Real Wedding – Jessica & Chris, Ellinbank VIC
Jessica and Chris’s stunning soiree is a vision in all the best ways; chic, contemporary styling with a touch of timelessness, sweet emotions and a genuine good-time vibe. Leaning into their theming direction of a relaxed, sublimely sensory dinner party makes for a celebration centred around long, linen-clad tablescapes, incredible food and wine and their nearest and dearest enjoying time spent together.
Decor choices to uplift and enhance the natural surroundings coalesce in sweet perfection, from the cloud-like florals in the softest vanilla to a string of fairy lights and candles creating atmospheric effects.
For us, it’s the fits that have us all starry eyed. Chris cuts a dapper figure in his classic black tux by our friends at YSG Tailors. His old-world movie star vibes shine next to his gorgeous bride, with Jess dressed in a custom gown and veil by dream designer Elissa Marie Design. Her soft sheath gown, dramatically embroidered veil, and those incredible gloves combine to give elegance with a hint of modern edge, softened by romantic accents through the lace and gossamer detailing.
Photographer extraordinaire Tess Follett captures the effervescent electricity between the newlyweds to absolute perfection, creating a visual journey of the day filled with everything a wedding should be; romance, style, and so much fun.
The meeting.
So, we actually met at work about seven years ago! We worked together for over a year before anything happened. I was 100% flirting with Chris trying to drop hints that I was interested, but he was under the impression I was just being nice to him – it took an invite to a dinner at a restaurant his sister was working at to ask me out! In saying that, he did only ask me because we had just finished a shift together and he didn’t have anybody else to ask!
The ‘one’.
Probably our first date! I had never had such a great connection with someone. There were no nerves, no awkward moments, lots of laughing, and we were just on the same wavelength. I remember thinking to myself, omg, I think I already love this guy!?
The proposal.
Chris proposed to me on his birthday! He claims he did it on his birthday, so I wouldn’t see it coming – it worked. We went away for the weekend to Daylesford, where we stayed at the Lake House. Not long after we arrived, we went for a walk around the lake. Not too far into the walk, I turned around to a “Hey Jess…” and there he was, on one knee! I instantly said yes; we finished our walk and popped some champagne, and called all of our closest friends and family.
Planning process.
We got into parts of the planning shortly after the engagement – mostly to lock in vendors we really wanted to work with on the day, like our photographer Tess and our planner Sam. After we locked them in, we went almost a year without doing much at all! But once the planning process started, it was so much fun – Chris and I both had a lot of input and practically knew the vibe and the style of wedding we wanted, so it was a pretty seamless process!
Style inspiration.
Well, we knew we didn’t want to follow a trend as such – we wanted our guests to arrive at our wedding and feel, ‘Oh yeah, this is so Jess and Chris.’ So, we wanted it to feel like when you come over to our house for dinner. Lots of tasty wine, great music, lots of linen, dinner candles, and simple food done really well and shared with all of our friends and family.
Viewing blogs and magazines were really helpful for us as we got married on private property, so we were working with a blank canvas, so it was really cool to see how other people laid out certain things and made a patch of grass look like the most beautiful thing ever. It’s also just a super fun thing to flick through magazines and get excited about it!
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was so fun (which I was not expecting, it was the part I was most dreading due to stage fright). I walked down the aisle to Angus and Julie Stone’s Nothing Else, and that song just gives me chills. It was a long aisle walk for myself and my bridesmaids, which I loved! It feels intense and really gets the emotions flowing! The ceremony itself was not too serious; all our guests had a drink in hand, and there were lots of laughs and great banter between Chris, myself and our amazing celebrant Alana. She is a friend, and I think it really helps to have someone you know as a celebrant. She knew our story, our family and our friends, so the ceremony was tailored perfectly to us. Not too long – not too short. We wrote our own vows, so it was beautiful and emotional but also casual and fun.
The look.
