Real Wedding – Jane & Darcy, Melbourne VIC
As a vibrant thread in the fabric of Melbourne’s wedding industry (and one of our very own vendors!) Jane of Love Jane has seen it all. So when it came time to plan her own day with partner Darcy, she envisioned something that felt undeniably them; thoughtful, joy-filled, and effortlessly relaxed.
The moment Jane stepped onto the Portico Balcony at Melbourne Town Hall, she knew this was where she wanted to exchange vows. The hum of Collins Street below, the rhythmic clang of trams along Swanston Street – it all captured the soul of the city they love, and the energy they wanted to share with their favourite people.
From greeting guests pre-ceremony to choosing meaningful traditions and details, every aspect of their celebration is a reflection of who they are. With the creative styling of Georgey from We Are Hosted, they brought to life a crisp palette of whites, soft greens, and touches of blue to echo the coastal elegance of their bayside reception.
And let’s not forget the fashion. Jane wowed with not one, but three impeccable looks: a strapless Mariana Hardwick gown, a chic MH mini, and a structured Khya dress complete with wedding hat and veil, whilst Darcy looked sharp in a deep navy Oscar Hunt suit. It was a celebration brimming with style, soul, and sentiment; captured with heart, artistry and intention by Loulou Memphis and Lachy Films.
The meeting.
In 2015, we were both beginning our careers in radio/media. Jane had been living in Hamilton, Victoria for about nine months when Darcy came along, he got a job at the radio station that Jane was working at. Darcy also asked around to see if there was anyone looking for a housemate, Jane offered up her spare room, because she was dreadfully bored of the small town life, coupled with living alone, and thought it would be great to have someone to take over her lease when she eventually moved on to greener pastures. Darcy moved in, and approximately four weeks later, after a few drinks at the Dunkeld Cup, we began dating. So, they were living together, working together, and dating.
The ‘one’.
After initially living together, we spent a few years living apart, as we both moved for work: Darcy to Melbourne and Jane to Bendigo. When we finally moved back in together, we were both so relieved that it was still so easy and enjoyable spending so much time together. We went into lockdown a few months after this, and having each other to lean on and hang out with throughout that challenging time cemented just how important being together was. There’s never been a time while we’ve been together where we haven’t imagined a future together. It’s always been simple and fun.
The proposal.
Jane: I was definitely a bit salty that Darcy hadn’t proposed already, it was a running joke amongst all of our friends. We’d been together for seven years when Darcy proposed. I didn’t know this, but Darcy’s Mother, Virginia, had said to him a few years before he proposed that she had some jewellery from Darcy’s Grandmother and great-grandmother that he would be welcome to have if he wanted to propose. Darcy planned to pop the question on Jane’s 30th birthday, so he called his Mum and asked if he could take a look at the rings she’d mentioned. Virginia drove the jewellery to Melbourne the next day, and Darcy went to a jeweller to have a ring made. The ring he designed was a trilogy ring, with the centre diamond from his great-grandmother, and the accompanying diamonds belonging to his grandmother. He’d consulted a few friends to make sure he was on the right track.
After picking up the ring, Darcy called Jane’s Dad, Robbie, to let him know that he was going to propose. He told him it would be a few months away, which was risky, as Robbie is the world’s worst keeper of secrets. Thankfully, Robbie didn’t have to sit on the secret for long, because the day after Darcy picked up the ring, he decided to propose. They were getting ready to go to a preliminary final at the MCG (Geelong V Collingwood), and Jane had just arrived home after taking the dog to the vet. Darcy was waiting inside with a huge bouquet of flowers, and as soon as Jane walked in the door, he launched into a spiel, handed over the flowers and got down on one knee – we both started crying when Darcy told me about the ring’s origin.
Planning process.
Because Jane works in the industry and goes to lots of weddings, she spent the best part of 12 months gathering inspiration and ideas and would present them to Darcy. The wedding we started to plan was entirely different from the wedding we had. Somewhere around 12 months out, after we’d booked a stunning venue and set a date, we had a bit of a realisation that we wanted to have our wedding in a place that was truly meaningful to us; Darcy’s parents were married in his Grandparents’ garden, and Jane’s parents were married in the same church that her Grandmother attended every single Sunday. Jane was the celebrant at a wedding at Melbourne Town Hall in November 2023, and the moment she walked out onto the portico balcony, it felt right.
