Real Wedding – Ellie & Jim, Sale VIC

March 26, 2023 In Black and White, Outdoor, Real Weddings, Victoria, White By Ivory Tribe

Real Wedding – Ellie & Jim, Sale VIC

Ellie and Jim’s wedding celebration is freshly monochromatic in hue but vibrantly kaleidoscopic in emotion and fun. Choosing to banish any negative stress talk and embrace the excitement led to a day abundant in good vibes and a couple ready to embrace the magic.

For Jim, emotion overcame him as he saw his bride step down the aisle towards him in her chic gown by Melbourne designer extraordinaire, Kyha. A strapless sheath gown with gossamer wrapped bodice and sleeves, it is giving contemporary glam, elevated further by an embroidered cathedral-length veil. Jim’s classic but modern black suit looked sharp at Ellie’s side against a backdrop of floral sculptures in layers of white upon white.

The vanilla vision continues into the reception, with tablescapes, furniture and decor in crisply vibrant ivory, accented by clean black typography and decor detailing.

For us, it’s the epic golden hour shots, captured to perfection by Ash Haase photographer, that gave us the biggest wow factor. And as the couple returned to the party, the electric energy didn’t let up in the hands of entertainment legends Hey Jack.

Scroll on to see more of this chic contemporary celebration.

The meeting.

We knew of each other through friends; however, our first official meeting was at the local nightclub (Star Bar) in July 2016.

The ‘one’.

We both believe it was all of the small, special moments adding up over time that led us to know we would spend the rest of our lives together. Also, the fact that we share funny stories with our friends and no one understands them but us was a clear indicator that we were each other’s person.

The proposal.

We went down to Daylesford for Ellie’s birthday and went glamping, which was a present from Jim. We were sitting outside on the deck of the tent, having a cheese platter and listening to Angus and Julia Stone (our fave songs) while about to play a game of Uno. Jim dealt the cards, and when Ellie collected her cards and flipped them over, a card said, “Will you marry me?” Jim got on one knee and got the ring out. Tears and kisses and a big YES.

Planning process.

So, we started looking at vendors and venues fairly quickly. We really wanted to make sure that we didn’t rush into choosing anything and had researched all vendors.

We found Mewburn Park online; it was the perfect venue and brought everything we wanted, outdoors but with the ability to be modern, clean and crisp. It was a four-hour drive from our hometown, so we were a little uncertain due to the distance. But once we visited the venue, it was a clear yes.

We had all vendors booked in by about Feb 2022, and we were so certain in them, like, insanely excited about who we had found and picked. So, from there, planning was fairly fun and straightforward. Ellie had SO many ideas and kept trialling and rethinking elements about the day, like signage and things that we could add to make it super personal but also luxe. Our families were incredibly helpful, and our wedding plan book came pretty much everywhere. Timings and the timeline was the most challenging thing, as we wanted the day to somehow not feel hectic and flow super nicely, so we would always play around with how long we should do certain elements of the day.

The vision for the day was locked in from about January and never changed too much from clean, luxe, black and white.

All vendors checked in often and gave tips, and had multiple zoom meetings, so we never had any concerns with how the day would flow; therefore, we were super relaxed in the lead-up. Overall, it was such an exciting, nice process.

Style inspiration.

Pretty much the only style it could have ever been; the wedding looked like our home, to be honest. Black accents, lots of white, soft elements and not too much greenery, so just lots of white florals. We remember having a meeting with the florist, and Jim was busy, but he put his head in and went, “Remember, we love white and black.”

Our Mr and Mrs Stagg backdrop was the first thing I said we have to have about 18 months out from the wedding, and we never budged from that idea and boy did it make such an impact on the day.

I found real weddings so helpful. All my inspo pics were from real Australian weddings because I knew they were visions I could achieve, and seeing an everyday couple create such a beautiful day helped with the self-belief that ours would come together the way we imagined. Also, information on supplies was helpful; there is nothing worst than finding something you love and having to hunt to find details on it.

