“I think I was nervous eating, so I did the reverse bride diet thing and put on weight. For example, I ate two dinners the night before the wedding.” Soooooo, we like Jess already, then we saw that the happy couple included their puppy Olive in the festivities (complete with flower collar) and walked down the aisle with her mum and dad. Safe to say we’re sold. Scroll down to see all the details, with photography and cinematography by Wilde Visual…
THE VENUE “We researched a few Sydney venues but we realised we wanted something a little bit different, out of Sydney. We settled on beautiful Byron Bay. It has the laid-back, coastal vibes we wanted, and we all got a little holiday. We visited two, or three venues, but Fig Tree Restaurant was the standout. The difficultly was getting in! In the end, we booked around April for a November wedding and we went with a Thursday (which worked perfectly).”
THE THEME “I describe the look and feel that we wanted to create as “Moroccan, Cali, coastal, boho luxe” haha! Yes, you should feel sorry for my vendors. The overall vibe we wanted to create was a casual, laid-back, festival vibe, in a beautiful outdoor setting. We essentially wanted to throw a big party where Andrew and I exchanged our personal vows and signed the official documentation. That’s it. A lot of other traditions got thrown out the window.”
THE DRESS “I bought ‘the dress’ from Alex Perry, off the shelf from Myer in Sydney about 10 weeks out from the wedding. Needless to say, before that point I was having reoccurring nightmares of walking down the aisle naked. Once I tried it on, I knew. There was only one left, it was in my size (and it was on sale). So luckily it all just aligned. My mum made the nude slip, veil and beaded my dress (within the last week, or two before the wedding. #lastminutebride! There is a lot of pressure, but I think you just need to go with your gut instincts and choose something you’re comfortable in. You will have people and cameras looking at you all day. Women look their most beautiful when they are relaxed and comfortable in heir own skin. Later in the evening I changed into a simple silk slip from Bec + Bridge so I could really let loose.
A WORD OF ADVICE “Pick and prioritise the few keys things that are really important to you both and focus on locking those elements in first. Too much choice (too much social media trawling!) can be a bad thing. Eat…make sure you get to enjoy lovely food on the day. What you think you are going to spend, add another 10% to the budget for the things you have forgotten. DON’T STRESS over the little details- remain open, flexible and adaptable on the day. You can’t control the weather, technical difficulties (we found out a few days before the wedding there was a planned power outage all day at our accommodation where I was getting ready the day of the wedding), hiccups in the schedule etc. Roll with it, baby.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “We had children at our wedding, which was lovely and meant that our guests could also enjoy some time away in Byron with their whole family. However, we brought in some babysitters from Rugrats Babysitting Byron Bay that could look after and entertain the kids if need be, which our guests with children were really appreciative of.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Big shout out to Byron Bay Weddings and our planner Jenn who kept us on track and pushed us to make decisions and lock things in. Che and the whole Fig Tree Restaurant crew, who even though they are running a very busy and popular wedding venue (because they are that good!), they manage to keep it a very personal and tailored experience. Our celebrant, Benjamin Carlyle got us from day one. He was the first and last celebrant we spoke to. Our guests loved him and he set the tone perfectly. Also, the lovely ladies at Bower Botanicals. I think we booked them in with less than four weeks to go and they nailed the brief. Loved it all- particularly the statement arbour, with giant palm fronds, pampas grass and bougainvillea. Wilde Visual captured the day perfectly and was unobtrusive. They made us feel comfortable, so big shout out for making these two awkwards look good.”
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer & Cinematographer Wilde Visual Event Planner & Stylist Byron Bay Weddings Florist Bower Botanicals Stationery Paperless Post Ceremony & Reception Fig Tree Restaurant Catering & Food Stands Fig Tree Restaurant & Feast Events Cake Sweet Obsessions Decorative Elements & Hire Items The Wedding Shed Lighting/ Sound Hire Byron Audio Entertainment North Coast Entertainment Celebrant Benjamin Carlyle Celebrant Rings Robbie Chapman Jewellery Transport Byron Bay Double Decker Bus Baby Sitters/ Kids Entertainment Rugrats Babysitting Byron Bay Flower Girl Outfit Tea Princess Page Boy Outfits Bardot Junior BRIDE Bridal Gown Alex Perry via Myer Reception Dress Bec + Bridge Shoes Billini Earrings Lucy Folk Denim Jacket Assembly Label (Personalised by the bride) Hair Edwards & Co Makeup Alexis Mahoney GROOM Jacket, Shirt & Pants Hugo Boss Shoes Brando Watch Omega
