They planned the day around how guests would feel
The Mornington Peninsula was the perfect place for Jess and Ben to say ‘I do’, bringing together the people who have helped shape their story for a celebration that felt relaxed yet refined.
With Jess working in design and experience, the feeling of the day mattered just as much as how it looked. Every detail was thoughtfully considered through the lens of how guests would arrive, gather, move, eat, dance and, ultimately, remember the day. The result was a wedding that felt warm, generous and deeply personal, with plenty of elegance but never at the expense of humour, music, movement and a little wildness.
Jess looked effortlessly chic in a stunning Rachel Gilbert gown, while her bridesmaids brought a striking simplicity in black, each carrying a single stem lily finished with a sweet bow. Ben and his groomsmen brought their own brand of polish in classic black Institchu suits.
Bringing it all together was the team at Ever After Effect, who worked across photography, florals and styling to create a beautifully cohesive visual story.
The result? A celebration that felt every bit as considered as it was joyful – sophisticated without being overly polished, and completely, wonderfully Jess and Ben.
The meeting.
We met online, and Ben immediately stood out to Jess for his adventurous hiking photos, cheeky smile and self-described “jovial nature”. Jess needed to know what that meant in real life, so she reached out.
Ben was equally intrigued by Jess. Her profile had photos from lakes in China and yachts in Turkey, giving him an immediate sense that she was worldly, ambitious, curious and driven. From the beginning, there was a shared pull towards meaningful experiences, big adventures and the kind of conversations that go a little deeper than expected.
Our first date set the tone. Jess chose a film based on something we had talked about earlier, “The Way, My Way”, a story about walking, hardship and self-discovery. It gave us a way to connect over doing hard things, going on adventures, and learning more about yourself and the world along the way.
Ben began winning Jess over with thoughtful details, like remembering her favourite chocolates and curating Koko Black boxes, and with the kind of questions that showed he was genuinely interested in who she was. Jess found Ben’s initial reservedness and shyness intriguing, and the relationship unfolded through dinner dates, music concerts, house renovations and a trip to Jess’s beloved family holiday spot, Sandy Point.
Then, one day… Jess got the call to move to Adelaide for a new job opportunity. After only three months of dating, Ben said yes to moving with Jess and beginning their joint life together. To say things moved fast after that is an understatement!
The one.
For Ben, it was during an 11-day solo hike along the Larrapinta Trail in Central Australia.
The opportunity came up at the last minute, and Jess helped Ben prepare in time. Along the trail, Ben found handwritten notes Jess had tucked into his food drops. Some were funny and cosmic, like “I love you to the edge of the black hole and back”, a nod to Ben’s belief that we exist inside a black hole in a 4D universe. Others were simple words of encouragement: “I love you, keep going.”
At points when the hike felt relentless and Ben was ready to give up, those notes gave him hope, humour, love and courage. By the end of that journey, Ben had converged on a decision. He knew Jess would bring love, joy and support not only to him, but to the future family and life they were building together.
For Jess, the knowing came in layers. It deepened when she moved to Adelaide for work and Ben was quick to support the move and join her there. From building IKEA furniture late into the night, eating pizza on the floor, chasing sunsets over the western beaches, bonding with Jess’s whippet Roku, and creating a whole new life together, Jess realised how strong they were as a team.
With regular travel between Adelaide and Melbourne, Jess’s heart grew fonder. Their voice notes, reunions and tiny shared rituals made her realise she never wanted to take Ben for granted. Adelaide became the place that forged them into something formidable.
The proposal.
Jess wanted to travel to Italy to visit her sister Grace, Grace’s partner Simoné, and their newborn baby Liam. Ben saw an opportunity to combine that family visit with one of his long-held dreams: hiking the Dolomites.
On short notice, Ben pieced together an ambitious itinerary using old-school Italian websites and slow email threads. Jess was impressed by his determination, although she soon discovered the itinerary was a little more intense than expected. What she thought might be a scenic 12-day hike was, in fact, Ben’s plan to complete the Alta Via 1 in seven days.
There were tears. There were sore feet. There were some very long 8hr hiking days. But eventually, light appeared at the end of the tunnel when they finished scaling mountains well before sunset for the first time.
Ben suggested they walk to nearby Lake Coldai for some reprieve. Between the mountains and the sky, he set up the camera, found the moment, got down on one knee and asked the simplest, biggest question: “Will you marry me?”
It felt completely right. A little rugged, a little ridiculous, deeply beautiful and very us.
Planning process.
We wanted the wedding to feel like a full-hearted gathering, not just a single event. We had friends and family travelling from around the world, interstate, and across Victoria and South Australia, so the day became a way of bringing all the different chapters of our lives into one place.
