Real Wedding – Ieesha and Robert, Balnarring VIC
Jackalope on the magical Mornington Peninsula was the perfect host for Ieesha and Robert to wed in sublime style.
While their day was a black-tie affair with a contemporary and elegant colour pallette, they still designed a day that was relaxed, full of romance and with an ‘Ieesha and Rob’ flare. Moody dark florals mixed with pink blush and metallic tones added wow-factor to their styling along with artichokes, pomegranates and red grapes as an alternative to flowers.
Their ceremony was a highlight with personal and loving touches and White Shutter Photography was there to capture every beautiful moment.
In Ieesha and Robert’s words…
The meeting.
Who knew a sleep disorder could bring two people together? Snoring and poor sleep normally tear couples apart! Experiencing sleep difficulties, Rob was referred to a sleep clinic managed by Ieesha. Rob casually entered the consulting room and to his surprise was greeted by a stunning young scientist. Unprepared for this encounter Rob nervously instigated awkward conversation, however, Ieesha showed very little interest in small talk. It turned out Ieesha was very annoyed that Rob had arrived un-shaven, he clearly hadn’t bothered to read the pre-appointment instructions. In sassy fashion, Ieesha told Rob that “stubble was trouble and his results may be compromised”. Her attitude didn’t deter Rob instead it left him wanting more! Unbeknown to Ieesha, Rob left his business card with the receptionist and expressed his desire to take her out on a date. Ieesha was flattered but unavailable at the time.
Six months passed, Ieesha stumbled across Rob’s patient file triggering Ieesha’s curiosity. She decided to Google him only to find a LinkedIn account. Annoyed that Rob was not active on social media like most of us, Ieesha’s only option was to create a LinkedIn profile. Ieesha didn’t realise that when you look at someone’s profile, they get an alert! That was enough interest for Rob, so, a few days later he sent Ieesha a message and a week later they went on their first date in early 2014.
The ’one’.
Our Celebrant asked us the same question – here was our answer.
Without hesitation, Ieesha said the fact Rob didn’t mind that her dogs were allowed anywhere and everywhere in the house, bed included, meant Rob was pretty special and a keeper.
For Rob, this defining moment happened only a few months into their relationship. Rob and Ieesha were out drinking with their respective friends at opposite ends of the city. They had both agreed to go home together, so Rob organised a taxi and picked up Ieesha on his way home. As Ieesha walked towards the taxi, Rob peered through the window and thought…WOW! He was so happy to see her and in that moment was reminded how special she made him feel, so much so, that he felt the need to proclaim his love and force the taxi driver to stop the car and take a moment to admire his girl, telling him that he was going to marry her one day.
The proposal.
Returning from a vacation in Hawaii the day before Ieesha’s 30th Birthday, Rob surprised her with a night stay at Crown Towers. Internally Ieesha was fuming! Why you say? Well they had a house party planned the following day and there was still so much to prepare! With the help of their fur babies Misha and Indie, Rob planned out the perfect proposal with a champagne breakfast delivered to their room at 7:45am. There were pancakes, croissants, hash browns and strawberries… everything you could imagine! Ieesha NOT being a morning person and also someone who doesn’t eat breakfast, wasn’t impressed… her mood quickly changed when Rob got down on one knee. The celebration continued across the weekend when Rob and Ieesha made a surprise announcement of their engagement to their family & friends.
The planning process.
We started looking for venues 4-5 months after our engagement and always knew we wanted to set a date for November 2018. I think we were very confused at the beginning and didn’t really know the style of wedding that we wanted. We spent ages looking at barns and venues that were a complete blank canvas, but we soon discovered this was the exact opposite to what we actually wanted. We stumbled upon Jackalope during a weekend down at the Mornington Peninsula and once we entered the driveway and saw it, we knew this was where we wanted to get married. From here, the rest of the big-ticket items came together relatively easily. It was important for us to make the lead up to the wedding as stress free as possible and wanted to have everything done so we could relax during the lead up.
Style inspiration.
We always wanted the day to be a black-tie event. We appreciate old school glamour and really wanted to channel that. We went with a contemporary and elegant colour palette that matched our venue’s unique architecture and artistic interior. The venue itself had a lot going on, so we really didn’t want to overdo it, but at the same time wanted to add an “Ieesha and Rob” flare. We decided on a lot of dark florals mixed in with blush pink and metallic tones. We also wanted to incorporate colour by using some modern alternatives to flowers and added purple artichokes, pomegranates and red grapes scattered on the guest tables.
The outfit.