Jane: As a wedding vendor, I felt like my brain was 99% weddings at all times. I truly picked up some of the best ideas from couples I’d married and borrowed elements from styling and thoughtful details that I loved. In the end, we wanted to ensure our wedding was a joyful and relaxed experience, so all our decisions were based on that sentiment.
Style inspiration.
Less is more. I’m not sure if it’s a product of us having moved house so many times, but we’re both minimalists and appreciate efficiency and quality. So, we wanted our styling to be simple, but elegant. Darcy’s Mum is an incredible gardener, she is the Camelia Queen of Newtown (she is now, anyway), and we love the green and white that envelops their home so we wanted to capture some of that white/green opulence, and our incredible stylist, Georgey (Hosted) did the rest.
Georgey and I have been friends for years, so she knew what I wanted without me having to say it. Georgey put together an incredible team that executed her brief to perfection. We also knew that we needed to have some cohesiveness between our two venues; one in the city, and one by the sea – which are very different vibes. The florals and the signage truly brought it together with whites, greens and touches of blue for the sea and sky.
The ceremony.
Darcy’s cousin, Patrick Preece, was our celebrant. Pat is a urologist and very busy but managed to craft the most wonderful ceremony for us, he captured us perfectly. We greeted our guests before the ceremony, which I think caught a few people off guard, but it was so great to break that mould and have some extra hugs with our favourite people.
Jane: Even though I’ve been a part of well over 100 ceremonies, I never anticipated just how foreign it would feel to be the centre of attention!
The look.
The team at Oscar Hunt looked after Darcy and his groomsmen. We opted for an almost black navy – Jane wanted a black tie wedding, Darcy wanted cocktail, so we landed somewhere in the middle. The navy blue was perfect with the pops of blue we included in the styling and the bridesmaid dresses.
Jane: I knew well before Darcy proposed that I wanted to wear a Mariana Hardwick gown. Living in South Melbourne, we’d often walk and drive past MH. I knew what I wanted, and when I tried the sample on, I felt comfortable and I felt like myself. I went to a few other bridal shops, but my heart was always with Mariana Hardwick. I ordered my gown about 18 months out from the wedding and went through the process of having it made to measure. I changed a few elements as we went, and then about five months out from the wedding, during one of my fittings, I asked to try on one of their mini dresses, and put down the deposit then and there for it. It was the perfect party look. I was super indecisive when it came to a veil, so I opted for a scarf and a cathedral veil that could be worn over my face, or out of the way! I wore both and regret nothing.
Because we’d always envisaged meeting our guests pre-ceremony, I wanted a look that would be super chic and almost rehearsal-dinner vibes. I went to Kyha, looking for a reception mini, and came across the most perfect structured, mini dress… while I was there, I started trying on some hats from their new collection, and as soon as I put the hat on with the dress, I knew I had to have a wedding hat! It was giving serious Parent Trap/Elizabeth James energy. And so my pre-ceremony look was born! I paired it with some Christian Louboutin satin Mary Jane heels, and it ended up working. I didn’t have any real inspiration for this look, I just chose something that made me feel chic!
For the bridesmaids’ dresses, all I wanted was for my friends to feel great and be comfortable. Personally, I wouldn’t love to wear a figure-hugging satin dress, so I gave them creative license to wear whatever they wanted, and they all chose so well. I hadn’t seen all of the dresses until the wedding day, and I was so fine with that!
Favourite moments.
We did a first look pre-ceremony at St Vincent Gardens in Albert Park, Darcy’s parents brought our Golden Retriever, Ollie to the park for a few photos – it was the best! Also, when we arrived at the reception venue, driving along Beach Road, the venue came into view and we saw all of our guests out in the sun… it was perfect!
Meaning of marriage.
It’s choosing the person who brings the best out in you, the person who understands you, never judges and can be exactly what you need in challenging moments. To us, it’s an adventure – we trust each other enough to dive into the unknown together.
Wedding soundtrack.
