Real Wedding – Joel & Georgia, Noosa QLD
This year, our real weddings have been filled with stories of nail-biting moments, teary postponements and hopeful plan B’s, C’s and even D’s. But the sheer connection, emotion and positivity when couples do get to celebrate their dream day is nothing short of intoxicating.
Georgia and Joel’s wedding day was all this and more. After pulling off an intimate ceremony to tie the knot in the few hours before heading into lockdown, this darling duo then celebrated in true style, surrounded by their loved ones – a year later.
The result was sensory overload, in the best way. From Joel and Georgia’s sweet happy tears as they caught sight of each other at either end of the aisle to unbridled dance floor reverie at the end of the night, this was a celebration to erase any covid blues.
Style-wise, Georgia chose a refreshing palette of apricot, peaches and pinks, interspersed with soft sea form blue, perfectly reminiscence of the foliage and ocean setting; sweeping figs, tropical palms and lush greenery. Beaming from every beautifully shot image was the love and laughter on the newlyweds faces, all captured by Ivory Tribe favourites, Heart and Colour.
The meeting.
Well! We actually met way back as kids, as we attended the same local church. Once high school came along, we didn’t really see much of each other, and Georgia moved to Sydney. Life brought us back together after about ten years – at Brisbane airport, 2017.
The ‘one’.
Joel: I knew she was the one when I realised I didn’t want to do anything without her. She filled in all the gaps in my character.
Georgia: I knew very early on, probably a couple of months in. He is my best friend and love, a combination I’d never had before! I think we were walking along the local waterfront, and I remember just knowing I wanted this for life.
The proposal.
Sunrise on the cliffs of Moffat Beach. It was initially a rainy day, making it a hard one to convince G to come to watch the sunrise in the rain. But as Joel was ready to get on one knee, the sun peaked through the clouds and made for a perfect backdrop.
Planning process.
We originally had a wedding planned at Mount Warning for March 2020. The weeks leading up to that date were really awful, as the word pandemic seemed to be the new thing in the forefront of our minds. Then, as the date got closer, more things kept closing down, and more guests pulled out. We cried and were so confused. In the end, amongst all the uncertainty, we decided we were going to get married no matter what, as planned, for March 28th. On the morning of the 25th at 10am, our brother-in-law who was marrying us called and said, ‘I either marry you guys tonight or I don’t know when I can.’ This was just before the lockdown laws took place, 12pm that night. So, we came home from work, called our friends and family and pulled together a beautiful twilight ceremony on G’s parents’ verandah. It felt really special to be amidst a scary time yet surrounded by so much love & support.
After the 2020 wedding, we made a promise that we would celebrate with an even bigger party as soon as we were able to. This was important to us as we felt like we missed out on a lot of significant moments, and we wanted to celebrate with all our loved ones too. The second time around, it was actually way more enjoyable, to be honest! We felt more confident about what was important and what we wanted to spend money on.
Georgia: I actually changed a lot of things from the first time around and went with choices that were more aligned to us and not so much just a trend.
Style inspiration.
Georgia: I’ve always loved the classical, dramatic, old-worldly styles of European weddings, along with the artistry of ballet costumes. When it came to choices, I always tried to go for timeless, chic options.
With the reception, we wanted it to feel like a big family dinner and a really fun, relaxed time, with lots of dancing!
I loved looking at other real weddings and looking at unique and different suppliers, ones I hadn’t seen before! So old vogue issues and online wedding blogs were a good place to start.
The ceremony.
It was actually a bit surreal for us! We had envisioned it all for so long, and it all came together. It was amazing looking around at all the people we couldn’t have around us last time. To us, our ceremony was centred around our faith in God and our commitment to each other.
We chose a little section of the Botanical Gardens called the ‘Tall Palm Grove’ and created an intimate, chic and lush looking ceremony spot! It was better than we could have imagined!
The outfit.
Getting ready outfit: Palm Noosa Beatrix Dress that I opened up to turn into a gown. I wanted something that was still me and was comfortable.