I actually brought my shoes first! I saw these Gucci horse-bit block heels and was obsessed! I knew I needed them straight away. I had never looked into wedding dresses before – and before I got too overwhelmed with trying on dresses, I thought to myself, what do I personally see myself in? What will suit my body? What is something timeless that I won’t scoff at one day? Then I met with Ellisa, an amazing local dress designer and mentioned I would love a custom gown. She asked if she could guess what style of dress I’d be wearing as she thought she knew what would look great on me. It turned out she had EXACTLY the same idea as me. A luxurious silk slip with a dramatic veil with embroidery! Elissa even did the embroidery by hand.
I had been pondering the idea of wearing gloves for a while but wasn’t 100% sure. So, about a week before the wedding, I reached out to another local dressmaker, Tess, from Andelle, who is a friend of mine, to see if she’d be interested in making some tulle gloves for me! She was super keen and did an amazing job! I loved them; they were so fun and chic.
Chris knew he wanted to wear a classic black tuxedo; they are timeless and always dapper! He also thought it would be fun to get a custom-made outfit! He got them made at YSG in Richmond; they were great!
Favourite moments.
That is a very tough question. Dinner time! It was a sunset dinner; there were candles, fairy lights, flowers, share plates and bottles of wine scattered on the tables; it was such a vibe! It was so beautiful, and I remember looking around thinking, ‘Omg, these are all of our people.’
Meaning of marriage.
The ultimate gesture of commitment and care for one another.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Nothing Else by Angus and Julia Stone
Reception entry: Sunny by Boney M
First dance: Can’t Do Without You by Caribou
Funny stories or near disasters.
No! Luckily.
Planning surprises.
We got married at a private property, so we needed to bring literally everything on site! We were doing a sit-down dinner, so there was soo much we needed!
Words of wisdom.
Do you! Don’t try to please or impress anybody else!
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JESSICA & CHRIS VENDORS
Ceremony & reception venue: Black Coat Estate, Ellinbank Vic. A friend’s private vineyard located close to our hometown! It is such a stunning property with views overlooking Mount Baw Baw; the moment we got engaged, we both said, `Imagine if we got married at Blackcoat!?’
Celebrant: Alana Ravenhort – The Homegrown Celebrant.Alana is a friend and is so, so amazing at what she does; she has such a warm, calm nature! We actually saw her at another wedding, and we just loved her style of ceremony!
Photography: Tess Follet. Tess is such a weapon! So so professional, yet she felt like a friend! She makes you feel so comfortable and gives you the perfect amount of guidance!
Styling: Forethought Weddings – Samantha Robinson. Sam was so great! Straight up and down, and nothing was too hard. She is very level-headed and made us feel at ease at all times. She has great style and is a queen at coordinating the whole day.
Florist: Pepperberry Flora. Sally and Ruth are THE coolest people! Absolute style queens! I could not recommend better florists!
Hair: Keely Patrick.
Make-up: Elle James.
The dress & veil: Custom Elissa Marie Design. Elissa is just the best! Going custom was such a special experience! Elissa made every fitting feel like an event! It was so much fun. She took me fabric shopping with her for the dress and the veil, which was so amazing – I couldn’t recommend her more!
Gloves: Andelle.
Shoes: Gucci
Rings: Seahorse Boutique – Jordy Edwards.
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Custom Andelle. Tess from Andelle made my bridesmaids’ dresses and my Mum’s dress – she was so lovely to work with! I knew I wanted something that my bridesmaids could wear again and that didn’t look too bridemaidsy. We nutted out the design together, and from there, everything just flowed! It was such a special experience for my bridesmaids to also get to go through the process of having something made especially for them!
Suits & bow ties / ties: YSG Tailors
Catering: Hogget Kitchen. Hogget is a local restaurant just out of Warragul, and we love it! So when we asked Trevor if he would cater it and he said yes, we were so excited and at total ease! We wanted our menu to reflect the Gippsland region, and that is something Trevor does so well!
Bar: Forethought Weddings
Stationery / Signage: Lucy Calway – LU.C STUDIO
Entertainment: Charlie O’Brien – DJ Charlie Chux.
Transport: Warragul Bus Lines
Décor: Forethought Weddings and Pepperberry Flora
Hire: Place Settings, Over the Top Events, Black Tie Toilets.
Honeymoon: Europe Trip – Spain, France and Italy.
