“Who says you need two years to plan a wedding?” That’s what bride Jules had to tell us after she and her groom Gary locked down their big day in less than four months! “The night we set our wedding date, we were out celebrating Gary’s birthday and after a few too many amaretto sours we thought, ‘Stuff it,’ and set a date less than four months away. The logical part of our brains caught up the next morning but we were committed and totally pulled it off without breaking a sweat!”
With COVID attempting to throw spanners in the works every step of the way, Jules and Gary still managed to get the day of their dreams happening, with a little help from stellar vendors like photographer Jillian McHugh. “We said from the get-go we wanted something intimate and low-key that would really allow us to focus on what our special day was all about without all the stress that typically comes with planning a big day.”
THE VIBE “We had a few ideas on how we wanted things to look/feel and set out to find the best vendors to bring it all to life and it is exactly what we got! One thing we knew we wanted was colour. From the flowers by Franc Flora, to our venue, to our guests, we got the colour explosion we really wanted!”
THE VENUE “Due to all the restrictions we kind of went in blind with trying to find a venue interstate when we were unable to travel. All we wanted was one venue that could host both our ceremony and reception as well as have the option for accommodation given we had guests travelling from interstate. We had a few issues given the short notice however, after we connected with QT Perth it all came together. We were able to host the ceremony in a function room, the pre-reception drinks in their bar and the reception in their private dining room, which all worked out perfectly. It was just a breeze not having to have all our guests trek across town to multiple different venues over the course of the afternoon/evening.”
FAVE DETAILS “Hands down the flowers and our cakes! I could not believe my eyes when Carla from Franc Flora walked in with my bridal bouquet and then to see that on an even bigger scale at the ceremony and reception, we were blown away. Our cakes, by Butterdream Baking, were next level – yes we had two! We had my ‘something blue’ with one cake and a pop of pink with the other. Heather then took our florals and tied them in with the cakes and they were next level.”
THE DRESS “I had tried on a few white dresses but none of them felt like ‘the one’. I had seen this dress by Vagabond Bridal online and could not believe it when I realised there was a boutique in SA, Imagine Bridal Lounge, that stocked it. I had an appointment with the boutique all booked in and two days beforehand, COVID sent us into lockdown. The ladies at Imagine Bridal were amazing and squeezed me in before the lockdowns kicked in at midnight. So Gary, being the absolute angel he is, drove me over an hour away at 9:30pm and sat in the car while I tried on dresses alone. The second I put it on I knew it was the one. Lucky for me, my dress was able to be rush ordered and arrived just a few weeks out from our big day.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT “We found out just days before our wedding that we were expecting our first baby and our celebrant snuck in a line to casually announce it to our family and friends. Seeing the look of surprise and pure happiness on everyone’s faces sent our emotions into overdrive. It was also the first time both of our families had met so to have all our special peeps in the one place celebrating us was just amazing.”
A WORD OF ADVICE… “You’re going to have so many people share their thoughts and opinions on what they think you should or shouldn’t be doing but just remember, when it comes down to it, it’s your day and you just need to stick with what you want. Also, find vendors that you trust. We picked a team of absolute legends and let them take full creative control and it was honestly one of the best things we could have done.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Our photographer, Jillian McHugh, captured our day in a way no-one else could. We are both a bit awkies and really didn’t want an album full of staged photos to look back on. She made the whole experience so comfortable and enjoyable for us, and captured all the candid moments we will look back on and cherish forever. PIur celebrant, Kate of Hitched by Kate, was an absolute gem. She came recommended to us by our photographer and after connecting via email we locked her in on the spot. We could not have found anyone better to tell our story and set the tone for our whole day.“
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Jillian McHugh Florist Franc Flora Stationery Mila + May Ceremony & Reception QT Perth Catering Santini Bar & Grill Cake Butterdream Baking Cake Topper Etched Wedding favours Butterdream Baking (personalised cookies) Hire Items M Event Hire Signage Etched, Parties Made Pretty Celebrant Hitched by Kate Rings Villani Jewellers (bride), James Thredgold (groom) THE BRIDE Gown Vagabond Bridal Bridal Boutique Imagine Bridal Lounge Shoes Loeffler Randall Hair Hair With Grace Makeup Alicia Clayton Makeup Artist Fragrance Byredo Rose of No Man’s Land THE GROOM Suit, Shirt, Bow Tie & Cufflinks Hugo Boss via Joseph Uzumcu