My bridal gown was a timeless and elegant, no lace, no frills, off the shoulder gown with a petite pearl belt, matched with a crystal embellished bird cage veil, a 3m thin cathedral veil and Christian Louboutin heels. I knew I didn’t want lace or tulle, and my style usually is very classic and simple and wanted to stay true to that. I spotted my dress in a bridal magazine that my girlfriends bought me the day after we announced our engagement. I immediately started enquiring, only to find out that it wasn’t available in Australia. I had a work trip planned that month to London and thought “I wonder if someone in London stocks it?” Luckily, I found a bridal boutique that stocked in and went and tried it on my business trip and loved it straight away! I ordered it and one of my girlfriends took it home for me who happened to be holidaying in London at the time when the dress arrived at the store. It was meant to be!
Favourite moment.
Our celebrant asked us to put together “why we love our partner?” and “what does your partner love most about you?”. This was all in secret and we heard each other’s responses for the first time on the day. There wasn’t a dry eye in sight!
We also loved seeing the reaction of our guests when we surprised them with a traditional Chinese lion dance performance to celebrate my Asian heritage and merging of two cultures.
Meaning of marriage.
I think the reading “Fair Dinkum Love” that we chose at our ceremony sums up marriage perfectly. It’s not about the fancy things in life or being the perfect partner, it’s about two average people adoring, respecting and accepting each other for who they are.
Wedding sountrack.
Our aisle song was a string version of Somewhere Only We Know by Simply Three. Our Reception Entry song was Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen and our First Dace song was Latch by Sam Smith.
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Our poor dear Nonno forgot to pack his suit pants on the wedding day and then ending up spilling tomato sauce all over his shirt during the reception!
Planning surprises.
There are endless amounts of options these days in terms of dresses, colour palettes, styles, venues, suppliers, family and friends opinions and then when you finally decide on something, your Instagram feed updates and there are more options and you constantly worry whether you have made the right choice. There is so much to think about and so many elements to the day that need to all come together somehow. It all somehow comes together in the end!
Words of wisdom.
There are no rules to planning a wedding. I had a Man of Honour, no bridal party and our parents and siblings walked down the aisle. We had stand up entrée stations, a sit down main and no traditional wedding cake or cutting of the cake for that matter! The key is to be true to yourself and don’t fall victim to family and friend pressures and opinions. You are never going to make everyone happy, so make sure that the two of you are happy first and go from there. It’s the one day in your life that you can take the limelight and you don’t have to feel bad about it!
Boy oh boy the Mornington Peninsula plays host to so many amazing venues, be sure to check out all our favourite.
ROBERT AND IEESHA’S TRIBE
Ceremony and reception venue / location: Jackalope – Jan and the rest of the Jackalope team were phenomenal. The attention to detail was out of this world and they were happy to tend to every request without hesitation. We could not be any happier with how the day turned out.
Celebrant/Officiant: Lee Jolley Marriage Celebrant
Photography: White Shutter Photography – Anne did an amazing job at capturing our day and our love story. She made us feel incredibly comfortable and are so in love with our photos. We cant stop looking at them!
Videography: Zephyr Productions – James and Anne work so well together and it was so important for us to find a photographer and videographer that know how each other works and can work as a team. James also made us feel so comfortable and natural in front of the lens!
Styling: Pop Up With Style – A special shout out to Eliza. She was an absolute sweetheart and made our vision for the day come to life. Having her there on the day made us feel at ease knowing she had it all under control.
Florist: Poppy Culture – Lauren and the team are ridiculously talented. They made our dreams into a reality and the florals turned out even better than what we were expecting. We were blown away.
Hair: Ceres Mason/Reds for Hair
Make Up: Johnny Thorpe
The Dress(es): Rosa Clara from Hitched Bridal UK altered by Always and Forever Bridal. A special mention to Naomi who did a remarkable job at altering my dress.
Veil / headwear: Reny Kestel Millinery and Made with Love ‘Chani’ veil.
Shoes: Christian Louboutin and grooms shoes were from Florsheim.
Rings: Engagement Ring – Joseph George Jewellery Wedding bands – Arman Jewellery
Bridesmaid’s dresses: N/A
Groom’s attire: Arthur Galan
Catering: Jackalope
Cake / Cake topper: Little Bertha and cake topper by Petite Sugarworks
Stationery / Signage: Zazzle and signage by Willow and Ink and name place cards by AlphabetCo
Entertainment: Main Entertainment
Hire: Lion Dancers
Honeymoon: Mini-Moon in Queenstown NZ. Big-Moon Italy July 2019.
