by Jo Betz

Classic black tie at a McLaren Vale winery

Simplicity, done oh so well – Belle and Jonty created a day that felt effortlessly beautiful, where every detail was considered without ever feeling overdone.

From the first glimpse of the images captured by Love Wild Weddings, it was clear this was a celebration grounded in connection, joy, and an easy kind of magic.

Set in McLaren Vale at Simon Hackett Winery, a venue designed purely for weddings, the backdrop spoke for itself, offering rolling vineyard views and a sense of relaxed romance.

Belle wore a strapless gown with a full skirt, timeless and modern all at once. Jonty kept things classic in a black suit and bow tie, perfectly complemented by bridesmaids in soft yellow, adding a fresh, sunlit feel to the day.

With such a stunning setting, the couple chose not to overstyle, instead letting the space breathe and allowing their florals to quietly take centre stage. This is one day not to be missed.

The meeting.

Jonty and I met on Hinge, the dating app, in September 2021 during the second COVID lockdown in Sydney. We actually had so many mutual friends and lived close by at the time. It didn’t come out that we met via an app until our wedding, as he had told his family that we met through our mutual friends Jack and Rosie!

The one.

I had endometriosis surgery in June 2022, and Jonty was amazing throughout the process. He supported and advocated for me even though we hadn’t been together for long. I knew he was going to be my person forever from the way he cared for me post-surgery.

The proposal.

We now live in rural NSW, and in March 2025 we were forecast heavy rain (which ended up flooding here). Jonty can usually only get time off when it rains because he’s a farmer, so he planned a last-minute trip to Mudgee for that weekend. I was a bit suspicious and had a feeling something might happen! We went down with our two pups and spent the whole weekend doing wine tours.

He proposed on the evening of our last night by the river at the Airbnb we were staying in. I kid you not – right as he proposed, the biggest rainbow appeared, and I screamed so loudly that about 15 mini Shetland horses came running down to us!

Planning process.

Jonty would say it was easy, as he just decided on the venue and date with me! I did all the planning for our wedding, such as organising vendors, our menus and signage. It was actually a really enjoyable process, but I’m glad it’s done.

Style inspiration.

This is a hard one. We wanted simple and elegant. Simon Hackett is such an amazing and stunning venue that we didn’t want to complicate it with too many decorations. Because of this, flowers were really important to me as I wanted to keep them as the main decoration.

The ceremony.

My mother-in-law was actually our celebrant! She officiates weddings as a hobby. Having her as our celebrant was so, so special. It made the ceremony feel personal and intimate, despite all our guests being there to watch.

The outfit.

For my wedding dress, I used Pinterest. It helped me to see the styles I loved. But I didn’t know what I’d wear until I booked all of my appointments and started trying every style possible on. I found the gown that best suited me and really made me feel beautiful.

For my second dress, I originally had it in brown and loved the style so much that I got it in white to wear after the reception.

Favourite moment.

Walking back down the aisle after the ceremony and our sunset photos — they were so much fun, and we vibed so well with our photographer and content creator.

Meaning of marriage.

Marriage, to me, means choosing each other every day and building the best possible future together.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Shake the Frost by Tyler Childers

Reception entry: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! by Sgt Slick remix

First dance: Feathered Indians by Tyler Childers

Funny stories (or near disasters).

Yessss, oh my god! Me trying to travel with my huge wedding dress from Sydney to Adelaide. So many of the airport staff were convinced I wouldn’t be able to take it on as carry-on because it was so big, but a really lovely man from the airline helped me out and spoke to the cabin crew, who let me bring it on and were so helpful!

Planning surprises.

Just how much time and effort that you have to put into it!

Words of wisdom.

I’m such a stress head, but I wish I’d stressed less and just gone with the mindset that whatever happens will happen, and it will all work out!

Belle & Jonty’s Vendors

Ceremony and reception venue / location: Simon Hackett Winery. Honestly the most beautiful and perfect venue ! Teresa and her team were so lovely to deal with and did such an amazing job on the day.

Celebrant: Tammy White (my mother-in-law)

Photography: Love Wild Weddings.  Best photographer everrrr! Gosh Mish was just the most amazing person to be behind the camera on the day, we vibed so well and her photography style is stunning.

Content Creator: Jessie from Tootsi was also so much fun to have on the day and captured our day so perfectly.

Florist: Bloomsbaby is the most amazing florist, I probably sent her only a couple of photos for our vision and she absolutely nailed it. We could not have been happier.

Hair: Emily Lauren Hair was such a calming presence on the morning, she nailed my and the girls hair. It didn’t move all day and it was so hot on our wedding day

Make-up: Sarah Hamilton Makeup was also such a beautiful person to have around the morning of the wedding, my makeup was perfect and so were all the girls, everyone looked so beautiful

The dresses: Wedding dress is from Brides of Beecroft and second dress was Shona Joy.

Veil: Brides of Beecroft

Shoes: Shein!

Rings: My engagement and wedding band and Jonty’s ring were all from Cullens.

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy

Suits : Hired from Peppers in Mosman NSW

Catering and Bar: Simon Hackett

Stationery / Signage: Etsy

Entertainment: Hillier Music were so amazing! They played from the start of the day all the way through to the reception. Beautiful voices and such lovely people. My sisters boyfriend mMx is a DJ so he then Dj’d for us.

Décor: Etsy

Honeymoon: Thailand

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