Real Wedding – Julia & James, Red Hill VIC
Julia and James had many sliding door moments in their younger years, but when they met on a dance floor once evening, it was the start of their forever.
Wanting to be married on the Mornington Peninsula, a place special to them both, they chose Lancemore Lindenderry for its European country style and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful backdrop with its stunning acres of gardens and vines.
An emotional James looked dashing at the end of the aisle in his James Bond-esque YSG Tailor suit, before Julia stunned in her Georgia Young Couture gown. There were so many special moments in their romantic ceremony, capped off with marriage advice from their parents, a sweet reading and involvement from family and friends.
Due to the pandemic, their loves ones hadn’t seen each other for so long, so the vibe was high and incredible entertainers, One More Song, had guests up on their feet dancing from the very beginning to the very end.
Wanting their day to be captured with class and style, Motta Weddings and Lightbox Media were the natural choice for Julia and James. Scroll on for a peek at this timeless and sensational celebration of love.
The meeting.
We both went to the same high school for a couple of years. Although we knew of each other, we had never spoken or been officially introduced. It was after high school in 2013 that we recognised each other on a night out in the city with friends (on the dance floor to precise!). We soon realised if we hadn’t met that night, it would have only been a matter of time – there were so many sliding door moments growing up. We’ve been inseparable ever since!
The ’one’.
We both knew very early on – which was a little scary given we were so young, and it just felt too good to be true! Our relationship has always been so easy and full of compromise. We share the same values and just have so much fun together.
The proposal.
We were in the US visiting family in December 2019. When Julia was young she lived in Irvine, California across from a beautiful lake and it was the first time Julia had been back since. When they reached her old house, James asked a kind-passerby to take a photo of them and then got down on one knee! It was very sentimental and very thoughtful – very us.
The planning process.
We really enjoyed our planning process. We had a two-year engagement, and this really worked for us. We went through phases of doing lots of planning and then month’s when we would do very little at all. Whatever we were planning we always tried to make it special – by putting on some music and having a glass of wine.
The planning all started with our venue, Julia’s family has lived in the Mornington Peninsula for generations and the area feels so special to us both after having spent many summers down that coast, so we instantly knew we had to incorporate such a special place into our day. From there, researching suppliers who 1) could accommodate the travel, 2) knew the venue and 3) who had previously done amazing work there that we loved.
Style inspiration.
Our venue! Lindenderry has a European country style and is set amongst beautiful gardens and vines.
We loved the white roses and the contrast of the greenery against the white reception building. This flowed into our floral choices, which matched the surroundings, and for our bridal party being in black and white. Everything was simple and timeless.
The ceremony.
We really wanted our ceremony to reflect what we love most – our friends and family. We tried to incorporate our strong sense of family values in a number of ways.
Marriage advice: both sets of parents wrote their own marriage advice to us, which they read during the ceremony.
Warming of the rings: we asked our immediate family (parents, siblings, and grandparents) to hold our rings in their hands, warm them with their love and make a silent wish for our marriage and future happiness.
Readings: a friend finished our ceremony with a reading from The Wedding Singer, “Grow Old with you”. It was the perfect ending before we walked back down the aisle – still sentimental but funny and light!
The outfits.
We consider ourselves old souls – so we wanted our outfits to be simple, timeless and suit our venue.
I knew my dress was the one because I immediately felt like myself and comfortable. I was keen to only have one dress and I love to dance, so it was important to me that I found a dress that would allow me to tear up the dance floor, yet still be traditional enough for the ceremony.
We had big bridal parties and I wanted James to feel special and stand out, so I suggested that he should wear a white blazer (after all, there’s not many occasions in life where you can pull off a white blazer!). After researching and finding a tailor who had the right colour tone, he tried on a handful of different styles before finding one that immediately grabbed him. He looked amazing and was referred to as “James Bond” for the entire day!
Favourite moment.
It’s so hard to pick just 1! Here is 2 (of many):
Seeing each other for the first time at the aisle. Leading into the wedding day this was the most exciting part and we were really looking forward to it. Lindenderry has a really long (and dramatic) aisle, so we were able to really enjoy / savor this moment. James was so emotional, and Julia really loved sharing that moment with both her mum and dad.
Our wedding party entrances. We asked our parents and bridal party to be introduced and dance into the reception room to a song of their choosing. They got SO into it! It really set the tone for the evening, brought massive smiles to the faces of our guests, and got everyone up dancing before entree!
Meaning of marriage.
To us both, marriage represents the commitment to an undying and enduring love, the pursuit of common happiness and the declaration that you have found one another’s soul mate with whom you intend to share the rest of your life with.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle song #1 (for bridesmaids): ‘Send Me On My Way’ – Guy Meets Girl
Aisle song #2 (for bride): ‘Simply the Best’ – Guy Meets Girl
Signing: ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ – Elvis Presley
Recessional: ‘Jackson’ by Johnny Cash
First dance: ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ – by Blue Swede
Funny stories (or near disasters).
My bridesmaids had already started walking down the aisle and I realised I didn’t have my bouquet! I had left it in the boot of the car. My Dad casually started walking back to retrieve it, to which my Mum and I responded with a loud yell, “RUN!!!”. He made it back in time thankfully. We can’t stop laughing about it – it’s so typical us.
