Positano styling and a late-night pizza truck
You’d expect that when one half of the couple is a wedding celebrant and the other is all about logistics, planning a wedding might become a little… complicated. Instead, Jorgie and Nick made every decision as a team, creating a day that simply reflected what they love in life – great food, beautiful details and celebrating with the people who matter most.
Nick’s Italian heritage was woven throughout the celebration in subtle, meaningful ways. Decals featuring mangia, ciao and saluti welcomed guests, Positano – a destination they both adore – inspired the menus, and a late-night pizza truck ensured no one went home hungry.
The styling was effortlessly elegant, with Love Alfalfa creating breathtaking florals from the ceremony backdrop through to Jorgie’s strikingly on-point bouquet bag. And then there was the fashion. Nick looked incredibly sharp in a white tuxedo jacket, while Jorgie’s bridal look transformed throughout the day, revealing a shimmering sequin gown beneath her ceremony overskirt for the perfect reception reveal.
Thoughtfully planned, beautifully personal and full of warmth, Jorgie and Nick’s celebration is proof that the most memorable weddings are the ones that feel unmistakably like the couple at the centre of them. Scroll on to see every beautiful moment, captured by Amanda Alessi.
The meeting.
This is a long (repeat: LONG) story with many tangents, so we’ll give you the TLDR version….
We first crossed paths in 2017 and were introduced through our mutual friend. At the time, Jorgie had just moved and was finding her feet in the big city, and Nick was a born and bred Melbourne boy. We met at Derby Day that year after Jorgie was invited to join her friend’s group. There were plenty of laughs, but it was just friends at that stage. Nothing more happened that night.
Fast-forward to Nick’s birthday months later; they shared their first kiss on the dance floor and dated briefly, until life got in the way and they went their separate ways.
That was until October 2022. Nick had learned Jorgia was single (from the same mutual friend) and slid into those DMs with four simple words: “Hey stranger, how’s things?”
That message turned into a catch-up at Her bar, and the connection was still there. We’ve been together for three-plus years now, and it has been a love certainly worth the wait.
The one.
I think we both knew from the beginning (first time around) that there was a unique spark there. When we rekindled years later, it was like no time had passed and there was this extraordinary level of comfort and connection between us.
The proposal.
True to form, Nick approached this with military-level planning, months of coordination with Jorgie’s best friend Jess, and enough red herrings to throw her completely off the scent. We were in Bali in April 2024, and under the guise of a birthday catch-up, we drove from Canggu to Nusa Dua for our friend’s birthday (they’re also from Melbourne), who we were supposedly having a fancy hotel dinner with.
On arrival, we were taken through beautiful gardens on a buggy, down to the beach via a funicular, and past a rather questionable proposal setup in a cave, where I turned to Nick and said, “As if you’d do that for me.”
Well. Egg on my face! Two minutes later we arrived at a private setting overlooking the ocean with petals, candles, and a table for two. I walked in confused, and all I could say was, “Nick, what have you done?” and then I turned to him, and he dropped to one knee as he asked to spend my life with him.
What followed was excited FaceTimes to all, sunset photos and an incredible 11-course meal, and the next day we caught up with our friends who helped with the decoy events to celebrate.
Planning process.
We approached it very much as a team and tried to maintain a 50/50 split wherever possible.
Given Jorgie’s experience in the industry, her relationships with vendors, and her knowledge of wedding planning, she took care of the run sheet, booked meetings with vendors, and handled creative tasks such as writing our personalised love letters to our guests, which doubled as our bonbonniere.
Nick, being the logistics and attention-to-detail one of us, managed the finances and organised the important elements adjacent to the wedding, such as arranging recovery drinks at Loop Rooftop the following day and booking our honeymoon flights and accommodation.
We used the kitchen whiteboard to tick off the big-ticket items and a shared note to keep track of the smaller tasks in the lead-up. Of course, there was also the master spreadsheet that brought everything together, and our vendors were incredible at providing practical advice on timing to ensure the day ran smoothly.
Style inspiration.
We wanted a celebration of us that felt like a reflection of the things we love: good food and great people coming together. We leaned into Nick’s Italian heritage by having decals with phrases like mangia, ciao, and saluti printed throughout the space, using Positano (a destination we both adore) as the backdrop for our menus, and having a pizza truck arrive late at night – because Italians can never let anyone go hungry.
The ceremony.
For Jorgie, it was surreal to be standing at the altar without a microphone in her hand. Listening to Natalie, we were both in awe of the way she told our story in a way that captured all the key moments, sprinkling lightness and love throughout, and made it so personal to us. Our guests, unsurprisingly, were raving about her.
Looking out and seeing all our favourite humans from very far and wide was a ‘pinch-me’ moment for both of us and sparked such gratitude for the community of friends and family we have formed.
The outfits.
Nick’s suit: As guests, we’d been to quite a few weddings together, and what always stood out to us – or, funnily enough, didn’t – was the groom. No matter how beautiful the tux, if it’s black, it doesn’t stand out in the sea of guests. The bride certainly does, but this spotlight needed to be shared. We found an inspo picture on Instagram of a groom in a white tux jacket, with a cummerbund and red rose, and Nick was all in. Thanks to the fellas at F.R. Clothiers, they helped bring it all to life.
