Real Wedding – Emily & Daniel, Merricks North VIC
Ultra fresh, luminous and elegant are the aesthetics for Emily and Daniel’s blissfully beautiful Mornington Peninsula wedding. But for a couple with over ten years of history together, the enchanting part of this day was the gorgeously emotive vibes, enhancing every element of this stunning celebration.
Of everything they envisioned of their wedding day, seeing one another at either end of the aisle was front and centre for Em and Dan. And on the day, in a ceremony led by the uplifting Emma Thompson, the moment gave everything they hoped for (including a rare tear or twenty from Dan!).
Against the cutting-edge contemporary chic of their venue, Jackalope, stylist Xanthe Blyth Co added soft detailing in sweet pops of muted candy pink, elegant dove grey linens and cloud-like florals in sweet vanilla by Jo Laver. The effect elevated, coalesced and enhanced the bold surrounds to perfection.
For us, the sunset photos by lens master Dan Brannan simply take our breath away. Golden light, understated romance, and lashings of class and style are the perfect combination for a truly dreamy day. Scroll on to witness the magic.
The meeting.
We met on New Years Eve in 2012 at a friend’s house in Sydney. Dan had just moved back to Sydney after being away for a year and we were set up by our best friends who were also dating. It took me a little while to warm up to Dan but after a few hours of pursuit and great banter, it was very clear that this was something special.
The ‘one’.
Em: Dan was the first person I met that made me feel 100% comfortable in my skin. Before meeting him, I was always so anxious and awkward around guys. Whether it was his general being or his amazing sense of humour, there was something about Dan that put me at ease straight away. Dan absolutely balances me out, gives me so much confidence and just generally makes me a better person. He is my best friend, and we simply love being in each other’s company and having fun together. That’s how I knew he was the one.
Dan: I was initially attracted to Em because of her gorgeous eyes and very quick wit, and it didn’t take me long to work out she was the one. Em became my best friend and biggest support very quickly in to our relationship. She always made me laugh uncontrollably by never taking herself too seriously and was always there to support me no matter what. I think that’s why I asked her to be my girlfriend three weeks into dating, with the “I love yous” coming very quickly after that!
The proposal.
It was the weekend of our ten-year anniversary, and to my utter disbelief, Dan had planned an entire surprise weekend getaway for us! I was just told to pack a few outfits, and off we went on a road trip that ended at Jackalope Hotel!
We went down to the lake for a gorgeous picnic (and this made me extremely intrigued about what was going to happen; I mean, it was our ten-year anniversary, and I had been dropping some not-so-subtle hints!) however, after the picnic, there was no proposal but a beautiful walk around the property and back to our hotel room to get ready for dinner.
I realised that I had probably overthought the entire purpose of the trip and that no proposal would happen this weekend. So, while I waited for Dan to take a call, I decided to do what I love: put on my robe and jump into bed.
When Dan came back into the room, he was very fidgety and moved around a lot (I put this down to him not wanting to watch Real Housewives!). After a few moments of movement, Dan asked me to pause the show, and he then proceeded to say some really beautiful words, get down on one knee and ask me to marry him!
Whilst simple, it was the best and most authentic proposal to us as a couple. Private, no fuss and very intimate. It was perfect!
Planning process.
Our first step was to lock in the venue, and we both knew this had to be Jackalope. It was an incredibly special place for us. Being the type A personality I am, the day after the proposal, I had already locked in a tour with the Jackalope events team and within a week, the date and venue were secured!
Following that, Dan made sure we put a spreadsheet and budget together to ensure I didn’t go too wild with the spending (what can I say? I have a knack for spending money!). With Dan being in finance, this spreadsheet was very impressive and ensured that we stuck to our plan.
I reached out to about three or four suppliers for each part of the wedding (flowers, celebrants, photographers etc), met with them to assess our fit and received quotes. From there, Dan and I prioritised where and how we wanted to spend our money and with that we started to lock in what I believe are the A team of vendors.
We took a lot of advice from Jackalope on their recommended suppliers and I am very glad we did because they nailed it!
Style inspiration.
Our style is very minimalistic, romantic, and subtle, and given how ornate Jackalope is, we wanted to ensure whatever we brought in would complement the space perfectly. We worked with a stylist, Xanthe Blyth, who suggested a gorgeous colour scheme of whites, greens, soft pinks and charcoals to ensure we brought the warmth to the space whilst letting it shine. We were absolutely blown away by the work that Xanthe and our florist Jo did to style the wedding.
Given that this was the first wedding I was planning, I absolutely loved the polls being run through Instagram on how other people were approaching their weddings, seeing real weddings on social media and the website, and reading the advice blogs (particularly when it came to advice on how much to spend on certain suppliers). I got so much inspiration from these sources of knowledge and even implemented some of them for our big day.
