Real Wedding – Jake & Katherine, Cadello VIC
Under the branches of an incredible ancient tree on a sun-drenched day, Katherine and Jake exchanged I Dos. For the soon-to-be Mr & Mrs, the theme of the day was timeless elegance – throw in a dose of impactful emotion, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a super special soiree.
A wedding party in classic black and white, crisp tailoring and clean lines gave the awesome affair a touch of contemporary glam, while artful arrangements of soft blush and cream roses anchored the look in timeless tradition. To top off the stellar styling, personal touches were interspersed throughout the day, from special song choices honouring loved ones to the importance of their community having come from near and far.
Katherine dazzled in her dress by superstar Chosen by Kyha. A simple sheath with elegantly soft fabric detailing across the back, it allowed the beautiful bride to shine. And by the look on Jake’s face, it didn’t go unappreciated!
We love the sense of sweet delight and delicious fun in the stunning portrait shots by photographer extraordinaire Tess Follett, with twilight images to take your breath away.
To see more of this gorgeously understated affair, scroll on.
The meeting.
In Rome – but it wasn’t romantic as it sounds! We met on a Topdeck Tour of Europe in 2012. Jake is from Brisbane, and I’m from Adelaide, so we did long distance for nearly four years until we moved to Melbourne in 2016.
The ‘one’.
Let’s put it this way; we knew it was something worth fighting for if we were willing to give long distance a go so early on in our relationship.
The proposal.
It happened between lockdowns in June 2021, at an amazing Airbnb in Gruyere, in the Yarra Valley. Just us two.
Planning process.
We were living in Kyneton in the Macedon Ranges for five months. Given the venue was in the area, the planning process was relatively easy. We were able to meet most of our suppliers regularly as they were local to the area.
Style inspiration.
We wanted the day to feel timeless and understated. We also wanted to show off the area we called home for five months, so we let the venue do a lot of the talking for us.
I mainly used Instagram and found looking at real weddings (rather than styled shoots) the best. Plus, advice from my sister and good friend who both had recently got married was a godsend!
The ceremony.
An outdoor ceremony is always a risk in Victoria, but we got very lucky. It was 21 degrees, and blue skies all day. Our exit song was All You Need is Love by The Beatles, which we felt was fitting given all our close friends and family were with us; plus, this song was incorporated into my sister and brother-in-law’s wedding the year prior.
The outfit.
Jake wore a fitted tux (from Black Jacket Suiting in Brisbane, given all his groomsmen live there) and black RM’s. He had a fitting over Christmas and again when he went to Brisbane for his bucks, so the process was pretty seamless.
For me, I always knew I wanted something simple and elegant. So, when I saw the Lennox dress from KYHA online shortly after getting engaged, I had a good idea that that would be the one. Unfortunately, when it came time to trying on dresses, we were in lockdown again. Luckily, KYHA were doing a concierge service. They sent me three dresses, and I did a virtual fitting with my Mum, sister and two of my bridesmaids. It was all pretty easy, really. However, I did go and try a few other dresses on when we got out of lockdown just to confirm the Lennox was the one – and it was!
Favourite moments.
Taking a moment before joining canapés and taking in all the guests surrounding us. We grew up in separate cities, so it meant a lot to us that our worlds were mixing and everyone was getting to know each other. Realistically, that will never happen again, so we didn’t take it for granted. We had people travel from England (including my cousin, who was one of my bridesmaids), The Netherlands, the US (including our friend to be one of our MCs) and across Australia to make it for our big day. We are forever grateful.
Meaning of marriage.
We already knew this before we got engaged, but this just solidifies that this is forever.
Wedding soundtrack.
Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers (performed acoustic by Josh + Maisie from Tillee Music)
Oh, Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison,
Crazy Love by Van Morrison.
Every single song we had to agree on. We had a lot of fun one afternoon driving back from Kyneton to Melbourne, trying to find the right reception entry song. We would have flicked through roughly 20 options, but as soon as we heard the opening to Oh, Pretty Woman, we knew that was it.
