Real Wedding – Emma & Jordan, Krowera VIC
Super sweet but not too serious was the aim of the wedding planning game for long-time lovers Emma and Jordan.
Their top priority was selecting a setting with personality and charm and curating a list of experienced but down-to-earth vendors who could bring their high-vibe vision to life.
And who better to lead the pack for that brilliant brief than lens-wielding creative genius, and all-round legend, Jackson Grant?
Style kings Instichu had the gents in the bridal party looking dapper all day long, including for Emma’s grand entrance to a cover of Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac, recorded by a close friend, which delivered the most tear-jerking moment of the day.
The rest of the celebration’s moving musical moments were courtesy of supremely talented DJ Josh from Married to the Groove who even let the newlyweds behind the decks to officially open the dancefloor at the reception in place of a traditional bridal boogie.
The after-party entertainment was endless with guests lapping up the fun of leaving voice notes for the new Mr and Mrs via an Off The Hook audio guestbook.
Scroll on to see all the heart and hilarity in .JPG form.
The meeting.
We went to the same high school, but never really crossed paths. It wasn’t until we had both finished school that we started to run into each other on nights out, and our friendship groups started mingling. We started dating in October of 2013.
‘The one’.
Emma: I realised he was ‘the one’ when my family were asking ‘where’s Jordan?’ all the time. I thought ‘Gee, this guy is pretty special. Over time, that’s never really changed, and they still love him more.
Jordan: There was no penny drop moment, no big realisation. I just knew I would spend the rest of my life with her.
The proposal.
It was a cold weekend in June, and we headed out to Emma’s family’s holiday house in Eildon. We were about to get stuck into some homemade dumplings, and just as Emma was trying to get the perfect Insta shot of the food, I slid the open ring box in the middle of the table and said, “Take a picture of this,” and got down on one knee.
Planning process.
We thought we had all the time in the world at first, but it went by so fast. There were a lot of stressful late nights. But we would relive every moment of the wedding (even the planning), as overwhelming as it can be.
Our DJ and Emma’s wedding dress designer were pretty much the only suppliers that we didn’t already know; everyone else we knew and loved beforehand. Dom, our florist, Emma has known for years. Jackson, our photographer, we knew from a friend’s wedding. The Grove is fairly local to us so have always had it in mind and have been there for a wedding, although we did visit about four other wedding venues before circling back to The Grove and realising we were silly to look anywhere else. Abbie, our celebrant, had also married friends of ours and we fell in love with her and her wedding style.
Style inspiration.
As cliche as it sounds, it was just good food, good music and a lot of fun. We just knew if we locked in good suppliers, the rest would work itself out. Colour was a factor as well; we wanted to keep it interesting with the red in the flowers and the yellow bridesmaids’ dresses. We found inspiration via real weddings as they felt more realistic and more attainable. Our biggest source of inspiration was from people around us who had already been married; that is the best source of knowledge.
The ceremony.
It was short, sweet, fun and not too serious. We are not ones for super serious or mushy moments. Our vows covered the important stuff while managing to make fun of each other.
The outfits.
For Jordan, it was pretty simple; he knew he wanted black tuxedos for himself and the boys, but wanted them tailored for a really good fit. Institchu was recommended to us by a few people, so we made the appointment and were really happy with the service and quality.
For Emma, it was a case of visiting Van der Kooij to try on some pieces from the collection. Natasha gave great advice and said she recommends all brides visit at least three or four dress places before making any final decisions. After a few failed dress fittings at other places I knew Van der Kooij was the one (had to kiss a few frogs to find Prince Charming kinda thing!). From there, Natasha and I went through some different custom-made options and ended on a variation of something she had already made, but tweaking it with material and shape.
Favourite moments.
Canapé hour! We got the bulk of our wedding party photos done before the ceremony, so we were able to enjoy canapé hour with our guests and spend more time at our wedding rather than being whisked away for photos.
Meaning of marriage.
After nearly 12 years together, we’ve realised it isn’t about big dramatic declarations, it’s about the quiet everyday moments and coming home every day to each other.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Our very good friend pre-recorded and sang a version of our favourite Fleetwood Mac song Everywhere. Ahhhhh, I get tears thinking about it, it was so special to walk out too.
Reception entry: Bonkers by Dizzie Rascal. Absolute rave.
First dance: We didn’t do a traditional first dance, but after our speech, we took the DJs place and spun up the first song of the night to open up the dance floor. We went with Like a Prayer by Madonna.
Funny stories/near disasters.
Emma lost her ring before the ceremony even finished! It didn’t fit on the ring finger thanks to the gloves she was wearing, so it was put on her pinky. Then, immediately after the ceremony, someone noticed it was missing, resulting in a short search party with a handful of guests. Thankfully, it was found pretty quickly! Fair to say Emma was not trusted with the ring again, so Jordan kept it locked on a necklace all night.
Planning surprises.
Sorting out the seating plan! Before we even started to think about drafting a plan, we were so cruisey, thinking it would be fun to do. We were really taken by surprise by how hard we found it and how much of our time was consumed by it. In the end, guests are too busy having fun to worry about where they sit for two hours out of the whole day.
Words of wisdom.
