Real Wedding – Luke & Tash, Merricks North VIC
For big bougie vibes anchored in an epic dose of fun, look no further than Luke and Tash’s vibrant vision of a day. Effortless elegance and chic contemporary style coalesce to create a celebration that resounds with dynamic energy.
Boutique hotel and gallery Jackalope gave modern classic vibes to the celebration, beginning with a ceremony big on feels. Bathed in afternoon sunlight and backed by a floral centrepiece of rich vermillion, lush greenery and hints of blush, the gorgeous couple said their I Do’s. And with their baby daughter as the littlest witness, it was a moment to tug on the heartstrings.
Tash chose a Hera Couture gown from our friends at Bluebell Bridal. Stunningly timeless, yet with a fresh modern feel, she absolutely glows. But for both her and Luke, it is their intensely joyous smiles that make each incredible image by Katie Harsmworth shine.
This is one dream day long in the making and one that will go down in their memories as happiness-filled and boundlessly beautiful.
Scroll on to enjoy each divine detail.
The meeting.
We met years ago when Tash’s best friend and Luke’s brother started dating. Fast forward to years later, we ended up working together, and a few years after that, we started dating.
The ‘one’.
We both knew pretty quickly that what we had was different and very special.
The proposal.
Luke: Tash is from WA but has lived in Melbourne for 12 years, so I had planned to pop the question at her favourite beach in Perth and then celebrate with her family and friends. Unfortunately, Melbourne’s ongoing lockdowns prevented that from happening. I had the ring hidden in my wardrobe for months as our trips West kept getting cancelled.
Eventually, we managed to escape the state for a trip to Tassie. When we checked into our hotel at Coles Bay, the receptionist told us that there was a beautiful walk to Honeymoon Bay just around the corner. In my bag, I already had all of Tash’s favourite things, champagne, cheese, and chocolate, so off we went. We found a beautiful spot; I set up our picnic and popped the question. It was a perfect day.
Planning process.
Our first step was deciding exactly what we both wanted for our dream wedding. Once we worked that out, we knew that Jackalope would be perfect. Not only because Jackalope is an incredible destination but also because we’d already shared some milestone celebrations there, so it was significant to us.
They offer a variety of fantastic packages and options and a dedicated function manager to help guide you through the whole process. Once we had a date locked in, we moved on to our key suppliers. We found our photographer, celebrant, and florist through Instagram and then met with each of them to confirm that they were the right fit for us.
From there, everything else just fell into place. I must say, Luke is incredibly organised and had spreadsheets for it all, which helped immensely. I got extremely lucky with his skills here which made planning such a huge event feel very smooth, relaxed, and fun!
Style inspiration.
We wanted our wedding to be bougie but not pretentious, and Jackalope encapsulates that for us. One of the main reasons we love Jackalope so much is its style and energy. So, when we decided to have our wedding there, we knew we didn’t need to add too much to create the vibe we were after.
Through social media, we looked at examples of other weddings held at Jackalope and similar venues in the area. With so much content out there, it can be a little overwhelming trying to work out exactly what you want. So whenever something caught our eye, we always brought it back to whether or not it fits our vision of our perfect day.
The ceremony.
Despite being quite a traditional/formal ceremony, it was really relaxed and fun. Our celebrant, Kate Adkins, is so classy yet casual. She perfectly suited our style. We had each privately answered questions for Kate, and she expertly put together the story of our life so far.
A special part was having our 1.5-year-old daughter, Summer, be a part of our day. Her little interruptions throughout the ceremony were always perfectly timed and very cute.
The outfit.
Tash: I made an appointment at Bluebell Bridal in Melbourne to see a trunk show of a particular designer. The gowns were stunning but not very traditional, as I thought that it might be fun to do something different. Turns out, after trying them on, I wanted traditional and lucky Bluebell has an incredible range of designers. I found my dress that day and couldn’t have loved it more.
Luke: I knew what I wanted but hadn’t been able to find the perfect suit. Then, one day I was in Hugo Boss, not even looking, and it just appeared for me!
Favourite moments.
Walking into the reception as a married couple and seeing all our favourite people in the one place. We both just naturally stopped and took a minute for it to sink in. There’s something incredibly special about having all your closest people in the one room.
Meaning of marriage.
To us, marriage is a lifelong partnership of love, trust, and support. We feel incredibly grateful to have joined our two families together.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Acoustic version of Simply the Best (from Schitt’s Creek)
Recessional: Love on Top by Beyonce
Reception entry: Move on Up by Curtis Mayfield
Planning surprises.
We told our guests that we were spending the weekend at Jackalope, and to our surprise, everyone stayed the weekend, which made for the most memorable time with our closest family and friends.
Words of wisdom.
Find good suppliers and then trust them to do their jobs. Each of our suppliers is so good at what they do that we weren’t at all stressed on the day because we knew that they would carry out our vision as planned.
ALWAYS have a wet weather plan and action it ahead of time. There’s nothing worse than rushing to change plans because you haven’t thought ahead.
There is no denying that fashion makes up a huge part of the wedding day vision. But the hunt for the couple’s outfit is only the beginning – finding the right fit for your guys and gals can be a whole other mission. Luckily we’ve got the inside word on the hottest gowns this season from style setters Shona Joy – check out their new release, here on the blog.
LUKE & TASH’S VENDORS
To find our vendors, we used referrals from friends and Instagram. We also actually used Ivory Tribe to get venue ideas. Very helpful!
Ceremony & reception venue: Jackalope Hotel, Merricks North, VIC.
Celebrant: Kate Adkins. Kate is incredibly down-to-earth, thoughtful, and engaging. So many guests commented on the beautiful ceremony that Kate put together for us with no fluff or fuss. It was perfect!
Photography: Katie Harmsworth. We couldn’t have asked for a better team for our day. Katie and Eric are epic! We LOVE our photos. Katie was able to capture the joy of our day and create photos beyond our dreams, particularly with her use of light.
Florist: Jo Laver. Based on the Mornington Peninsula, Jo’s work is stunning. She worked with us based on our vision, colour and inspiration. Our florals were perfect.
Hair & make-up: Beth Haywood
The dress: Hera Couture from Bluebell Bridal
Shoes: Dior
Rings: Diamond Exchange
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Rebecca Vallance
Luke’s suit: Hugo Boss
Best men’s suits: Institchu
Bow ties / ties: Hugo Boss
Catering & bar: Jackalope Hotel
Favours: A jar of Nonno’s honey and our favourite Haigh’s Chocolate
Entertainment: Perolas Music
Honeymoon: Japan!
