Jess, a photographic stylist and Mike, a real estate agent, tied the knot on the shores of The Sugar Wharf in beautiful Port Douglas after five glorious years (and one beautiful son) together. One of our fave Melbourne photographers Jess, from Brown Paper Parcel, was there to capture every fleeting moment, stolen kiss and loving smile. We’ll let the bride herself fill you in on the rest.
THE PROPOSAL “It was Christmas morning and Mike said he forgot a present for me, I was mortified. So we went for a walk down the beach with our beloved dog as we do every morning (whilst I wasn’t talking to Mike of course at this point) To my surprise Mike randomly took me out to the pier, which I thought was so strange as we never do that. As we walked further out, Mike got down on one knee and proposed. Nearly dropping the ring through the pier into the ocean, we momentarily stopped breathing for 2.5 seconds, then realised it was still in Mike’s hand… It was perfect and so us.”
THE VENUE “Mike’s sister and mother live in Port Douglas, Mikes sister Reina Patrick is an amazing events coordinator and her husband, Spencer Patrick, is a spectacular Chef and they own Harrisons Restaurant, they suggested it and we couldn’t resist. We then chose the Sugar Wharf as it’s the most amazing venue and being a pier, we thought it was very fitting and symbolic of how we got engaged, plus the natural outlook and sunsets you just can’t get in Melbourne.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “The flowers [by Flowers by Wynne] were divine and exactly what I requested, the number of mood boards I did for this wedding was insane, I went a little mood board crazy, but it paid off.”
THE DRESS “The dress was made over a year and my friend offered to make it for me, I designed it and with Kerry and Lisa we made a few changes along the way but it all came together. It was my bespoke vintage-inspired dream dress.”
REFERENCES “All the usual suspects – Hello May, Ruby and James, Brown Paper Parcel and of course Pinterest and the plethora of inspiration on Instagram.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “The speeches were by the far the most amazing part of the night for us, to hear our loved ones beautiful words was just divine. But I think hands down it was the surprise Huka organised by Mike’s mum Rose. It was lead by our MC (best man) and Mike’s cousin along with the Mouri people of Cairns. It was the most moving and emotional ceremony we have ever seen and we are still so touched till this day.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “Save like hell!! Oh and ladies, don’t worry about shoes, it literally took me a year to decide on them and three minutes to take them off on the night.”
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Brown Paper Parcel Event Planner & Hire Items Weddings By Port Douglas Wedding Hire Florist Flowers by Wynne Stationery Minted Place Cards Frankie Bear Designs via Etsy Ceremony & Reception The Sugar Wharf Catering Harrisons Restaurant Cake The Hungry Hummingbird Celebrant Sarah Woods Rings DB Jewellery THE BRIDE Dress Maker Kerry Armatas Bridal Hair Clip Jeanette Marree Shoes ASOS Hair & Makeup Rachael Gregory Bridesmaid Dresses Zimmermann THE GROOM Suit Soho WorkShop Suspenders Benjamin Barker Shoes Aquila Barber Area Studio.