Funny stories or near disasters.
After not wearing earrings for nearly a decade, I had to re-pierce my ears. I hadn’t taken out the earrings the piercer had put in, and when it got to the big day, I could NOT get them out. My Mum, my sister, my bridesmaids, and my hairdresser all tried. But they would not come out. We all started thinking I’d either have to push the second pair past the first or forego them altogether! Finally, the make-up artist gave it a go and got them out!
Planning surprises.
Given all our guests stayed out in Kyneton or Woodend, we definitely didn’t appreciate the logistics of getting everyone around on the days leading up to and after the wedding until the time came. But we figured it all out in the end!
Words of wisdom.
Do as much as you can together. From designing the drinks menu, meetings with the venue, and picking your wedding soundtrack. Make sure your big day doesn’t just reflect one of you but both of you and what you like as a couple.
We selected specific songs for our DJ to play during dinner that meant something to us and a few songs that reminded us of very special family members that are no longer with us. It was our way of incorporating them into our day.
And lastly, take a moment to soak it all in. It’s such a cliché to say the day goes quickly, but it honestly flies by.
Love Jake and Katherine’s country-meets-classic vibe? See an equally gorgeous take on a similar style in Jordyn and Rich’s real wedding here on the blog.
JAKE & KATHERINE’S VENDORS
We used a combination of The Lane, Melbourne Brides Facebook Group, The Wed Shed and Google to find our vendors. Plus, advice from my sister, my Mum, bridesmaids, and friends, was a godsend.
Ceremony & reception venue: Cadella Park, Cadello. An amazing property about ten minutes from Kyneton. We got married outside under a big elm tree. I found this venue before we moved to Kyneton on The Lane directory. It was pretty serendipitous that in a few weeks, we would be moving to the area for Jake’s work.
We moved into the converted hay barn for dinner and dancing. It was lucky we moved everyone inside when we did; when the sun drops in the Macedon Ranges, it gets cold pretty quickly.
Celebrant/Officiant: Father Declan from the local Catholic church in Kyneton
Photography: Tess Follett. Given we got married fairly quickly after getting engaged, we were very lucky to secure Tess. She actually had our wedding day blocked off as she needed it to travel to Daylesford the next day. As she needed to be in the area and had never shot at Cadella Park, she was able to shoot our day. Her photos are just amazing, and she made us two very awkward people feel very comfortable.
Videography: Film My Wedding
Florist: Prunella. Vanessa and Caris at Prunella run the venue too. This made organszing the day very easy. They put us in touch with our food and drink suppliers, and everyone spoke so highly of their reputation.
Hair: Rhys Mitchell Harrison. He has done my hair for years and is a good friend. I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing my hair on my big day.
Make-up: Maria Gullace
The dress: KYHA
Veil: My sister’s (it was my something borrowed).
Shoes: Sol Sana
Rings: Pure Envy, a good friend’s family business in Adelaide who took very good care of us every step of the way.
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Bec & Bridge
Suits: Black Jacket Suiting
Catering: Monsieur Pierre. Local to Kyneton and who we visited daily for our coffee run while we lived in the area.
Bar: Banks Fine Wine. The wine and cocktails were local to the Macedon Ranges area, and we had a great time picking and designing the menu.
Cake: We had a Cannoli Cart by Cannoleria instead of the traditional wedding cake. We ate these cannoli religiously during the 2020 lockdown, and we both wanted to have an Italian dessert for our cake, so this was a no-brainer.
Stationery / Signage: It’s Yours Collective
Entertainment: Josh and Maisie from Tillee Music, and Dan from Griffin Alliance
Transport for the bride to the ceremony: Our family friend very kindly let us use his white vintage Mustang
Transport for guests: Organ’s Coaches
Recovery: The Kyneton Hotel. Their beer garden the day after the wedding was the perfect setting.
