Real Wedding – Jed & Alix, Collingwood VIC  

 

Jed and Alix are the picture-perfect example of how you can pull off planning a wedding in a short time frame. The cracking celebrations were arranged in no more than three months, and the super stylish, fun-filled affair ticked every box.

From Jed and Alix’s choice of amazing Alimentari as their venue to the fancy-free vibes of the festivities, this is one party that we wish we were at! Tribe superstar Celebrant Alex of For the Love Celebrancy set the tone with a ceremony filled with sweet surprises for the Mr & Mrs to be, lashings of laughter and impactful insight. Beaming smiles from everyone in the room are a testament to the magic a truly talented celebrant can weave.

The styling selections for this stunning soiree are sublime; from Alix’s effortlessly chic Lola Varma gown to the epic bacchanalian style altarpiece they stood before to say their I-Do’s. Divine details enhance an already gorgeous scene, from rich florals in velvety vermillion and soft blush to warm, modern stationery choices and a cornucopia of artfully displayed fruits and delectable delights.

Jess Nicholls captured it all in true visual poetry, working the intimate magic of the day into every shot. Scrolling through Jed and Alix’s relaxed romp through Melbourne’s urban laneways, bathed in a sunset glow, we couldn’t help but be caught up in the electric emotion of the day.

For a dose of happiness, visual delight and effortless elegance, delve into this dream day!

The meeting.

Jed and I met in high school – but we were never actually fond of each other. We moved in the same circle but always laugh when we tell each other we didn’t really like the other. But, that all changed once we finished school. We spent more time together, just as friends, for a really long while and had our first kiss while watching Top Gun on his single bed (he was 19 at the time)! Still to this day, we debate who kissed who first, but I swear it was him. Anyway, always more open with his affection, Jed told me he loved me via a text message and soon after, I realised I loved him too. On December 12, 11.5 years ago, he called me his girlfriend, and the rest is – well, history!

 

The ‘one’.

I don’t know if we ever had this moment. It was more of a slow love. The kind of love that builds over time, and you slowly start to realise that the other person is the only one for you.

 

The proposal.

We were preparing to leave for an overseas trip to Europe, which would have been the obvious place to propose, but that’s what made it all the more special. It was low key, uneventful and the middle of the week (a Wednesday night) at home. He cooked my favourite meal for dinner, casually walked out of the bedroom and got down on one knee to ask me if I would marry him. He had picked up the ring that day.

 

Planning process.

I emailed our wedding venue on a whim, while in the thick of Covid, just to see what a wedding there could look like (being a daytime restaurant, I wasn’t even sure that they hosted weddings). As we were finally exiting lockdowns, Linda, the owner, gave me a call and we discussed what we were looking for in a wedding. She agreed that Alimentari was the perfect venue for us and, just as a bit of fun, asked me to pick a date. I (pretty randomly) chose a date in March and came out of my home office to tell Jed I had booked our wedding. After being together for 11 years, being engaged for four and having a two-year-old, we had talked about getting married one day but didn’t really have any formal plans until this point. I was a little surprised when he didn’t freak out at the news, and so it was full steam ahead from there.

We had just over three months to plan our wedding from start to finish, which actually turned out to be a blessing. I didn’t have time to source quotes from multiple suppliers, so if someone I contacted was free, I booked them straight away. I was pretty clear about the style I wanted for our wedding, and the suppliers I wanted to work with, so most of the decisions came easy.

Thankfully Covid allowed our wedding to go ahead with no changes to dates, which is something we are very grateful for. The lead up was fun and stress-free, which we know certainly wasn’t the case for a lot of couples this year.

 

Style inspiration. 

We wanted our wedding day to be intimate and relaxed, but with plenty of special details and ultimately a really fun party.

I’ve always loved being inspired by real weddings. Whether it’s looking through beautiful shots on Instagram or finding real weddings on blogs like Hello May or Ivory Tribe, it’s fun to see how everyone chooses to bring together their own perfect day.

