Real Wedding – Jack & Caitlin, Taradale VIC  

 

Old world, understated glamour echoes in every beautiful image of Caitlin and Jack’s dream day. Both being lovers of old movies and classic style, it was inevitable that stylists Prunella would weave these enticing elements throughout the theming. The result is one of truly timeless elegance, the perfect backdrop for a celebration filled with emotion and fun.

Silky forest green bridesmaid gowns are a glam counterpoint to the shot of contemporary injected through neon pink and bright blushes in the beautifully structured bouquets. And we love the added touch of soft cream wraps to ward off the winter chill. 

Caitlin and Jack are, of course, old-world movie elegance to a tee. Caitlin’s gown from our friends at D’Italia, custom made by Eva Tomala Couture, is Audrey Hepburn inspired perfection, while Jack cuts a dapper line in his ebony Oscar Hunt suit. 

Photographer Georgia Verrells weaves modern movement and dynamic storytelling into every image, the perfect complement to the captivating connection between the newlyweds.

 

The meeting.

We met nearly nine years ago, at the beginning of our university degrees. A friend of Jack’s was dating a new friend of Caitlin’s, there was a barbecue, they met, spoke for hours, and what do you know?! We have been inseparable ever since. We dated for over eight years before we got married.

 

The ‘one’.

We both knew from very early on in the relationship. In fact, we moved in together after only 1.5 years and have lived together ever since. Jack says he knew he had found the one when “coming home to Caitlin was the absolute best part of the day”. Caitlin made the same discovery when all of their goals and dreams aligned – from raising a family to purchasing a house; everything they wanted for the future just resonated perfectly with each other.

 

The proposal.

Well, this is both a memorable and strange story. You see, Jack had purchased the ring early in 2020 and had booked a hot air balloon trip and beautiful winery lunch; however – COVID! Basically, during the brief period of ‘freedom’ between the first and second lockdown of 2020, Jack sensed we were about to head into another lockdown, so he grasped the opportunity! We went to our favourite park nearby, which is our favourite place to walk our dog Eddie and where we have a lot of our celebrations (mostly birthdays), and Jack popped the question on a hill overlooking the Yarra River at sunset. It turned out it was just as well because the next day, we went into another lockdown – for 111 days!

 

Planning process.

Luckily, Caitlin is a bit of a planner. She had a lot of the big decisions already sorted out prior to the engagement! She actually found the venue that she loved (Churchill in Taradale) several years earlier on Instagram and had just saved it for “one day”. But equally, very luckily, Jack loved her picks for the venue, flowers, photographer, etc. The planning process was challenging, at times, due to COVID – we did have to postpone at one stage – but mostly, we were so lucky to have vendors who were just amazing to deal with and so accommodating!

 

Style inspiration. 

Our wedding was just ‘us’. We are in many ways old souls – Caitlin has loved Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn movies since a very young age, and similarly, Jack’s favourite movie is The Godfather, and he reveres classic style. However, there was no real inspiration; in the sense that we didn’t go looking for styles to suit us – there was no mood board; we just chose colours, fabrics, and aspects that we loved. The staff at Prunella – a particular shout out to the endlessly talented Vanessa, Carise and Kylie – did all the hard work in ensuring it went together well!

We LOVED looking at Real Weddings, especially going through photos and looking at how everything in the wedding worked together. Caitlin ended up getting lost, often for several hours, in wedding photos, especially Real Weddings’ photographed by our beautiful photographer Georgia Verrells, just because the photos were all so magical! It is so incredible seeing all the joy and love captured in photos, and it brought us a lot of excitement in looking through people’s experiences.

 

The ceremony.

Below the stained-glass windows of Churchill, amongst the bright florals, we said our very personal vows to each other. Our celebrant, David Callanan, is also Caitlin’s great uncle and brought a special personal touch to the ceremony – as many of the guests already knew him. Jack’s mother, Christina, also gave a reading called ‘How Falling in Love is like Owning a Dog’ which was a PERFECT reading for the dog-obsessed bride and groom.

 

Favourite moments.

Oh goodness, there were so many beautiful moments, and they flew by so quickly.

