Real Wedding – Jacqui & Tom, Flinders VIC
On a stunning private property in the Mornington Peninsula, beautiful Jacqui emerged from an old army jeep to seal the deal with her groom Tom.
Soaked in sunshine, they feasted on long tables filled with gourmet food and gorgeous gum leaves. However, as soon as the stars came out, they all hit the dance floor and boogied like they never had before. Tribe lens legend, Tony Evans was invited to capture the day and we think you’ll agree, the smiles and imagery sum up this party perfectly!
In Jacqui’s words…
The meeting.
A mutual swipe to the right, meant we met at a pub, 5 years ago.
‘The one’.
We couldn’t tell you, from the start we really enjoyed spending time together and we make each other laugh. The fact Tom is an amazing cook might have helped!
The proposal.
We were at Flinders, enjoying a walk along the beach, when Tom paused and pointed out something in the distance. I turned back to find him on one knee and it took me a moment to realise what was going on. The special part was that Tom had designed and 3D printed a ring that twisted to reveal ‘LOVE YOU LONGTIME’ written on the band.
Planning process.
We had been engaged for a while before we finally decided to bite the bullet and get hitched! We wanted to get married at my parents place in Flinders (the same place Tom proposed) and our wedding date was determined by the availability of accommodation at the local pub.
We gave ourselves just under 6 months to plan, which I think made the process a great deal easier and less stressful, as we found a number of suppliers were already booked. We kept saying to each other (and our mothers) “it is, what it is”. We just needed to make quick decisions, and put complete trust in the people we engaged.
Style inspiration.
We just wanted to celebrate with our friends and family and throw a BIG party!
We wanted delicious food and wine, great beats and to be surrounded by our amazing friends and family, under the gum trees down at Flinders.
The dress.
It’s funny, I never wanted to wear a traditional white wedding dress. I just wanted something I could dance comfortably in.
After a day of shopping with my mum and sister and trying on a few dresses – none of which were amazing, mum convinced me to pop into Karen Willis Holmes and have a look. We were 3 months out from the wedding, which meant choices were limited, but I ended up trying on a dress from their ready to wear collection – Mum teared up and after making sure I could boogie in it, we decided it was the one!
Favourite moments.
Jacqui – A boogie with my bridal party just before we left for the ceremony. One of my bridesmaid’s Alice put on Flume’s ‘Never Be Like You’ and we all danced it out, before getting in the cars!
Tom – Seeing Jacqui walking down the aisle, after getting out of the old Jeep.
Traditions.
We didn’t keep to too many traditions on the day, but one unexpected and incredibly special tradition was from my grandmother. The morning of the wedding, dad gave me an envelope with a handkerchief from my grandmother, it was embroidered with her initials in blue (which are mine as well) – my ‘something borrowed, something blue’!
Meaning of marriage.
For us, marriage is a celebration of the great relationship we have, surrounded by our friends and family.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle – La Mer by Charles Trenet
Signing – La vie en rose by Louis Armstrong and Via con me by Paolo Conte
End – This Will Be by Natalie Cole
First dance – Jubel by Klingande (our song)
Funny stories (or near disasters).
We had a last-minute hiccup with the flowers, a family friend was going to do them for us but panicked the week before and pulled out! A friend of mine put me in contact with Belinda from the Road Stall, who was an absolute lifesaver! I had a panicked meeting with her the Tuesday before the wedding and put complete trust in her to just do something. The flowers were even more amazing than I could have hoped for! Friends also helped me the day before the wedding, cut and gather carloads worth of gum leaves, which we decorated the table with. It all worked out in the end!
Planning surprises.
How quickly it all happens!
Words of wisdom.
Just enjoy it!
The most memorable moments in the lead-up are those that were spent with family and friends, planning and preparing for our wedding. Boozey trips with our parents to our favourite wineries to select the perfect vino, filling endless jars of honey with both our mothers, late night trips to Ikea and Bunnings for supplies and making happy hankies with our flower girl (which was her idea)!
It all added up to create such a brilliant day, that so many people felt a part of!
Final words.
Everything happens for a reason.
We stumbled upon Libby after another celebrant cancelled on us. At our first meeting, Libby mentioned that she taught German, as it turns out my mum is German. We decided to do the welcome introduction in German, no one but the three of us knew. As the ceremony started we looked out to a sea of puzzled faces wondering what was going on and my mum in tears – it was a really special moment for the both of us.
Fancy getting hitched in Mornington Peninsula? Here’s our top venues for you to take a peek at.
JACQUI AND TOM’S TRIBE
Ceremony and reception location: Private Property near Flinders
Celebrant/Officiant: Libby Briggs
Photography: Tony Evans – Tony was truly amazing, we didn’t want any staged shots, we wanted someone who would capture the memories of the day – candid shots of our guests laughing and enjoying themselves. Tony was so relaxed and friendly, that he made everyone feel so comfortable, which shows in our photos.
Styling: All ourselves, with the additional help from our amazing friends and family.
Florist: The Road Stall – Belinda was a life saver and the flowers were better than I could have ever imagined!
Hair and Make Up: Bunny and Bohe – Laura is such a beautiful person. I could not have asked for anyone better to do my hair and makeup, she was so relaxed and spent the morning laughing with all of us. We all felt amazing and she even made sure Dad looked sharp as well!
The Dress: Karen Willis Holmes
Jewelry/Accessories: Lucy Folk Earrings and Georg Jensen Bracelet
Shoes: Nine West
Rings: Cushla Whiting
Bridesmaids dresses: Various – Kookai, Bianca Spender, Nique
Groom and groomsmen suits: Country Road
Grooms Shoes: RM Williams
Catering: Ed Dixon Food Design – We truly would not have been able to do it without Ed Di Ed, she’s absolutely brilliant and was great at calming mum’s nerves! Delicious food, amazing staff and endless suggestions on how to make it a fabulous day!
Favors: As we were married at my parents place in Flinders where I grew up, we wanted to gift our guests jars of honey from Tom’s family farm on the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia.
Cake: Tom’s mum made us two delicious cakes and we also ordered cronuts from our local Red Hill Bakery Johnny Ripe. They were delicious and guests could eat them while dancing!
Stationery / Signage: A great friend of ours Charlie from FIVE CREATIVE helped us with our invitations. Signage was a family effort, Tom’s Dad cut the signs that my sister and I painted the weekend before.
Entertainment: – Rutherford Entertainment – Highly recommend. The addition of the sax player and Koffi the drummer, made our dance floor!
Transport: Tom’s beloved ute and a family friend drove Jacqui and her dad in his old army jeep. Jacqui’s brother got up early the morning of the wedding to make us a ‘Just Married’ sign for the car – which was a great surprise!
Honeymoon: India – Magical! The colour, pattern, people and food!