Planning surprises.
The number of little ‘details’ that are often forgotten or left to the last minute.
We were quick to organise and lock-in our key suppliers, however, as the wedding drew nearer, we realised there were many jobs and items that needed to be arranged. (e.g., signage, guest book, polaroid film, speeches).
Words of wisdom.
Really think about what’s important to you and what you want your day to reflect. Even though our day was a celebration of us – we really wanted to take this as an opportunity to celebrate and thank all the amazing people in our life too. We tried hard to make everyone feel special and I think that’s why our wedding was such a success. Everyone was so happy.
Final words.
After living in Melbourne and not spending much time with our loved ones over the last two years, the energy of the room on our wedding day was palpable. Insane amounts of love, connection and fun were had by all. Everyone partied their hearts out! So, to everyone planning a wedding during a pandemic: hang in there, don’t sweat the small stuff and be flexible. It might turn out better than you ever could have imagined!
As you can see, Julia and James used a host of Ivory Tribe suppliers who are truly talented and the best in the biz. Take a peek at our wedding directory to book in your own dream team.
JULIA AND JAMES’ SUPPLIERS
This might sound cliche and we promise we’re not just saying this but we used Ivory Tribe! We found all of our incredible suppliers from either Ivory Tribe or Instagram. We couldn’t be happier with our suppliers; they were all so experienced and we trusted them completely!
Ceremony venue / location: Lancemore Lindenderry Red Hill.
The team at Lindenderry were amazing. They were easy going and nothing was too much trouble. One of the best things about Lindenderry is that they include a wedding coordinator who’s your go to-person during the planning process and is there with you on the day. Serena was amazing and did so much work behind the scenes to make sure our day ran smoothly!
Lindenderry also has a gorgeous courtyard location for pre-ceremony canapes and drinks, as well on-site accommodation. There’s a bridal suite and 14 guests’ rooms adjacent to the reception room – so you have your own private side of the hotel. We really loved having a night-cap with our bridal party and immediate family once the reception had concluded and enjoyed a complimentary breakfast together the next day.
Celebrant/Officiant: Shane Bourke (family friend)
Photography: Motta Weddings
Alex is an absolute superstar and the very first supplier we booked! I’ve always loved his photos, so I had high expectations and he exceeded them in every way. Alex is so professional, responsive, and incredibly lovely to deal with. We’re so awkward in front of the camera but he made us feel so relaxed and comfortable. By 7:30am the day after our wedding, we had a ‘sneak peek’ album of over 200 photos which is just incredible! We have received so many compliments on our photos and love them all.
Videography: Lightbox Media
Pat filmed our brother’s wedding back in 2017 and now feels like an old family friend! He is so warm and made us feel so relaxed. Pat created a ‘sneak peek’ video a week after our wedding that brought tears to our eyes. So talented. Alex & Pat have worked together many times and were so funny together, cracking lots of jokes and just enjoying the day. Couldn’t ask for anything more!
Styling: Our venue was so beautiful that we decided we didn’t need to spend much money on styling. Lindenderry provided all the table decor and Little Stag provided the floral design. We were very lucky!
Florist: Little Stag Floral Couture
Juliet at Little Stag was amazing! She really listened to us, was so respectful and made great recommendations based on our vision and budget. Lindenderry has a huge ceiling void and Juliet designed the most gorgeous hanging installation. We didn’t engage any stylists for our wedding because we didn’t need to – Juliet did it all, including providing candles and our wishing well.
Hair: Pearly Hairstylist
Make Up: Katie Winkler makeup
The Dress: Georgia Young Couture
Veil: Georgia Young Couture
Shoes: Chaos & Harmony, YSG Tailors
Rings: Larsen Jewelry
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Héxié
Suits: YSG Tailors (both groom and groomsmen)
Bow ties / ties: YSG Tailors
Catering: Lancemore Lindenderry Red Hill.
Bar: Lancemore Lindenderry Red Hill.
Cake / Cake topper: The Butcher’s Daughters Cakes
Stationery / Signage: Peach Perfect Stationery
Entertainment: DJ & Sax from One More Song
Eddy Mac is awesome! Our goal was to keep everyone (young and old) on the dancefloor, and he really nailed the brief with the classics he chose! We had so many guests say to us after the wedding “I never dance, but I danced all night long!”. That’s exactly what we wanted – so much fun!
Dance floor hot tip: we provided a basket of thongs (flip flops) from Kmart ($1 each). We weren’t sure if they’d get used but the 30 pairs were gone by the end of the night and people were looking for more! I think this was a nice touch that contributed to the dance floor always being full – people were comfortable and could dance the night away!
Car & Limo: Classic and Prestige Car / Limousine King
Guest transport (busses): Weddings and Wines (Ubers down the Peninsula can be tricky, so it was important to us that guest all got home quickly and safely)
Décor: Us! We did we a DIY photo booth (using $2 shop props and a polaroid camera) and it was lots of fun. We also had photos of our parents / grandparents’ weddings days, which was special to us and a nice way to acknowledge the people who couldn’t be there
Honeymoon: 1 week in Byron Bay and 1 week in Noosa! (We stayed at Blackbird in Bryon – boutique accommodation in the hinterlands – it’s the best place we’ve ever stayed, so special!)
