In the year leading up to their big day, photographer Shona and electrician Jason kept a pretty huge secret? Their wedding was actually their second! You see, soon after their engagement, they tied the knot in an intimate Adelaide Hills ceremony.
As Shona explains £We have grandparents in Adelaide who could not travel but who so wanted to see us get married. But because I had been photographing weddings for so many years there, I really wanted a destination wedding. Our compromise was two weddings. The first was only 24 people, a beautiful ceremony and dinner under a tree on a perfect Sunday evening.
It wasn’t until their second wedding in the Kangaroo Valley that everyone learned that the two had already been hitched for a year! £I loved sharing our surprise slideshow with all our guests showing them our first ceremony. The response was amazing. Most people were pretty emotional, especially three of our bridesmaids who couldn’t stop crying. I just remember feeling happy and proud of what we had achieved, explains the bride, who pulled out all the stops for the second go of their fun-filled included many Hello May favourites like Danelle Bohane Photography, Liv Lundelius and Kathryn Green.
£We wanted our wedding to feel like a festival, this way it would last longer than just the day – which we all know goes so fast. We promoted the wedding like it was a festival, festival invite tickets, website with all the information. Everyone called it Jonafest, the couple says, adding that the music and the flowers were both big highlights from the day.
£Sally from Poppies Flowers is one talented lady. I showed her a few photos of what I liked but told her to go for it, explains Shona, who was totally taken aback by Sally’s dedication. She even surprised the couple with dahlias (a love of Jason’s) which were out of season at the time.
Funnily enough, Shona, too, found her own version of the floral fave? in her Dahlia’ Rue De Seine wedding gown from Sydney bridal boutique The Barefaced Bride (who you can learn more about here). £The Dahlia dress was like nothing I had ever seen, and I’ve certainly seen my share of dresses, she tells us, admitting she was beyond happy their adorable dog Mango was in attendance for Jonafest.
£He didn’t move an inch during the ceremony or even open his eye and then followed us around throughout the whole day, even as we were introduced into the reception, there he was at our heels? Except when the grazing table was happening during pre-dinner drinks. He patiently waited for each guests to feel sorry for him and share their piece of cured meat with him. Who could say no to that face?!
CREDITS Photos Danelle Bohane Photography // Bridal gown Rue De Seine via The Barefaced Bride // Hair piece The Barefaced Bride // Shoes Mod Cloth and Famous Footwear // Accessories Accessorize and Three Wise Monkeys // Hair and Makeup Liv Lundelius // Bridesmaid dresses The Iconic // Shirt and groomsmen Country Road // Pants Universal // Vests Hockerty // Ties Hey Sir via Etsy and Sew Miracle // Shoes Universal // Suspenders Crystal Amour via Etsy // Florist Poppies Flowers // Stationery Kathryn Green // Ceremony and reception Broger’s End, NSW // Catering and cake Violets and Vinegar // Furniture hire South Coast Party Hire // Entertainment The Honey Collins and Frankie Smart // Cinematographer Joseph Willis.