Caitlin’s favourite moment was – without a doubt – walking into the church and seeing Jack’s face, which was both excited and very nervous. Caitlin had never seen his eyes well up with tears like that before, either! (Thankfully, Georgia got some incredible snaps of this moment, so it can be treasured forever). In contrast, Jack’s favourite moment was driving off, just the two of us, beneath the stars, feeling like we’d had the day we envisioned and were now happily married!

 

Meaning of marriage.

We love this question! Marriage is about teamwork. We approach everything in life as a team – we even refer to ourselves as a team – and marriage is an acknowledgment (and a celebration!) of our teamwork together. We always knew we wanted to get married as it felt like something we wanted to share with our loved ones and is the next step for our team and family.

 

Wedding soundtrack.

Our first dance song was very special. Our band, The White Tree, played a cover of Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley. It was the first and only song that had come into our minds when brainstorming wedding songs!

Caitlin entered the church to Canon in D Major, the signing of the marriage certificate was backed by gentle instrumental tracks by Vitamin String Quartet, and we walked out of the church to Home by the Vitamin String Quartet (cover of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros). This was a magical moment, and the song accompanied the joyful applause so perfectly.

 

Funny stories or near disasters.

Well, there was a little bump, that’s for sure – literally! Two months before the wedding, Caitlin discovered that she was pregnant! A very happy surprise, that’s for sure, but it certainly put a spanner in the works with the beautifully handmade, corseted, custom gown! Thank goodness for Eva Tomala, the seamstress, who was wonderfully kind, supportive and understanding. The dress still looked absolutely stunning – despite some modifications! Shout out to Spoonful, too, for the last-minute mocktails!

 

Words of wisdom.

Be as flexible as possible, especially during COVID times. Nothing will be perfect; there may be postponements and other changes. Focus on what’s important – why you’re getting married, who you REALLY want there, the non-negotiables (so to speak) of your wedding. Try not to get hung up on little things. Also, equally importantly, choose your vendors wisely! They will be your greatest support during this whole process. It’s worthwhile being a bit picky to find vendors you really like who have a supportive and helpful vibe about them and are willing to answer all your questions.

 

 

Wedding day style is definitely not limited to the ladies – now more than ever gents have a cracking array of choices and options. Check out our guide to picking the perfect suave suit to keep you looking super sharp for your epic celebrations.

 

JACK & CAITLIN’S VENDORS

As a little hobby, even before being engaged, Caitlin loved looking at wedding websites and magazines, including Ivory Tribe, Wedding and Bride, Hello May, Modern Wedding and Vogue Bride. I suppose through reading these, Jack and Caitlin were able to think about aspects that they liked and photographs that stood out to them. However, most of the vendors involved in our wedding were found through Instagram or Facebook – socials reign supreme these days!

We’re so incredibly grateful for all the people who helped us to make this the special day it was.

Ceremony & reception venue: Churchill. Without a doubt, one of the earliest and most important decisions we made was about the venue. Vanessa, Carise, Kylie, and their team of staff from Prunella (who also did the event management, flowers and styling) are some of the most talented individuals we’ve ever met. We could not recommend them more highly. Genuinely amazing.

Celebrant: David Callanan

Photography: Georgia Verrells. As soon as we saw Georgia’s photographs, we were absolutely sold. Every photograph is a treasured moment, unstilted and very natural. We love that Georgia takes incredible shots of wedding guests, too, which was really important to us. She was a warm, calming, kind presence at our wedding – basically an extra family member or bridesmaid! We only wish she could come to all of our family events!

Videography: Mardy Bridges – All My Wednesdays

Décor, styling & florist: Prunella. The flowers were everything we could ever dream of! These ladies really are the dream team.

Hair & make-up: Love Co.

The dress & veil: D’Italia and custom made by Eva Tomala Couture

Shoes: Betts. Caitlin wanted something comfy for her growing preggo feet – these definitely did the trick! No pain at all.

Rings: Micheli Jewellery

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Chi Chi Clothing. Gosh, it was challenging for us to find the style of bridesmaid dress we wanted. We were looking for something classic and modest. Chi Chi have a beautiful range in gorgeous fabrics and colours – definitely check them out!

Suits & bow ties / ties : Oscar Hunt

Cake, catering & bar: Spoonful

Stationery / Signage: Jean Bird Calligraphy

Entertainment: The White Tree

Transport: Organs Coaches

Wedding party accommodation: Flophouse