Planning a wedding can feel like such a daunting task particularly when you layer in a destination wedding but having the resources available through wedding blogs was super comforting and helpful.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony honestly felt like such a dream. I decided to have my parents walk down the aisle before me with our nephew Teddy, and I walked out by myself. Our musician Elise was signing A Thousand Miles by Christina Perri, and as soon as I stepped out, I felt like I was on a cloud. Jo Laver, our florist, had created these gorgeous arrangements down and at the end of the aisle that were just incredible, and to see our beautiful friends’ faces looking at me as I walked past them was magic.
As soon as I turned the corner, I saw Dan absolutely bawling his eyes out and for someone who I have seen cry twice in 11 years, this was a moment. We stood at opposite ends of the aisle and beamed at one another. We both were so excited to start our lives together; you could feel it in the air.
Once that was over and the ceremony began, Emma Tomlinson, our celebrant, absolutely nailed the tone we were after for our ceremony. We wanted something that reflected us as a couple, light-hearted and able to make fun of each other and ourselves. There were plenty of laughs throughout the ceremony; it was the best! Our ceremony was fairly short and sweet so that we could enjoy the party to come!
The outfit.
Dan wore a tuxedo with an ivory jacket from Oscar Hunt for our big day. Our wedding was black tie, so he knew he was always going to wear a tuxedo, but it wasn’t until meeting with the tailor to design the suit that he was persuaded to have his own moment in white! The suit looked amazing and stood out amongst the groomsmen.
For the ceremony, Em wore the Anrie gown by Eva Lendel from Marry Me Bridal in Sydney. The ball gown style was something I knew would suit my body shape, but I never thought I would go with something so ornate and extravagant. I went to Marry Me bridal with my mum and Dan’s mum two weeks after getting engaged to see what style I liked. This was the third dress I tried on that day and from the moment I looked at myself in the mirror, I had goosebumps. I could see myself walking down the aisle to Dan, and at that moment, I knew this was the one to beat. After trying 30 dresses on the next day, I returned to the store and bought the dress. It never left my head, and I am so glad it didn’t! I felt like such a bride!!
For the reception, I wore a Manning Cartell dress. I knew I wouldn’t be able to move around in my ceremony dress given the sheer size of her, so I decided that I wanted a long white dress (so I would stay in the black tie theme) that I could easily move in for the party! I couldn’t find anything I liked for the longest time and then a few weeks before the wedding, I found the Manning Cartell and I knew it would be the perfect dress!
Favourite moments.
We have two favourites! The first is seeing each other at the top of the aisle. It was what we were looking forward to most about the day, and it didn’t disappoint. It was like a year of built-up emotion came upon us in one moment, and it was the best feeling ever. We just couldn’t wipe the smiles (or tears) off our faces.
The second was our first dance. We knew we wanted to do something very fun and entertaining for our guests, and Steph, our dance teacher, did not disappoint with the routine she put together. There were copious spins, lifts and even a “death drop”, which left our guests screaming. It was honestly so much fun! We still watch our dance video at least a few times each week. It was just the best!
Meaning of marriage.
To us, marriage is the ultimate acknowledgement of our love and commitment to one another. It means we become a true partnership in whatever life throws at us. It means whatever we build from here on out is for each other and our family. It means that we can call our best friend husband or wife.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle (bridesmaids and family): Simply the Best by Moon Loungers (acoustic)
Aisle (bride): A Thousand Years by Christina Perri (acoustic)
Reception entry: Get Ready for This by CDM Project
First dance: Hold On by Michael Buble
Last song: Love Story by Taylor Swift
Funny stories or near disasters.
We were incredibly lucky with mostly everything on the day going to plan! The only question mark in the lead-up to the wedding was the weather!
We were told a few weeks before the wedding that there was a very high chance of sweeping thunderstorms on the day of our wedding and that we needed to plan for wet weather. Given that our ceremony and canape hour were meant to be outside, this was a little concerning.
So within a week, we needed to write out a styling plan and run sheet for our wet weather option in the Jackalope Restaurant, doot doot doot, and the cocktail bar. This included new seating plans, floral arrangements, new photography locations and purchasing a lot of plastic umbrellas to ensure that we were covered (literally) for any change in weather on the day.
The night before the wedding (with the rain looming), Dan’s mum told him of an old folklore tale that stated if you plant a sausage in your backyard the night before your wedding, you will have a beautiful day. So, Dan thought, what the hell, and buried the sausage. Lo and behold, the sun was shining from dusk until dawn! We were certainly very lucky indeed!
Planning surprises.
We definitely underestimated the amount of decisions and details you need to think about when you plan a wedding. I think we initially thought of it as a big party and whilst that is true, this is on a scale that was different to anything we had experienced.
Whether it was choosing the specific card stock for our invitation, organising the ever-changing seating chart or even writing our vows, at every turn, there was a decision with endless options. After a little while, this became very overwhelming, and so we started listing out what was important to us with each part of the wedding, and the decision was being made on something really important; we would take the time to debate, research and speak to friends and family. If it was something that wasn’t as important to us, we went with the option that our vendor recommended and it worked out so well.
