Welcome to the nups of Jen and Nik, two very clever cookies. With PhDs in psychology and philosophy respectively, the duo found their chemistry when they were teamed up for a work project. Four years on, Jen and Nik graduated from fiancés to fully fledged wife and hubs in a gorg inner-city garden ceremony before partying on at the iconic Post Office Hotel.
Suitably created Nik’s custom ‘fit, and Jen’s wow-worthy dress (which she paired with Bared Footwear) inspired the “fun, bright, and colourful” vibe. The newlyweds’ honour roll of vendors understood the assignment with their celebrant, Precious Celebrations, One More Song DJs, and photographer Nikki McCrone receiving special shoutouts for their amazingness. Revisit all the goodness from Jen and Nik’s Melbourne day below!
THE PROPOSAL “After Jen finished her PhD we stayed in our tiny apartment near the university for as long as we could to save money before starting house hunting. Luckily, we found our wonderful house after just a few months of looking. We were driving to the place to clean it and get the keys, and she asked me why I was wearing such nice clothes. I got down on one knee and proposed right on our new doorstep! Jen said yes, and then, just as we were celebrating, the real estate agent came around the corner, ruining the vibe! Haha.”
FAVE MOMENT “It has to be the ceremony. Precious, our celebrant, handled everything to a T, and we felt completely calm. I loved that my parents walked me side by side down to the start of the aisle where Nik met me. I love that Nik and I walked in ‘together’”.
TALK ABOUT TRADITION (Jen) “Nik’s mum passed away when he was 12 – so a long time ago. We know that many weddings include a photo of the family member, but that didn’t feel quite right for us. We landed on marking her in the ceremony through a reading or similar.” (Nik) “After talking to my dad, we found a perfect song from her old record collection: Our House – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The opening lines reminded me so much of all those pictures of my parents building their house in Canberra and then tied together with us buying our place and the engagement it was the perfect song. It was really special when Alison, [Nik’s older cousin], read out the poem. We both teared up and had to compose ourselves. It honestly meant so much to us.”
LITTLE LOL “In the middle of the ceremony, a mynah bird landed right next to Jen and me and started chirping at us. Precious was quick to ask the bird if she had any objections, but after a few chirps, the bird flew off. Precious then quipped, ‘They are a minor anyway, so they are not allowed to drink.’ There were laughs and groans from the audience, and my family and I were recorded on the wedding video laughing way too hard at this bad dad joke.”
THE SUIT “After taking screenshots of the suits I liked, it was clear I wanted something with checks, with a bit more colour. After all, I needed to fit in with the fun theme as well. We ended up going with Suitably, which is a small tailor owned and run by Alexander. He had a great range of fabrics and was able to give us large pieces of fabric as samples, which made me feel comfortable that a more quirky pattern would work. Alexander made it look amazing, and it all came together so well. Even though it was a 35-degree day, I wore the full three pieces and didn’t break out sweating. The light wool fabric was just so breathable. [Jen’s dress] was kept a secret from me, but every time Jen showed the tailors, they would have these big reactions talking about how different it was. After every appointment, I would walk out with a different idea of what the dress looked like. But even after all that speculation, I was totally wrong. The first look photo captures just how surprised I was and how amazing Jen looked.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Our DJ Eddy (One More Song DJs) really got our vibe and helped bring the energy on the day. He was also a big help in picking out our special songs and gave us the confidence to pick songs that really resonated with us rather than ones we thought we should pick. Precious, our celebrant, really did perform the most special, memorable and personalised ceremony. She went above and beyond to make me feel so supported, and I trusted her 110%. Last but not least, our photographer, Nikki! I wrote the longest Google Review ever (a mini-essay) because I could go on and on about this woman. She is so bloody talented at what she does, and we could not be happier with our entire experience with Nikki from the day we enquired with her to the way we received our photos. Her photos are next to none, and it’s amazing how she’s able to capture such candid, happy and full of emotion photos. She’s somehow able to capture the milliseconds between the moments, and when you look at her photos, she’s able to transport you right back to that very moment.”
Damn, now that’s a glowing testimonial! And well deserved, we say. Lucky for you brides and grooms-to-be, you can reach out to Nikki McCrone, Precious Celebrations, and One More Song DJs on the Hello May Directory. It’s also where you’ll find Suitably and Bared Footwear – making getting dressed on the big day easy peasy, as well as the Post Office Hotel – hit them up if you’re still looking for the perfect inner-city venue.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Nikki McCrone On -The-Day Coordinator Big Day Co Florist The Posy Yard Stationery The Good Orange (Invite Template) & Canva Printer Officeworks & Canva Ceremony Venue CERES Reception Venue Post Office Hotel Catering Catering Project Cake Maker Beurre Hire Items Weddings of Distinction Photo Booth Jimbo’s Amazing Photobooth Signage Jennifer Chung & Nikolai Alksnis (Bride & Groom) & Officeworks Entertainment Eddy Mac – One More Song DJs. Celebrant Precious Celebrations Rings Grew & Co (Bride) & Temple & Grace (Groom) Transport Alex Alksnis (Family) THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Designer Rue De Seine & Rachel Gilbert Bridal Boutique The Bridal Atelier Hair Piece Lovisa Robes / Getting Ready Tees Peter Alexander Shoes Bared Footwear Accessories S-kin Studio & Concrete Jellyfish Hair & Makeup Ingrid Howlett – Tonic Agency Fragrance/Perfume Chanel Bridesmaid Gifts Concrete Jellyfish THE GROOM Suit, Jacket, Shirt, Pants, Bow tie & Cufflinks Suitably Shoes Florsheim Barber / Grooming Lords Of The North Barber Shop Groomsmen Gifts EB Game