We were drawn to Manton’s Creek Estate because it gave us the chance to create a weekend-like feeling on the Mornington Peninsula. Jess grew up spending time around this coastline, so it felt meaningful to gather people somewhere that felt close to home, but still transportive.
The planning process was a mix of considered design decisions, family contributions and a lot of trust in our suppliers. We wanted everything to feel warm, generous and personal, rather than overly polished or performative. The day needed to hold elegance, but also humour, movement, music, family, wildness and ease.
Because Jess works in design and experience, the feeling of the day mattered deeply. Every detail was considered through the lens of how people would arrive, gather, move, sit, listen, eat, dance and remember.
Style inspiration.
The inspiration was relaxed Mornington Peninsula romance, with a slightly cinematic, European sensibility.
We wanted it to feel like long-table dining, late summer air, candlelight, wine, music and the kind of celebration where people felt held, not hurried. The setting at Manton’s Creek Estate gave us vineyard, gum trees, golden light and a sense of intimacy, so the styling was really about enhancing what was already there. There were layers of natural green that led to endless skies that Jess loved.
There was also an emotional inspiration behind the style: adventure, family, old friendships, new beginnings and the sense of building a life together. We wanted the day to feel beautiful, but not untouchable. Designed, but still deeply human.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was deeply personal, warm and full of the people who had shaped us and our story. Jess chose her mum and her grandma to walk her down the aisle – three generations of women who had raised her, together at this moment.
Before telling our story, we wanted to introduce the people standing beside us so the guests could place who the significant people were up on stage. Jess had her two younger sisters and her best friend who represented the close group of eight high school girlfriends. On Ben’s side was a set of revered friends from across his lifetime.
Our celebrant, Barbara Binns, is a colleague of Jess’s who travelled from Adelaide, which felt especially meaningful because Adelaide had become such an important part of our relationship. She helped tell the story of how we met, how our relationship deepened, our time building a life in Adelaide, Ben’s Larrapinta realisation, and the Dolomites proposal.
The ceremony felt significant because it did not rush past the real story. It held the humour, the hard parts, the tests, the adventures, the family ties, and the future we were choosing. We read our personal vows to one another through tears and deeply held eye contact. Kookaburras sang out throughout the ceremony, a nod to Country being with us, and getting married underneath these incredible two gumtrees was a dream come true.
The outfits.
Jess looked at bespoke options and more classic princess-style gowns before finding something that felt unexpectedly, completely right: a simple, elegant and perfect dress, the ‘Audrey’ gown by Rachel Gilbert.
The dress was a high-neck silk halter with layers of flowing silk and a long trail falling from the back of the neckline. The fabric folded down and crossed softly over the body, creating petal-like layers that felt sculptural but effortless. What Jess fell in love with most was the movement. As she walked, the silk created a floral flick around her feet, and she was enamored by the way the dress moved with her body. It felt romantic, refined and full of life without needing to be overly ornate.
To complement the modern simplicity and sculptural qualities of her dress, Jess chose to ‘borrow’ her aunty’s 300cm cathedral veil, which was elegant, modern and chic.
Ben went classic in a custom tux by InStitchu in Melbourne, made from Italian wool fabrics with a beautiful shiny lapel so he subtly stood out from the groomsmen. His groomsmen wore the matte wool variation, creating a cohesive look while still allowing Ben to feel distinct. He finished the look with Italian leather Oxford shoes with a red sole, which made them feel special, elegant and, most importantly, excellent dancing shoes.
Favourite moment.
There were so many, but one of the most memorable was our first dance, partly because we did not plan one. Followed by the remainder of the night on the dance floor!
We had been taking group salsa lessons just for fun and had not choreographed anything. Our first dance song, “This Dance” by KYRIL, had been in Jess’ playlist for a while, and the lyrics felt uncannily relevant: “May I please have this dance, this is where opportunity meets change, where purpose meets a plan, a new possibility, a new day…” When the song came on, we found something close enough to a salsa beat and completely ad-libbed it. It was imperfect, joyful and very us.
We wanted the dancefloor to go off! We chose Marc Lucarelli as our DJ – the fine dining of DJs who could bring a sophisticated club vibe! We also loved choosing a special DJ for just the cocktail hour, DJ Matab, from inner north Melbourne who specialises in Turkish funk and Middle Eastern Disco to honour Ben’s Moroccan heritage. Having a DJ on the deck for cocktail hour drew the audience in from the ceremony and got the party started.
Meaning of marriage.
We are both life maximalists, so marriage, to us, is about creating a life lived to the fullest together.
It means building on each other’s strengths and choosing a partnership that expands what is possible. We both care deeply about experiences that grow our understanding of the world, our capacity to learn, and our ability to keep becoming more open, capable and courageous people.