Words of wisdom.
Decide on what is important to you as a couple about the experience of your wedding first and build your wedding around that. It is your day and when all is done, you want to be able to walk away thinking that was the best day of your life, so make sure you do what’s important to you! Your friends and family want what’s best for you, and seeing you have the best day ever will make sure they have an amazing time too!
Also, lean on your vendors for advice. Weddings are their bread and butter, and they see them every day (and sometimes twice a day). We asked our vendors so many questions about how we should structure our day, and having their guidance through this process is honestly what kept us sane.
Em and Daniel shared some sage advice. And if there’s anyone who knows what to look out for when planning your wedding, it’s a newlywed couple. Smart, honest and insightful, we’ve collected some of the most useful words of wisdom from our real wedding couples – enjoy!
EMILY & DANIEL’S VENDORS
To find our celebrant, florist, entertainment and photographer we used Jackalope’s trusted supplier list. Hair and make-up artist were recommendations from a friend who used them for her wedding. Em’s dress and veil were found through the Instagram explore feed and shoes were found through a social post on Ivory Tribe.
Ceremony & reception venue: Jackalope Hotel – Jan, Yasmine, and the Jackalope Team were absolute pros. From answering 1000 of my emails in the lead-up to the event to walking me through the property at least five times. From the initial meeting to the menu tasting to our final run-through, the team made every interaction with them feel special. The day ran incredibly smoothly, and our guests had the best time. They are the best events team in the business, and we could not be more grateful to them for everything they did for our wedding.
Celebrant: Emma Tomlinson – From the first day we met Emma, she made us so excited to get married. Her easygoing and fun attitude made a usually stressful process extremely easy and fun! Emma is an absolute pro and provided us with really great guidance every step of the way! This meant that our ceremony went off without a hitch and was simply perfection. We had so many guests ask for Emma’s details after the event – she clearly made a big impact!
Photography: Dan Brannan – Dan is a 100/10 photographer! From the start of the process, we loved working with Dan. He has such an incredible way of making the couple feel super comfortable and the results of that came out in our photos which we honestly couldn’t be happier with!! We have received so many compliments on Dan’s photos and will forever be grateful that he accepted our request to be our wedding photographer!
Styling and Stationary: Xanthe Blyth Co – Xanthe was an absolute pleasure to work with for our wedding. She provided us with the perfect amount of creative license and guidance as we muddled our way through the look and feel of the wedding. Xanthe is a wealth of knowledge on all things stationary and styling and was a big source of support on the day making sure everything was set up and looked perfect!
Florist: Jo Laver – Jo is an incredible florist and the results speak for themselves! From the start Jo was so helpful in putting together mood boards and concepts for our florals whilst ensuring they remained within our budget. Jo was so respectful of our vision and brought everything to life so seamlessly. She is a true wizard in her craft and I am so grateful that she was available to help us on our big day.
Hair: Suzy Sela – Suzy absolutely nailed my wedding soft glam look. My makeup was something really important to me about the day and Suzy understood this. She guided me through the trial process and gave me so much confidence in my decisions. Suzy is so knowledgeable about her products, and she instantly knew what would and wouldn’t work on my skin. The results on the day were incredible, and I am so grateful to Suzy for making me look and feel like a princess!
Make-up: Natalie Jaye – Nat is Suzy’s partner in crime, and together, they made my wedding day glam feel like perfection. From our initial meeting, Nat was so easy to work with. Whether it was providing me with different options of styles that would work with my dress or helping me to refine the style that I ended up going with, Nat made the process seamless and extremely fun! It was great having Nat to get me ready on the day because she instantly put my nerves at ease and brought the fun to our big day!
The dresses: Anrie dress from Eva Lendel (from Marry Me Bridal) and Manning Cartell
Veil: Marry Me Bridal – Buying a dress in Sydney and living in Melbourne is not always easy when it comes to fittings but the team at Marry Me bridal were incredible to deal with. They were very flexible in helping me find ways to do my alterations and always made me feel so comfortable when I visited them in store. Nothing was too hard for this team (even asking for a belt to be added to the dress in a quick time frame was no issue). They were a pleasure!
Shoes: Loeffler Randall
Rings: Diamond Exchange
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Rachel Gilbert, Sir, Christopher Esber and Shona Joy
Suits: Oscar Hunt and MJ Bale (Groomsmen)
Bow ties / ties: Oscar Hunt
Catering & bar: Jackalope Hotel
Cake / Cake topper: Samantha Paterson (one of my bridesmaids)
Entertainment: Elise from Unplugged Entertainment – The Unplugged team were incredible to deal with! From day one, Leighton was there to answer any questions we had and was always so supportive of our requests. Elise was our singer and DJ and she was simply AMAZING! From her incredible vocals to the way she brought together our entire dance floor, our experience with Elise and Unplugged was flawless!
Transport: Alfred at AAA Peninsula Hire Cars