Really lean on your suppliers; they are professionals, they’ve done it all before. Listen to them when they offer advice. Always stay true to what you want, but letting the creative people do what they do best will ensure your day will go smoothly. I honestly believe that is a big part of why our day went so well. We were always open to their suggestions and made it work within our vision for the day.
For more Jackson Grant magic, check out Caiti & Jarrod’s epic real wedding.
EMMA & JORDAN’S SUPPLIERS:
Ceremony and reception venue: The Grove Gippsland – Sarah (venue coordinator at the Grove) was hands down one of the biggest reasons why our day ran so smoothly. She goes above and beyond for her clients, and you really feel all the love and support from her as she’s genuinely excited for you. From start to finish, she is switched on, organised, proactive and will pretty much make anything work for your day. Couldn’t fault Sarah’s and all the staff’s service and kindness. The property itself is lush, green and private, whilst the reception is slightly moody and rustic, but also really modern and chic. It encompassed everything we love in an event space which is charm and personality.
Celebrant: Abbie Frew – She captured our story perfectly and was such a pleasure throughout. From the outset, she made us so comfortable and gave us so much confidence knowing that the formalities for the day were in such good hands. The ceremony was perfect, we absolutely could not fault her. She made what can be the boring part of the day so much fun.
Photography: Jackson Grant The one and only. Very few words can be used to describe just how much we love this genius and what he did for us on our wedding day. Be with him for five minutes and you’ll feel like you have known him forever. Everyone from our wedding still raves about him. The shots we ended up with blew our minds, and we still can’t believe how his mind works to create such unique pictures. Throughout the whole process and lead up to the day Jackson was nothing but enthusiastic, very approachable and beyond helpful. A true legend.
Videography: Lemon and Lime Photography. We originally decided not to have a videographer, but then asked Emma’s cousin, Bec, if she wouldn’t mind recording just the main parts, like the ceremony and speeches. Bec is a wedding photographer in her own right, but it was her first dabble into videography. She went above and beyond, filmed most of the night and put a package together that exceeded all expectations. She absolutely smashed it.
Styling: Every supplier mentioned helped put together our day. No wedding planner or styling company was used.
Florist: Lupin Botanical. I have been buying florals and bouquets from Dom for years, so it was a no-brainer getting her to do our wedding. Lovely, fun and warm are the best ways to describe this flower genius. She is a breath of fresh air with her approach to florals, takes all the fuss out of the process and really focuses on celebrating what’s in season, whilst also staying true to your style and needs. I knew from the start I wanted my bridesmaids to have en masse bouquets and each flower the girls featured would make up my bouquet. As for the ceremony and reception, we wanted the floral arrangements to shine but to also not go overboard so opted for two plinths with a fairly large arrangement on each side that we could repurpose. On the dining tables Dom set up bud vases with one or two stems in each. It looked absolutely incredible, with some tables having just a single huge red rose coming out. It was understated in the best way possible.
Hair and makeup: Makeup by Sophie Knox Sophie is the girl every bride needs the morning of her wedding! She brings the vibes and is so incredibly talented at what she does. I found it really easy to book the one person for both hair and makeup, it made the organisation and set up really simple. There were nine of us getting hair and makeup done the morning of the wedding, so she had a few other artists she works closely with to come in and help.
The dress & veil: Van der Kooij Holy moly. Working with Natasha was an absolute dream. She’s incredibly creative, smart and soooo unbelievably helpful. She was so accommodating throughout the whole process and also just FUN to be around. You don’t find this level of service in the bridal industry very often.
Shoes: Le Monde Beryl
Rings: Tessa Blazey They were by the very beautiful, very talented Tessa Blazey. We feel incredibly lucky to have such special pieces made by her. Engagement ring and both wedding bands made by Tessa.
Bridesmaid’s dresses: The girls all wore different dresses. The brief was soft buttery yellow and from there I was happy for them to pick any style of dress in that colour.
Suits and bow ties: Institchu
Cake: Mudgeeraba Cakes Jordan’s beautiful cousin from Queensland made our wedding cake. She flew down the week of the wedding with 7kg worth of cake in her carry-on. She constructed the cake in Melbourne and absolutely nailed it. Flavour combo went as follows: Chocolate cake with berry buttercream and coconut cake with passionfruit curd. Delish!
Stationery / Signage: Our ‘welcome sign’ was a mirror from Facebook marketplace, and then a friend added a sticker decal. The food and drinks menu was done by one of my bridesmaids and her sister helped create the menus with me on Canva and then printed/cut it out on their Cricut machine. My bridesmaid hand-drew all the little art details on the menu (the prawn, cake, etc). It was a team effort!
Entertainment: Married to the Groove DJ Josh carried out the music from ceremony to close and absolutely brought the vibes. Every single person at the wedding was lured onto the dancefloor. Josh was very accommodating and approachable the lead up to the day and made everything really simple and easy. The music brief was no pub rock and more disco/old classics/RnB.
Audio guest book: Off The Hook
Guest transport: Western Port Road Lines
Décor: Pressed flowers from Pretty Produce / Mirror for cake stand – Temple & Webster
Honeymoon: Vietnam
