Both occupational therapists by trade, Helen and Brad met on the job back in 2012 (although Brad had a career change a couple of years later, becoming a firefighter), but it took a few years before their friendship turned into something more. “We’ve been together ‘officially’ for four-and-a-half years, but have known each other for nine years,” Helen tells us. “I went overseas for a few years, but we kept in contact during that time (Brad said he would come and visit me, but he never did…). When I came back to Perth we caught up at a party and things went from there.” Who doesn’t love a friends-turned-lovers tale?!
In just seven months, Helen picked out her dreamy dress, Brad nabbed himself a dapper suit (by our friends at M.J. Bale, no less) and they called up the ever-so talented James Simmons to snap the big day. Let’s dive into all the juicy details!
THE VENUE “We only saw one other venue before landing on Moore & Moore. Despite being the one who has spent most of my [Helen] life in Fremantle, it was actually Brad that suggested it as a venue we should look at. As soon as we saw it, it was decision made – it was the ideal vibe and location we were after.”
THE VIBE “Party. Dance floor. Tunes. As little time as possible with formalities, as much time as possible on the dance floor. So much so that Brad made three amendments to the celebrant’s ceremony run-sheet – each of those amendments was cutting a bit out to get it under 10 minutes. On the day, a friend of ours timed the ceremony – 8 minutes, 40 seconds. We kept the vibe casual, which is why we opted for a cocktail-style reception on the day and didn’t want people worrying about seating plans or sitting through a lengthy speech.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “I was so in love with my flowers and the flower towers Steph from Wallflower put together for the ceremony and reception on the day. I provided her with such minimal information to go off and she went above and beyond. I really wanted to use some of my grandparents’ old vases as table centrepieces for the reception, which she incorporated so beautifully with the arrangements. Another favourite detail was that, at the last minute (two days before the wedding), we decided we wanted to put together a cheese board and offer port to drink towards the end of the night – it went down a treat with guests and acted as extra ‘dance juice’ for those on the d-floor.”
DIY “I put together the welcome sign and drinks menu for the bar myself, and tasked Brad with making a 2m-tall easel to hold up the welcome sign with 24 hours notice. I had no intention of doing anything DYI initially, but we weren’t going to have much signage, so thought it would be manageable enough for me to do on my own (I was mistaken).“
THE DRESS “I knew I didn’t want a full-length dress, especially as I didn’t want people (or me) stepping on pieces of fabric/train, and I wanted to dance and be comfortable for the night. Because timeframes were tight, and in the interest of keeping costs low, custom wasn’t an option, but finding something I really liked was proving tricky. I had been following Australian designer Dominique Healy on Instagram for a while and spotted a beautiful ivory silk wrap dress online so went ahead and purchased – it ended up being exactly what I wanted and the whole selection process ended up being relatively pain-free.
THE SUIT “Brad left his suit selecting down to the wire, especially considering it also required tailoring (Perth Tailoring Co. advised him to never leave it that close again). He had purchased a suit from M.J. Bale previously and loved it so thought it would be a safe bet again – which it was, taking us just one trip to the store to select the right one. Brad hates shopping for any type of clothing at the best of times, but I was surprised to see him take such a careful interest in this decision.“
MEMORABLE MOMENT “One of the funniest moments was when the DJ, 20 minutes into the dance floor, played Azealia Banks’ 212 and my 84-year-old nonna (grandmother) was happily dancing away without any recognition of the [very explicit] lyrics. (She was happily dancing to WAP later on in the night, too!) A really lovely moment, though, was Brad giving a beautiful speech he’d written that morning, which brought a tear to most guests’ eyes.”
LITTLE LOL “My sister-in-law almost forgetting to bring the wedding cakes. (We had a selection of cakes instead of singular cake to cut – orange jaffa cake, tart tatin, lemon meringue tart, and raspberry and coconut cake.) She only realised when she went to the fridge half an hour before leaving for the ceremony, to finish off the half banana she had left in there, and saw the cakes that were supposed to be delivered to the venue three hours earlier.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “got photos before the ceremony/reception, which meant we didn’t have to leave the party for hours on end, breaking up the vibe. We’re also glad we stayed away from more ‘traditional’ wedding songs/music, sticking to songs that kept the dance floor full – this is in large part due to the fantastic DJ we had on the night, DJ Austy.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “We feel so fortunate with all of our vendor choices – they were all absolutely outstanding and so incredibly easy to work with. James Simmons, our photographer, brought such a chill and confident energy that made us feel reassured our photos would turn out sweet. There were endless compliments on all of the amazing blooms Steph from Wallflower put together (she even smashed a burger in her van outside the venue while waiting for the ceremony to end so she could rearrange the flower towers from ceremony to reception!). DJ Austy was so smooth and effortless with his emceeing duties and pumping out tunes to keep the dance floor full. All of the staff at Moore & Moore were so incredibly attentive and accommodating on the night to us and all the guests, and the food was absolutely fabulous. Altogether they made the evening relaxed, fun and memorable for Brad and I.”
For more delicious pics from James Simmons or to get in touch with the talented lens man, hop on over to his directory listing – and while you’re there, take a peek at all the good stuff M.J. Bale has for guys in need of a good ‘fit. But for now, let’s get into the amazing snaps of Helen and Brad’s day!
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer James Simmons Florist Wallflower Ceremony, Reception, Catering, Hire Items & Lighting Moore & Moore Cakes Wild Bakery Sound Hire Streamline Entertainment Signage Officeworks Entertainment DJ Austy, Streamline Entertainment Celebrant Lee-Marita Guy-Wallis Rings Linneys (bride), Clarity Jewellers (groom) THE BRIDE Gown Dominique Healy Shoes ATP Atelier Accessories By Charlotte (earrings), Lady Jayne (hair pins) Hair Jordan via Peta Charles Hair Studio Makeup Irena Willcox THE GROOM Suit, Shirt & Tie M.J. Bale (tailored by Perth Tailoring Co.) Shoes Jeff Banks London Watch Giorgio Armani Barber Bloodhound Barbershop
