Real Wedding – Charlotte & Jack, Brisbane QLD
For a wedding that was planned in just six months, Charlotte and Jack’s stunning Brisbane celebration is one for the style books.
Of top priority for this duo was ensuring their guests felt loved and appreciated.
Handwritten letters for each guest to read at the reception, heartfelt speeches, thoughtful guest consideration, and the refined backdrop of Customs House meant the celebration was truly love-filled.
That soft sense of modern romance permeated the style of the soiree.
Sorbet hues, tiramisu wedding cake, timelessly elegant outfits and the European architectural elements of the venue became the design dynamic, while chic personal details made the whole affair feel quintessentially Charlotte and Jack.
Each vibrant visual moment is captured to perfection by the ultra-talent of Katie Harmsworth. Scroll on to delight in it all.
The meeting.
We are a Hinge success story!
The one.
Six months in, things were getting serious quickly, and we started talking about moving in together. Also, my dog Toby gave me the paw of approval for Jack, so that was a big moment.
The proposal.
Jack took me away for a surprise birthday weekend in Cabarita and surprised me with the question on our morning beach walk with Toby, our dog.
Planning process.
We decided to get married the same year, six months after getting engaged, actually! We found this surprisingly easier than we thought and just aimed to make considered choices, spending our budget on areas that were most important to use, styling in a pared-back way and letting our beautiful heritage-listed venue and ballroom do the talking.
My dress was the 3rd dress (outfit) I tried on, and it was love at first sight. We used incredible vendors that had either been highly recommended by friends or we knew about personally, which enabled us to trust and enjoy the planning process.
Style inspiration.
The stunning European-style heritage building of Customs House gave our wedding a European flavour. That, with our recent trip to Italy and fond love of tiramisu, then inspired our wedding cake. We wanted a timeless, elegant and sophisticated soiree feel for the day.
I loved seeing floral designs and colour palette inspiration, which helped me to visualise what I wanted. I loved seeing the many different things couples are doing nowadays that add personality to weddings.
The ceremony.
This was what we were most excited about – easy answer: our vows. We wrote our own vows for each other, and every single guest kept saying how beautiful they were. They were heartfelt and authentic to us. I’ll never forget those moments.
The outfits.
We chose a black tie theme early in our planning for guests, and Jack had an ivory tuxedo made for the occasion, which looked so classic and romantic.
I found my outfit easily, too, actually – only the 3rd dress I tried on. I ordered a stunning veil and silk cape from Etsy, which added drama and romance to my otherwise minimalist/ chic look. I wore my twin sister’s wedding earrings and my mother-in-law’s tennis bracelet.
Favourite moment.
Exchanging vows was a surreal experience that we will never forget.
Meaning of marriage.
It means becoming a team, committing to be partners through the twists and turns of life, choosing each other to be the direction of our futures and formally celebrating this choice with our loved ones.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Your Song – Elton John
Reception entry: September – Earth, Wind and Fire
First dance: Beyond – Leon Bridges
Funny stories or near disasters.
The car I booked didn’t show up, so I had to get a last-minute Uber to the wedding ceremony!
Planning surprises.
We were pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the process was. We put a lot of effort into planning and making our guests feel loved by us – we hand-wrote letters to each guest to read at the reception. This, in addition to our vows and heartfelt speeches, really created a very magical, love-filled atmosphere that has left a mark on us and our memories of the day. I didn’t expect to feel so much love all in the one place!
Words of wisdom.
Trust your vendors! Give them your ideas, but then let them take the lead on creative direction. There is no need to burn out with decision fatigue when your vendors are a wealth of knowledge and creative talent. Trust them and the process!
CHARLOTTE & JACK’S VENDORS
Our photographer and other vendors were such a delight to work with and spend the day with – we are so grateful to have been able to work with them and can’t worship/ thank them enough!
Ceremony venue: Customs House, Brisbane. The staff were incredibly attentive, and our coordinator kept things moving perfectly. We would choose them again and again. The heritage building and ballroom was breathtaking.
Reception venue: The Long Room, Customs House, Brisbane
Celebrant: Ange Anderson – a recommendation from my sister’s celebrant. Ange created the most authentic, heartfelt ceremony for us, which was exactly what we hoped for. She was tremendous and we were so lucky that she had been recommended.
Photography: Katie Harmsworth. Katie was incredible! I had known about her for many years, and when Jack proposed, she was the first photographer I hoped to work with. She even came up from Melbourne to shoot our wedding. She made planning our wedding timeline and photography an easy process for us and brought the most positive, uplifting and fun energy to our day. We seriously loved spending time with her and are so grateful she came up to Brisbane for us. We actually invited her along to our recovery; we loved hanging out with her that much! And then the photos – ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING. The images Katie captured for us are better than we had ever imagined and I will be cherishing them forever.
Florist: Esme Fleur Florist. Ellie has such a creative talent and her design is modern, interesting and so, so romantic. She was a dream to work with, and her florals were truly divine.
Hair: Jody Callan was recommended by my make-up artist! I actually didn’t get around to doing a trial prior to the wedding, so we met the day of! She did exactly what I hoped for and was such a lovely presence on the day. She is so talented – my hair was perfect til the very end of the night!
Make-up: Cara Powell was recommended by my sister, who used to work with her. She created such a beautiful look and was such a lovely presence to be around the morning of the wedding. My makeup was flawless all day, and I could not recommend her enough to future Brisbane/ surrounds brides.
The dress: Top – Prea James from Sphere Bridal Gallery. Custom skirt from The Bride House Bulimba.
Custom veil and silk cape from Etsy
Shoes: Sam Edleman from Revolve
Rings: simple matching gold bands
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Sir the Label
Favours: Sri Lankan wedding cake, gift wrapped and made by my mum and godmother
Cake / Cake topper: Harris Farm tiramisu
Stationery / Signage: Gracie Creative
Entertainment: DJ Bliss
Honeymoon: a quiet week at Brunswick heads to wind down and soak it all in.