Pinterest was helpful, but also it gets to a point where you have to stop looking because you can always think of more or something better. So, from September onwards, all of Ellie’s apps and inspo pics were just the ones we were actually using, and there was no more looking for inspiration. That would have stressed Ellie and Jim out if she found something she loved a few weeks before the wedding.

The ceremony.

It had to be us, funny, not too formal or structured and just easy to listen to. The most special part was ensuring we incorporated our Mums into the ceremony, so they each chose a poem and read it during the ceremony.

The look.

Jim is not a suit guy. He’s worn a proper suit maybe three times in his whole life. So, there was a moment he was going to do beige to be more relaxed, but when he tried on the black, he loved it. He looked sharp and clean and almost instantly picked the one.

Ellie had no wedding dresses saved, but she had photos of sheer sleeves. All the sleeves she had saved were on dresses she didn’t love but just knew it had to have sheer sleeves. She made the trip down to Melbourne with the bridesmaids and tried on many dresses. When she got to Kyha, there was only one dress that was a must.

As soon as it was on, Ellie cried, and she was sold. That was the one. She wasn’t too sure about a second dress as she was super particular with shape and also cautious of going over budget. It got to about August, and she had been looking a lot before she came across a small business that had only just started – and there was the exact dress she had pictured. She got in touch, and they were amazing; they sent her so many alterations and options. Ellie flew to Sydney to have a fitting and added a bow, and that’s how she got her mini dress from Sis Studio.

The veil was also always going to have embroidery. She found it very hard to find nice, long embroidered veils, and there was minimal wording on the market at the time. She found Madam Tulle and got in touch; it turned out they had the wording she wanted being released six weeks prior to the wedding, so she locked that in, and it was perfect.

All jewellery and everything else needed to be super minimal, as the sleeves and veil were the standouts.

Favourite moments.

Jim: Bridal party pics were up there as it was us connecting with our favourite people in a day of so much going on.

Ellie: Our entrance into the reception was amazing, the energy was next level, and we nailed our kiss and dip.

We both were so in love with the speeches and even doing our speech to everyone.

Meaning of marriage.

Committing to always being each other’s person and working on being better for one another every day.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: You are the Reason by Olivia Penalva (flower girls and bridesmaids). Angus and Julia Stone Bella (bride).

Recessional: You’ve got the Love by Florence and the Machine

Reception entry: Go Bang by Panu

First dance: When You Say Nothing At All by Ronan Keating

Funny stories or near disasters.

Quite literally, everything went better than expected.

However, when Ellie changed dresses and did a big reveal with Jim on the dancefloor, he was so into dancing that he didn’t notice that the dress had changed! Until she asked him if he liked it.

Planning surprises.

I was surprised at how late you locked in the final details with vendors. I thought everyone would want to know the details as soon as they were decided on, but about two weeks out was the norm for most. Which makes sense if brides change their minds.

Words of wisdom.

Research vendors. I overthought all the small things, and everyone says it all works out on the day. But I truly wish brides believed it; everything flows, the small things that get missed are never noticed, and if you pick the right vendors, it will truly just flow on by.

Also, anytime anyone asked me in the lead-up, “oh wow, are you stressed, that’s getting close” even if I was slightly stressed, I made sure to always say, “No, I’m not; we are just excited”. It stopped any negative talk that people like to say and made us feel a lot more relaxed.

You do you. The wedding you both want is the only wedding you should have.

Loving Ellie and Jim’s stunning black and white soiree? For a different take on a similar monochromatic style, check out Sam and Pete’s gorgeous Yarra Valley celebration, here on the blog.

ELLIE & JIM’S VENDORS

Ceremony & reception venue: Mewburn Park

Celebrant: Trudi O’Donnell Celebrant

Photography: Ashleigh Haase Photography

Videography: Down the Road Weddings

Styling: DIY

Florist: Victoria Hall Co

Hair: Julia Demarte Hair

Make-up: Tahlia Liapis Makeup

The dresses: Wedding dress Ziva dress from Kyha. Mini dress custom from Siss Studio.

Veil: Madame Tulle

Shoes: Jo Mercer