Real Wedding - Helena & Jonathon, Fremantle WA

January 10, 2022 In Real Weddings, Western Australia By Ivory Tribe

Real Wedding – Helena & Jonathon, Fremantle WA

Helena and Jonathon‘s Fremantle wedding was a glorious ode to spring, taking place on the first day of the season with some jaw-droppingly gorgeous pastel florals, an outdoor ceremony in the middle of the Botanic Gardens and obligatory pit stop at the beach just before sunset.

Their day was dotted with the things meant most to them, embracing a traditional Baha’i ceremony and a big emphasis on family – they knew they wanted to their celebration to be simple, but also full of love, warmth and cosiness.

They certainly nailed their brief, and the smiles that didn’t leave their faces speak volumes.

Captured by Alice André Photography, settle in and get swept away in the loveliness of this WA day.

The meeting.

We met at a seminar for young professionals in Yerrinbool, NSW. The seminar aims to assist young adults to develop the capacity to examine and analyse society and the forces acting upon it and to introduce relevant aspects of the Bahá’í teachings both in their academic and professional fields, as well as in other social spaces in which they are present. At the time, Helena was living in Tonga as a researcher and Jonathon was working on a mine as a geotech engineer near Orange, NSW, so it was a pretty lucky thing they met!

The one.

We’re not sure! We became pretty interested in each other only a few days into the seminar. The seminar helped us learn quickly about how we each think. Helena was pretty sure she’d found potentially the one during the seminar, because of his attitudes and worldview.

The proposal.

Because of the long-distance nature of our relationship, we were talking about marriage pretty early on, maybe three months in? Jonathon planned a romantic proposal. We went for a beach walk, he then drove us to Kalamunda falls. On the way he played music from a playlist he’d prepared especially for the day. When we arrived, it was a lot busier than he was expecting so he performed a cover of “The Summer” by Josh Pyke (one of my all-time favourite songs) on the ukulele in the car, which was very sweet. We then walked up to the falls, had a look and on the way back and found a quiet spot and he proposed! I knew it was coming but I still cried!

Planning process.

Stressful – we planned it in maybe five months. Towards the end, Helena was not looking forward to the wedding, but it ended up being the funnest day of our lives!

Style inspiration.

We wanted it to be simple, but full of love, warmth and cosiness.

The ceremony.

It was held in a natural setting, which was important to both of us. Helena’s sister who lives overseas could join through zoom – that was a big deal. Jonathon’s family managed to make it across the border from Tassie and performed music and Helena’s mum read a prayer in farsi.

The outfits.

Helena was after something she felt comfortable in, that was simple and not over the top. It took a little while, but she saw it on an Instagram/blog page. It was a crinkly white material that ended just below the ankles and was held by two thick straps.

Favourite moment.

Helena left the reception hall and walked outside to soak it all in – it turned out so well.

For Jonathon it was the dancing!

Meaning of marriage.

Committing to improving yourself and supporting your spouse to be the best version of themselves. Willing to adapt and compromise to achieve unity. To one day, raise a family that is concerned for the wellbeing of others and wants to be a source of good. Marriage is also just a lot of fun and good times.

Wedding soundtrack.

Our first dance song was Fever to the Form by Nick Mulvey.

Funny stories (or near disasters).

We think the only near disaster (funnily) was the amazing Chef, Kenny from Manuka Woodfire Kitchen in Freo, called to say he couldn’t get the right kind of pumpkin in for one of the dishes and he was so apologetic. We’re pretty sure his alternative was even better than the one he had planned!

Planning surprises.

The expense of it all did take us by surprise at the beginning (if you want to share the day with family and make it a night time event, it’s going to cost $$$). Thankfully we had been saving for a good while and our families helped out too.

Words of wisdom.

Share the load, and just accept that it’s not always going to be fun. Do some of it with people you’re close with, for example we made the playlists with Helena’s cousins, and they made it so much more enjoyable – it suddenly didn’t feel like a chore after work on a Wednesday night.