Already Married: Ivy & Reid’s Elegant Surprise Wedding
Nobody saw it coming when Ivy and Reid revealed to guests – during what appeared to be a traditional wedding ceremony – that they were indeed already married.
The pair, who first met during early high school, skipped on down to the registry office with two witnesses the week prior to make things legal, allowing the more public celebration of their past, present and future to be thoughtfully personalised and conducted by their oldest friend.
It was just one in a long line of sentimental decisions the pair made for the refined multi-part party which took place across two separate family properties and was captured by the editorial eye of Mad For You Creative.
Jess’ ethos is to curate galleries that produce more than merely a collection of photos, but instead act as portals for time travel. And that she sure did.
Scroll on to experience the effortless elegance of Ivy and Reid’s day for yourself.
The meeting.
We met through mutual friends in early high school.
‘The one’.
We were 14 years old when we met, so I’m not sure you’re really capable of ‘the one’ feeling at that age, but we definitely knew life was way more fun with each other in it.
The proposal.
It was New Year’s Eve 2024, and we were on holiday in New Zealand.
Planning process.
We planned our wedding in 12 months which I think is plenty of time to get everything you need organised – especially with us not having a traditional venue and team to lean on and sourcing every single thing we needed. The final few weeks leading up to the day were a little more stressful, but I think that’s just all the moving parts finally coming together.
I actually enjoyed planning our day, we are kind of a match made in heaven for planning a wedding because Reid is all about the logistics and great on comms and I loved making lists, timelines and took DIY bride to a whole new level.
Style inspiration.
There wasn’t a specific vision for the day, we just knew it needed to feel fresh and fun. Now looking back at our photos, with the help of our beautiful photographers, I think we nailed the vibe!
Pinterest, Instagram and Tik Tok were seriously our best friend while planning.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was intimate and in the presence of our grandparents, parents and our siblings with their partners and children too. We also had our two best friends – Nelson and Bella – there also, who actually “married” us on the day!
We officially tied the knot at the registry office the week prior with them there as witnesses (we surprised them literally the hour before we were heading to the registry office). We then surprised all of our closest family on the day with the news and with Nelson being our “celebrant” and oldest friend he delivered the most personal and hilarious ceremony speech.
The outfits.
The process of finding my dress was really straightforward. Once I’d decided on the style I liked it wasn’t long before I found my dress, ordered it online, tried it on then hid it at my parents house for 12 months. No alterations or changes needed, it fit perfectly!
Reid’s suit was also super straightforward. He reached out to the amazing team at YSG Tailors in Richmond, and the rest was simple: a few meetings and questions from Emma, our tailor, and he had the perfect suit.
Favourite moment.
Our private vows together were magic, such a quiet but huge moment on our day that we didn’t expect to be filled with so much emotion.
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage is simply choosing each other everyday.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle song – Magic by Coldplay
Reception entry – This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole
Funny stories/near disasters.
No disasters, thankfully, but trying to keep it a secret that we eloped the weekend before was so much harder in the week leading up to the day then it had been the whole 12 months before that.
Words of wisdom.
Do it exactly the way you want to do it. Don’t let any other outside noise or opinions influence the way you want to spend the best day of your lives!
IVY & REID’S SUPPLIERS:
I sourced a lot of our vendors through word of mouth and recommendations, plus did a lot of searching through Instagram and TikTok!
Ceremony venue: Ivy’s Grandparent’s home
Reception venue: Ivy’s Parent’s home
Photography: Mad for You Creative
Videography: On Record
Hair: Ivy Cant Hair
Make-up: Tiana Santalucia MUA
The dress: Shona Joy
Rings: Kate and Kole & Love Isabelle Jewellery & Westhill
Suits: YSG Tailors
Catering: Taco Truck
Bar: Pop n’ Clink
Stationery / Signage: Details Decided
Entertainment: Mojo Jacket
Hire: Twilight Event Hire
Honeymoon: Noosa