Processional: Come away with me by Norah Jone
Recessional: Brass in Pocket by Pretenders
We didn’t do an entrance or first dance, we instead cut a ribbon to open the dance floor – the first song was Short Skirt/Long Jacket by Cake.
Funny stories or near disasters.
We had an incredibly tight bump in schedule – I think Georgey (our planner) and her husband, Jack, were actually telling the guests from the earlier event to put down their champagne glasses and get out so our suppliers could set up. It was a long lunch that went extra long, but we would never have known!
Planning surprises.
People LOVE a city wedding! The feedback from our guests was that the tram ride from Melbourne Town Hall to the Port Melbourne Yacht Club was so much fun. I wish I had photos of the wedding tram. We were worried it might be logistically tricky on a Friday afternoon on Collins Street, but apparently it was a vibe!
Words of wisdom.
If you can, hire a planner/stylist or an on-the-day co-ordinator. For us, having a stylist/planner streamlined a lot of communications with vendors and it also made for the most cohesive, organised day. Also, choose vendors who you trust and let them do their thing!
When it comes to planning your own wedding ceremony, not everyone has a family member who also moonlights as a celebrant but luckily, we have inside information about how you can best personalise your ceremony right here.
JANE & DARCY’S VENDORS
We had quite a long engagement, therefore plenty of time to plan and as a bonus, we were able to lock in a lot of our first choices for vendors. Working in the industry was so advantageous, it cut out a lot of the initial vetting. By the time our wedding rolled around, I’d worked with almost all our suppliers, meeting your photographers and videographer in person before the day is a luxury not many people are afforded.
We chose vendors whose work we loved and connected with, and trusted them to bring our vision to life, which they all did.
Ceremony venue: Melbourne Town Hall (Portico Balcony). Before the day, Darcy had never been to the venue, so watching his reaction was magical, as were the reactions of our guests. We love our city so much, and were glad to have it as the backdrop for our ceremony. Everything ran so smoothly there, and the sounds of Collins street and the trams was perfect!
Reception venue: Port Melbourne Yacht Club (Atlantic Group) – this was Darcy’s pick! After locking in Town Hall for our ceremony, we were looking for a reception space. When Darcy suggested the Yacht Club, all I could do was trust him. After a site visit with our planner, Georgey, things started to take shape. It’s such a light, open blank canvas of a space, I think the AG staff were a bit perplexed by all of our plans to bring in our own furniture and flip the usual layout, but it worked so well. The weather was perfect, so we were able to do cocktail hour on the deck, and in a strange twist of fate, it was the least windy day Port Philip Bay has seen in its history (unconfirmed).
Celebrant: Patrick Preece – Patrick is Darcy’s cousin on his Mother’s side. Usually he spends his days working as a Urologist, a very meaningful and important job – so the fact that he took time out of his busy schedule meant so much to us. Patrick really set the tone for the day, our guests LOVED him, he was perfectly professional, warm and his dry-humour was everything we could have wanted, and some. Patrick was so low-key about his ability and talent as a Celebrant, but was truly a highlight of our day – if for some reason he decided to quit medicine, I’m sure he would be highly sought after.
Photography: Loulou Memphis – As a Celebrant, I spend so much time on Instagram scrolling through wedding photos, and I get sent so many beautiful galleries from my couples – time and time again, it was Loulou Memphis whose photos I was drawn to. We love the documentary/natural style that they shoot with, elegant, refined and timeless were the words we kept coming back to and I think the LLM team are the best at this. Our on the day photographers were Gina and Scott, who not only made us feel relaxed and at ease, but made the portrait sessions fun – we had such a great time with them. We decided to add 35mm film closer to our day, and honestly these photos are some of our favourites.
I love that we can look back at our photos and what we see is a genuine and accurate representation of what we felt and experienced on the day.
