After an epic proposal (see below for details) these two spent 18 months enjoying their engagement and planning their wedding, in intimate affair in the heart of Melbourne that they invited one of our fave photographers, Elsa Campbell, along to photograph. Millie will fill you in on the rest…
THE PROPOSAL “Jarrod couriered a hand drawn sketch to my work along with a hotel key, 5,000 yen (we were living in Tokyo) and directions on how to get to my destination. After sitting for what felt like hours in traffic I arrived at a penthouse, corner room at the Park Hyatt (made famous by the film Lost in Translation), where Jarrod proposed. This was followed by dinner at an incredible, tiny Italian restaurant in the suburb of Yoyogi-Uehara, Tokyo and lots of celebratory drinks!”
THE THEME “We wanted to have a very Melbourne wedding with good food, wine and a 70s disco dance floor. However, we wanted to give a nod to our life in Japan and so themed the venue with elements of Japanese forests – green and wild and ethereal.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “By far our favourite detail of the day was the florals. The indoor forest elements created by Botanics of Melbourne was phenomenal, along with the table settings and our completely green bridal bouquets. The brief we gave Botanics was to create something inspired by the island of Yakushima in Japan where we had had incredible hiking adventures, and Shane absolutely nailed it. The centrepieces were magic, fitted into Panama Dining Room seamlessly, and our photos during the ceremony in front of our tree lined arch are among my favourite.”
THE DRESS “I loved my dress! My dress was made by the lovely Linda Jane Doble in her studio in Northcote. I bought the fabric from Tyler’s Fabrics in Richmond completely sight unseen (as I was in Tokyo) so I was a bit nervous, but Linda crafted the most awesome gold beaded creation. Over the course of four months and seven or so fittings, we literally invented the dress as we went along and I was thrilled with the outcome.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “Outsource! Don’t be afraid to use other people’s help as they’ll make life a lot easier and have really good ideas. Don’t forget to enjoy the day and try to spend time with each other during the reception – you’ll be pulled in every direction and the evening will absolutely fly past you.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Our photographer, Elsa Campbell, was unreal! She was so much fun, so lovely, so relaxed and just fabulous. We didn’t want anything too bridal or fussy and we’re both very awkward posers but Elsa absolutely nailed the brief. Our florist, Botanics of Melbourne was also awesome – he created such a unique, special indoor forest and we were over the moon with his originality.”
Check out more real weddings from the talented Elsa Campbell here. She gets rave reviews from all five couples!
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Elsa Campbell Event planner & Stylist Wedding Day PA Florist Botanics of Melbourne Stationery Adelphi Mou Ceremony, Reception & Catering Panama Dining Room Dessert Messina Gelato Entertainment On Point Entertainment Celebrant Gemma Schooneveldt (Bride’s aunt) Rings Homemade Transport Uber THE BRIDE Dress Maker Linda Jane Doble Fabric Tyler’s Fabrics Shoes Wittner Hair Jodie Porter Makeup Zoe O’Meara THE GROOM Suit Carl Nave Shoes Double Monk Watch Kapten & Son