her the creative freedom to go for it, we also got to be surprised on the day.
Our celebrant, Adrian Downey, was so organised. His care and attention made us feel at ease and he never once tried to make us conform to any traditions. Gabriela from Bakealicious by Gabriela took a break from her holiday to make our delicious tiramisu cake and, with custom flair, assembled it on site. The Uprights and their managers at Event Entertainers knocked it out of the park and our incredible DJs made us feel so special. All of our guests praised the food and amazing service. We were so glad we could book Porteno’s incredible venue.
Photography: @vanmiddletonphotography | Venue & Catering: @porteno_events | Celebrant: @nswcelebrant | Bride’s top: @sabastyle | Bride’s skirt: @letobridal | Groom’s shirt & blazer: @luxius_bespoke | Bride’s shoes: @31philliplim | Groom’s sneakers: @springcourt_australia | Flora: @pandanusdesign | Plinths, Archway and Sign: @so_watt_studio | Makeup: @beautybygeorgiahull | Hair: @intershapehair | Cake: @bakealicious_by_gabriela | Beer: @batchbrewingcompany | Wine & Spirits: @liquoremporium_au