Content Creation: Amour Studio – Abby was honestly one of the most valuable players on the day. Her ability to read a room is second only to her phenomenal talent as a content creator. From the outset, Abby was warm, friendly, hilarious and just did what she needed to do – it was like having a friend capturing content. There was a moment at Town Hall when I was changing outfits, Darcy and Abby were both helping me and I heard a rip! If it wasn’t for Abby I think I would have burst into tears, her calming words and presence were so reassuring (still unsure what the rip was). I could go on all day…
Videography: Lachy Films – If you’ve ever met Lachy, you’ll know why we booked him. I met him at a wedding about a month before ours, we’d been unsure about a videographer – and when I met him and saw him with his cute little super 8 camera, I knew he was the videographer for us. I didn’t actually tell Darcy I’d booked him until a week before the wedding – whoops! On the day Lachy was the best, and on reflection we can’t imagine not having him there.
Styling: Hosted – When Georgey started Hosted, we knew that we needed to lock her in. She rode the wave with us from start to finish. She is a genuine superwoman; she shielded us from (most) of the stress, ran around getting quotes, coordinating vendors, fielded all of our questions, and the vision that she proposed and executed was beyond perfect. I cannot recommend getting a planner/stylist (specifically Georgey) enough.
Florist: Flowers by Brett Matthew John – Flowers were so important to me, it’s what I notice at every wedding. We wanted a florist who could wield their magic to bind the old/traditional Town Hall with the airy/contemporary (PMYC) – we trusted FBMJ emphatically and they delivered. I loved that at the end of the night, all of our guests were able to take home some flowers.
Hair: Alex Fielding (Ceremony) and Aerial Studio (reception) – Alex was such a delight to work with, she made every one of us feel beautiful, she was the perfect person to have around on the ‘morning of’. I then had my hairdresser, Steff (Aerial Studio) meet us at the reception for an up-do, a hair change was something that I knew I wanted to do (I even contemplated a chop), and honestly that 15 minutes where I sat with Steff, had a drink and took a quick break from the festivities was such a good move!
Make-up: Laurie Boring – Laurie has a talent for makeup and for people, she has the ability to bring out the beauty in everyone, because she listens and acts with intention. I’ve truly never felt more beautiful than I did on my wedding day, but I also felt like myself – and that makeup didn’t move! She did my bridesmaids and a lot of our family’s makeup too, I kept looking at people and thinking ‘Laurie is a magician’.
The dresses: Mariana Hardwick and Kyha
Veil / headwear: Mariana Hardwick and Kyha – I mean, there was a hat, a veil and a scarf – I don’t know if I can articulate the decision-making process, my credit card statement can, though.
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and Bottega Venetta – as above! I found wedding shoes to be the hardest of all the decisions! I was certain that I was going to buy a pair I could wear again, needless to say, I have a pair of white satin Louboutins and Manolos in my cupboard that haven’t been out since the wedding.
Rings: Unique Diamonds – We chose UD because that was where Darcy had the engagement ring made. The quality and the process really impressed us.
Bridesmaid’s dresses: AJE, Forever New and Shona Joy
Suits: Oscar Hunt
Bow ties: Oscar Hunt
Catering & Bar: Atlantic Group
Cake: Torte by Mirjana – Mirjana exceeded all of our expectations. We absolutely did not read the fine print of our venue’s t’s and c’s and absorbed a fee that was quite enormous all because we had to have one of Mirjana’s creations. The design/sketch that she sent me was phenomenal, I remember when she said ‘I’m excited about this brief’, I knew it was going to be amazing.
Stationery / Signage: Read Only Studio and Hall and Sons – Georgey and Amber worked on stationery and signage that was bespoke, simple and ‘us’ – we were on the side of minimalism and I think it was this that tied everything together. We also got the beautiful Kristen from Hall and Sons to hand paint ribbons for our ceremony chairs and paper fans for the reception – she did such a great job, we loved them, our guests loved them and she was delightful to work with!
Entertainment: Music by Demi (ceremony) and Joey Lightbulb (reception). Demi was everything and more – her voice, her warmth and her presence took our ceremony to a whole new level! Joey Lightbulb – our guests still have not stopped talking about him. Darcy is a music guy and has DJ’d in his past life, so music was super important to us. We went to a wedding that Joey Lightbulb DJ’d, and there was no one else after that. I actually think we would have changed our date if he weren’t available.
Transport: White Classic Jags
Décor: Table Art
Hire: DANN Event Hire, Country Style Events and Table Art
Honeymoon: Minimoon – Mitchelton & Honeymoon – Japan