 

The ceremony.

We made the decision not to read the ceremony our celebrant had written for us prior to our wedding day, and we are so glad we made that decision. We laughed (and cried) along with our guests, and it was like hearing our entire story for the very first time. Some of our best friends told us that even they learnt something new about us and our relationship that day. The whole ceremony was really relaxed, and looking back at the photos, we were just smiling the entire time.

 

The outfit. 

I had screenshot my gown from Lola Varma years ago and always knew it was the dress for me. When the time came to finally try it on for my wedding day, I loved it just as much in real life. It felt exactly like me and the perfect style for our relaxed wedding.

 

Favourite moments.

We had so many favourite moments from the day; it’s hard to choose just one. From hearing our ceremony and personal vows, our first dance with our son, right up until the last song when almost every guest was on the dancefloor. There were so many moments that will forever be special memories.

 

Meaning of marriage.

Jed and I have been together so long; we knew not much would change once we got married. That said, we love calling each other husband and wife and sharing the same last name.

 

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Higher Love by James Vincent McMorrow

Recessional: Everlasting Love by Natalie Cole

Reception entry: ily (I Love you Baby) (feat. Emilee)by Surf Mesa. Emilee

First dance: Aint No Mountain High by Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell. We did our first dance as a family with our two-year-old son. We’ve sung this song to him since he was a baby, and it’s his favourite.

Exit: Dreams (Tocadisco Remix) by Deep Dish

 

Funny stories or near disasters.

It’s really not like us for everything to go to plan, but somehow, on our wedding day, it did!

 

Planning surprises.

I work in Marketing, PR & Events and am also a little bit of a control freak, so planning our wedding came a little too naturally to me. I loved (almost) every minute.

 

Words of wisdom.

Everyone will tell you to stop and take it all in, but we really made a conscious effort to do this. It’s so nice to be able to look back on the day and remember the small moments; a hug with a family member you haven’t see in a while, catching a friend’s eye mid-ceremony or a special moment with your (now) husband on the dance floor.

 

 

Want to follow Jed and Alix’s lead and get your planning done with max efficiency without sacrificing the divine details? We have the perfect tool to get keep you on track, so you can spend less time cursing excel and more time toasting your sweet celebrations! Download our digital wedding planning tools, here.

 

JED & ALIX’S VENDORS

Ceremony & reception venue: Smith Street Alimentari, Collingwood –Alimentari has always been one of our most loved lunch spots. There was really nowhere else we saw ourselves getting married, and we were excited to share it with the people that we loved.

Celebrant/Officiant: Alexandra Baxter, For The Love Celebrancy – We were lucky enough to find Alex through a mutual friend, and we are so lucky we did. We all hit it off straight away, and she really just ‘got us’ as a couple.

Photography: Jess Nicholls – Jess was the perfect photographer for us. Funny, honest and brilliant at capturing a candid moment. Jed was kind of dreading standing in front of a camera for hours, but with Jess, it was relaxed and fun. We are seriously obsessed with the shots from our day.

Florist: Wildflos – Nat was so easy to work with. We basically had one phone call, and she nailed the image I had inside my head. She arranged all of our additional styling items, and there wasn’t one thing I would have changed on the day.

Hair: Julia Chocrane

Make-up: Amelia Webb – You’re pretty lucky when your best friend is a make-up artist. Amelia knows me well, so she knew exactly how I wanted my make-up to be without me even telling her.

The dress: Lola Varma – The whole experience with Courtney was so easy, and I’ll ALWAYS love that dress.

Jewellery: Amber Sceats

Shoes: Saint Laurent

Rings: Tiger Bay Jewels

Suits: Joe Black

Bow ties: Calibre

Catering & bar: Smith Street Alimentari

Stationery / Signage: Paper Jean

Entertainment: Rutherford Entertainment – DJ Moli & Belle Bangard.

Décor: Small Things Co

Honeymoon: Mitchelton Winery