TJ Iconic Wedding: Ana + Nick by Matt Godkin

We are bringing back an edit of our top-performing real weddings from the TJ archives. These are our very best weddings that our audience has loved the most, and the ones we think are still very relevant and aspirational…

Nick and I come from diverse backgrounds. I was born in the Philippines, and moved to Sydney at the end of secondary school. Nick was born in Sydney, and his father is Lebanese and his mother is French and Spanish. We’ve been together eight years. We met at medical school and our friendship gradually blossomed into romance. We spent the first years of our relationship living apart, as Nick travelled the world, while I took time to explore my love of photography. We didn’t expect to become more than friends but knew we wanted to be together. Nick’s mother also grew up in the Philippines, so meeting his family for the first time was wonderful. It felt like home.

I loved that Nick already understood so much about my culture. We got engaged in Japan, on our last overseas trip together. After a beautiful morning spent hiking the picturesque Kamikōchi mountains, we headed back to Takayama (a mountain city in the Gifu prefecture) where Nick got down on one knee. It was one of the happiest days of our lives.

We originally planned to throw a 130-guest wedding, in October, with lots of friends and family set to fly in from different pockets of the world, but like many couples, the Covid-19 pandemic meant we had to change our plans. The hardest part was coming to terms with the fact that most of my family, especially my mum and sister (turned maid of honour) wouldn’t be able to travel to Australia for the wedding. Nick and I spent a lot of time going back and forth, mulling over whether or not to postpone our wedding until the following year. Eventually, we made the decision to stick to our original wedding date.

We knew that if the rules were to change overnight, it would be far easier to plan a more intimate wedding so we stuck to a smaller venue and guest list. This ended up being a great decision, as it allowed us to hold our reception at one of our favourite restaurants, Ester. Even though dancing and space was limited, we had the most wonderful time eating, drinking and enjoying the live band. In styling our wedding, we kept it simple and minimal.

I know Nick and his family love colour and our florist Sophie from Muscari did a marvellous job. Nick’s favourite flowers are irises, so Sophie sourced a single white-bearded iris for my bouquet, which tied in beautifully with my Danielle Frankel dress. Every time I told someone I’d purchased a dress that I’d never tried on before they were shocked! But the moment I saw the design, I didn’t even look at any other dresses. Nick sourced his suit from a shop in Canberra and wore a sparkly tie from YSL. The most beautiful moment on our wedding day was when my brother played a video montage of messages from our family and friends who were unable to join us — lots of tears and laughter.

Photography: Matt Godkin, @mattgodkinweddings / Ceremony location: St Joseph’s, Edgecliff / Reception: Ester, @ester_au / Bride’s dress: Danielle Frankel, @daniellefrankelstudio / Groom’s tie: YSL , @ysl / Bride’s engagement & wedding band: Cerrone, @cerronejewellers / Groom’s wedding band: Sarah & Sebastian, @sarahandsebastian / Entertainment: The White Tree, @thewhitetree / Signage & menus : Paper Paper, @paperpaper.co / Cake: Ester, @ester_au / Hire: Simply Seated, @simply.seated / Day coordinator I Do Crew, @i_do_crew / Flora: Muscari, @muscari.au / Bride’s shoes: Neous, @neous / Bride’s pearl choker: Lily & Roo , @lilyandrooldn / Bride’s fragrance: Beige by Chanel , @chanelofficial