Jorgie’s dress: I’ve seen my fair share of wedding dresses over the years, and second-look dresses too. I wanted to find something that was an all-in-one so that the first dress got more than just a few hours. It’s a big investment, after all! What I adored about the Milla Nova Aminata gown was that it had a ‘topper’ (not sure if that’s the right word for it) as a bust and skirt, but then underneath was the full sequin gown.
Favourite moment.
Can we say everything?
Aside from seeing each other at our first look, it was being together and spending time with all our favourite people. We had friends and family travel from interstate and overseas to be there for us, and it made us feel an overwhelming sense of love, joy and gratitude.
Meaning of marriage.
For us, it’s about the next chapter we start together. It’s being a team, a family, and best friends that we’ll laugh with and face every unknown with for the rest of time. Celebrating that, of all the people in this world, we found one another — not once, but twice.
Wedding soundtrack.
Entry: Come away with me, Norah Jones (Cover)
Signing: You’re still the one, Shania Twain (Cover)
Aisle Exit: Foreign Language, Flight Facilities
Reception: Welcome to the world of our love, Client Liaison
First Dance: Until I Found You, Stephen Sanchez
Funny stories (or near disasters).
The only hiccups we had were related to Airbnb cancellations due to the long weekend and the Grand Prix. But they happened quite far out from the day, so it didn’t impact us too much.
Planning surprises.
Probably the smaller elements of styling and the time it takes to get them right. Having gone into planning with a comprehensive understanding of the big elements, vendors, etc., it was the smaller details that I (Jorgie) don’t typically see on the wedding day.
Words of wisdom.
I have so, many!
The first is two words: BUFFER TIME. Factoring in extra time for everything, noting that things take longer than you think, is the best hack for making things run smoothly, so you’re not rushed.
Jorgie and Nick’s Vendors
Venue: Canvas House – Aarron is high energy and pizazz! His love for great events was reflected in the way he guided us and helped us plan in a way that meant we got the very most out of the venue. The team on the night were fantastic. Like white glove service, things happened without needing to be asked, food was scrumptious and plentiful, drinks flowed all night and we felt truly cared about and for.
Celebrant: Natalie Drum – The number one question I’ve been asked is “who officiates the officiant?” This one the one vendor I found hard, because it’s not like we see each other do our jobs. Natalie has a stellar reputation in the industry and when I found out she had our date free, there was no one else we could picture standing beside us.
Photography: Amanda Alessi – I always knew Amanda would capture our wedding one day, she is bubbly and funny, and makes you feel so comfortable in front of the lens. She wrangled the guests perfectly when we wanted to get through family photos swiftly, and helped us so much with planning the timing of the day so it all came together perfectly.
Videography: Dean Atherton – Dean’s creative eye was able to capture the emotions of our day with such playfulness. He and his second shooter, Morgan, are both so friendly, and they never made us feel the pressure or awkwardness of being in front of the camera – so stealthy, yet he caught everything.
Styling & OTDC: Paradise Hunter – Caitlin is a visionary! Her styling brought everything together and her OTD coordinating made it so we didn’t have to think about any small details. It just happened. This is thanks to her thorough process in the lead up with site visits to make sure that everything would work in the space.
Florals: Love Alfalfa – Elle’s florals were beautiful and abundant. She didn’t even bat an eyelid when I changed the floral colour scheme months out and she embraced my vision for a bouquet that was different and not run of the mill. What she created was a masterpiece and I am so thrilled with how all the flowers amplified the space.
Music: Ethan Conway – Not only is Ethan’s voice incredible, but he is just the loveliest guy. When I saw him at a wedding months prior to getting engaged, I knew he’d be at the top of the list for our wedding and when the time came to booking a musician, we went to no one else but Ethan. He gave us fantastic recommendations for songs, kept our guests on the dancefloor all night as he transitioned into our DJ, and in the lead up was so organised with making sure we had the songs, timings, files, etc. down pat.
HMUA: Casey & Marlene – Casey and Marlene made us all feel spectacular on the day, working with each girl to put together a look that made their individual features shine. Casey did the bride’s hair and makeup, and it did not falter all day. It was everything I wanted in a bridal look.
Cake: Pelligra’s – Delicious! We opted for a cannoli tower instead of a cake, which went down a treat. People were practically fighting over the crumbs.
Pizza Truck: Antimo Pizza Chef – Our wedding would not have been complete without pizza, and Antimo’s pizza truck was a perfect addition to the evening. We were able to get behind the pizza stove and roll a few doughs ourselves, which was very us.
Dress: Milla Nova from Luv Bridal
Veil: Made With Love Bridal
Shoes: LMS
Suits: FR Clothiers (Groom) and Suitor (Groomsman) – Carl and George at F.R.Clothiers made every visit fun. They know their craft and provided great advice throughout the process that resulted in one very sharp-looking groom!
Dance lessons: Canon Dance House – Hannah took us from barely being able to do the two-step to a full routine that included lifts, dips and spins that we were able to execute with confidence thanks to her teaching. Each lesson we spent so much time laughing, and it was genuinely one of our favourite parts of the process as it was time to connect and learn a new skill together.
Table cloths: Table Art
Napkins: Rendr
Linen signs: Event Wanderer Co
Alterations: Alterations by Emily – Emily was recommended to me by a few brides I’d worked with. Her process was easy, consultative, and personal. I appreciated her craftmanship on my dress, making it fit like a custom dress, made for me.