I designed my wedding dress with Brisbane designer Ella Moda. I envisioned a ballerina-style gown with a long train and pleated skirt. The detailed bodice was amazingly crafted by Ella, as she took time with each piece of lace and detail placement.
Favourite moments.
Definitely walking down the aisle, surrounded by all the people we wanted there. It was such a triumphant moment, something we’d been dreaming about and weren’t even sure would have. And second to that, the dance floor. Our one request was that people let loose and have a great time, which they did for three hours straight!
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage to us means two people working together in love, towards the same goals. In every season to choose to love the other person, help them grow into the person they were created to be and enjoy all of life’s moments – with your best friend beside you.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Promises by Maverick City
Reception entry: Yummy by Justin Bieber
First dance: Seventeen by Pink Sweat$
Funny stories or near disasters.
Leading up to the wedding, we refused to watch the news, as we had a bit of PTSD from last time. Unknown to us, that week Brisbane had a few new cases, and the reports weren’t looking good. The DAY after our wedding, Brisbane went into a three-day lockdown. The timing was a miracle!
Planning surprises.
Georgia: As an events manager, I was expecting it to be a breeze and know exactly what I wanted! Yet, this becomes more complicated when families and emotions come into it!
Words of wisdom.
Just pick the things that you both value and spend your money on that! Don’t worry about the ‘traditional’ things you ‘should’ do; no one remembers them anyway.
Last words.
We were meant to be going on our honeymoon in 2020 and had a couple of months planned around Europe. Obviously, that couldn’t happen, so we bought a Transit Van and have converted it into our home on wheels! Meaning, our honeymoon will be extended to a year around Australia!
There is no doubt that a wedding in the sunshine state brings its own brand of stunning style! For more Queensland inspiration, check out Vikki and Ben’s Fortitude Valley festivities, here on the blog.
JOEL & GEORGIA’S VENDORS
Many of our suppliers were people Georgia knew through events or a reference from a friend. We wanted to be surrounded by relaxed, kind and positive people. Every supplier we used exceeded our expectations and made us feel so valued! Hair and make-up I found through Instagram, Locale restaurant I found through the blog ‘The Lane’ and Heart and Colour have done many weddings we admire; they were the first supplier we booked!
Ceremony location: Noosa Botanical Gardens
Reception venue: Locale Noosa. Our guests absolutely raved about the food! We did a feasting style reception to make it feel like a family diner! The staff and team at Locale went all out for us and created such a fun and positive atmosphere. Shout out to the events manager Danielle; she was so brilliant to work with!
Officiant: Pastor Dan Sweetman
Photography: Heart and Colour Photography. The best in the business! Aaron worked so hard on the day and produced the most amazing photos we will cherish our whole lives.
Videography: Rob Bolton
Florist: Ella Seccombe. I might be biased, but Ella is a true flower artist! We had so many messages about our flowers, and all I can do is refer them to the flower queen herself. The ceremony installation blew me away! She went above and beyond for us.
Hair: Mahalia – Ziggies Hair Noosa. Mahalia listened to me and created exactly what I was after with my hair. She worked wonders on the bridesmaids and worked so quickly on the day to get through everyone. I couldn’t recommend her enough! Such a beautiful person to chat to while you’re getting your hair done!
Make-up: Michelle Wicklandt. Incredible make-up artist and the most lovely human! Michelle was so wonderful to communicate with and such a calming presence on the day. She is great if you’re after a soft, natural glam look.
The dresses: Palm Noosa (getting ready dress) and Ella Moda (wedding dress). I had the best experience designing my dress with Ella Moda. They are true artisans and created something so unique. They were meticulous about every detail.
Veil: Chelsea Riddle
Shoes: ASOS
Rings: Louise Jean (Georgia) & Good Gold (Joel)
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Cameo Collective
Suits & bow ties: Politix
Stationery / Signage: Ink & Stroke
Entertainment: DJ Ryan Gordon
Hire: The Hire Department, Noosa
Honeymoon: Van life around Australia!
