We love all kinds of weddings here at Hello May but if you held a gun to our heads and forced us to choose our favourite you would probably hear us murmur something along the lines of £the surprise backyard kind. Yep we are suckers for a family orientated celebration. Especially as it’s so open to such wide interpretation.
Tying the knot on home turf doesn’t necessarily mean you are expected to say I do’ barefoot in a white cotton sun dress? If you want to go glam that’s ok too! It’s your party and you can wear a blush coloured sequinned gown if you want to? just like the gorgeous Jaria did, when she married her other half of ten glorious years, Paul!
You might recognise these two love birds from way back when we featured their engagement shoot in 2012. Since then they ditched their plan’s for a big March wedding, booked two one way tickets to London and threw one hell of a surprise wedding, beautifully photographed by one of Melbourne’s most sort after wedding photographers, Oli of Briars Atlas.
Having postponed their wedding, Jaira was busy planning their farewell and Paul’s birthday for March 29 instead. She tells us “It was the 27th of February when I joked to Paul about how crazy it would be to surprise our families with a wedding instead. Paul looked at me, straight faced, and said ‘that’s actually not such a bad idea’. We had always wanted a small wedding in Paul’s mother’s backyard with our closest family and friends.”
She goes on to say “everything just came together like a perfectly cooked chicken and seafood Paella. Of course, we had let our wedding party in on the secret and our parents who were instrumental leading up to the wedding. With only a month to plan, we needed all the help we could get – without spilling the beans to the rest of our family and closest friends”.
By the looks of these stunning photos the day couldn’t have gone any better, the sun was shining and Jaira and Paul tell us each and every one of their guests arrived to their ‘farewell’ on time. At 3pm, Paul popped the surprise and Jaira explains “seeing our families and friends’ faces as the ceremony finished was just wonderful. They were ecstatic and filled with joy and the rest of the day was just magical and the perfect way to farewell them”. Jaira and Paul left two days later on the adventure of a lifetime.
CREDITS Photos Briars Atlas // Bridal gown Vivid, Chadstone Shopping Centre // Flowers Virgin Flowers // Hair and makeup Katrina Villegas // Grooms shirt and tie Zara // Cake Cake Red Hill // Ceremony and reception Private residence // Catering Spanish Home Catering // Lighting and Marquee AABC // Hay Bales The Hay Shed // Celebrant Lisa Foster .