Marriage gives that ambition a structure. It asks you to learn together, grow together, make decisions together and keep finding your way through change. That is not always easy, but we see that as part of its beauty. A true partnership can challenge you in ways that accelerate individual growth, while also creating something stronger than either person could build alone.
For us, marriage is not about settling down in the sense of becoming smaller. It is about building a shared life that feels more expansive, more adventurous and more meaningful because we are doing it together.
Wedding soundtrack.
Our acoustic performer for the ceremony, who also happened to be Jess’ smiling, gorgeous cousin Mati Edwards, created a compositional montage for the aisle and entry song. It blended Stand By Me with Truly Madly Deeply, allowing him to loop the music if needed and giving guests that familiar tingle of slowly realising which two songs they were hearing.
Our first dance song was This Dance by KYRIL. Jess had loved it for a while, especially the lyrics and the feeling of movement, possibility and change.
We did not plan a first dance at all. We had been taking group salsa lessons for fun and could almost find a salsa beat in the song… so we just ad-libbed it!
Planning surprises.
How emotional the guest list felt.
At first, it seems like a practical task: numbers, tables, travel, logistics. But the closer we got to the day, the more we realised that each person represented a chapter of our lives. Friends from around the world, friends from Adelaide, interstate friends, high school friends, family, and people who had witnessed different versions of us all came together in one place.
It also surprised us how much a wedding asks you to make decisions about what truly matters. Not every detail needs to be perfect, but the feeling of the day does matter. The best decisions were the ones that helped people feel welcomed, connected and part of the story.
Words of wisdom.
Make it feel like you, not like a wedding you think you are supposed to have.
Pay attention to the moments people will feel: how they arrive, where they gather, how they are welcomed, how they are hosted and guided through the day, what they hear, when they get to relax, and how the ceremony tells your story.
Choose your MCs carefully and give them an active role in the before, during and after of the ceremony and reception. Alongside your supplier team, they can help hold the energy of the day, guide guests through each transition, and make people feel deeply welcomed rather than simply directed from one moment to the next. For us, this was one of the things guests noticed most: the meaning in the words that were shared and the deep sense of being hosted.
Choose suppliers you trust and then actually trust them. The day moves so quickly, and having kind, talented people around you makes all the difference.
Final words.
We would love to extend our deepest gratitude to the dream team behind Ever After Effect.
What we loved most was the integrated nature of the whole experience. From the first moment we chose Cassandra Cattic as our photographer, to being introduced to Alexander Morabito as the venue manager and wedding planner, to the online planning meetings with Leah and Cass, we felt completely hosted. There was such a clear sense that the team were talking to one another behind the scenes, sharing notes, keeping track of every detail in their system, and gently moving each piece along.
Because the florist was also integrated through Ever After Effect, there was a real ease in knowing that the visual, logistical and emotional pieces of the day were being held together. Our planning meetings, photography meetings and run sheet were all connected, and we could trust that coordination was happening behind the scenes between food and beverage, photography, site hosting, florals and styling.
On the day itself, Alex and the site team set everything up so beautifully. Their deep knowledge of Manton’s Creek, both as a food and beverage venue and as a wedding venue, meant that the whole day felt seamless, considered and held with care. We are so grateful for the passion, joy and generosity the whole team showed us. It allowed us to be fully present in the day and to feel genuinely looked after from beginning to end.
And finally, a special thank you to Manton’s Creek Estate itself. There was something very lovely about being able to spend the night there as a married couple, slipping away from the dance floor with sore feet and happy hearts, and retiring upstairs at the end of the most magical day.
Jess and Ben’s Vendors
Ceremony and reception venue: Manton’s Creek Estate, Shoreham, Mornington Peninsula
Celebrant: Barbara Binns
Photography: Cassandra Cattic, Ever After Effect
Videography: Blossom Ever After
Styling: Alexander Morabito, Ever After Effect
Florist: Lauren McIntosh, Poppy Culture for Ever After Effect
Hair: Peninsula Bridal Hair
Make-up: Ellie Pascazio Makeup
The dress: ‘Audrey’ dress by Rachel Gilbert
Veil / headwear: Handmade by bride’s aunt
Shoes: Isabella Anselmi
Rings: Pink Carat Jewellers
Bridesmaid’s dresses: SABA
Suits: InStitchu Melbourne
Bow ties / ties: Calibre Menswear
Catering and bar: Manton’s Creek Estate
Cake / Cake topper: Confetti Cakes & Creations
Stationery / Signage: Jessica Claire Watson Design
Entertainment: DJ Matab, DJ Marc Lucarelli, Mati Edwards on acoustics
Hire: Peninsula Party Hire
Honeymoon: Le Méridien, Melbourne
