Real Wedding – Nellie & Jedd, Coburg VIC
Nellie and Jedd’s fabulous festivities were the ultimate blend of relaxed, epic fun, boldly beautiful styling and gorgeously genuine emotion. We love nothing more than a couple that keep to their ethos, and for these two laid-back lovers, it was to create a celebration low in stress and high in impact. And boy, did they nail the brief!
The Post Office Hotel provides the perfect backdrop to the celebrations, with its soft timber furnishings, expansive cathedral ceilings and overall vibe of old-world cool. Juxtaposed against these warm surrounds, Nellie and Jess chose florals in vibrant shades of vermillion, fuchsia and neon pink in a stunning synchronicity of hues that underpinned every styling element. The overall effect gave autumnal shades with an electro-effervescent infusion, especially when paired with the Melbourne streetscape surrounds.
To create her dream day dress, Nellie worked with designer extraordinaire D-Italia. A vision of soft plisse in a sweetly romantic yet chic silhouette, she looked every bit the stunning modern bride. Of course, Jedd’s ultra-cool velvet jacket in burnt sienna was perfection by her side.
Our friends at Hey Jack and One More Song ensured the atmosphere upheld the look. Weaving musical magic throughout the entire celebration, they kept the vibes flowing and One More Song had the dance floor kicking well into the night! Scroll on to see every epic detail of this divine day, captured with aesthetic artistry by photographer Miranda Stokkel.
The meeting.
We met in 2014 at a mutual friend’s house party. Jedd was dressed up as a red power ranger. He thought he was being so smooth, charming me with his good looks and humour. However, he’d had a lot to drink and was having trouble stringing sentences together. I could see through all that, though and thought he was very cute! Needless to say, I was so excited when he messaged me the next day, asking me out for dinner!
The ‘one’.
Neither of us had one single defining moment; it was more just over time realising this was the real deal and knowing that life could never be anything other than this wonderful thing we have together.
The proposal.
It happened on a Friday night during one of the many 2021 Melbourne lockdowns. We were having homemade pizza and watching a terrible zombie movie. Jedd surprised me with the ring and asked if I would like to have homemade pizza with him forever.
Planning process.
Our planning process was straightforward. We wanted the day to be relaxed for everyone (including us!), so we kept that at the heart of all our decisions.
We locked in the venue straight away and then most vendors right after that. It meant that for most of the time in the lead-up to the wedding, there wasn’t much to do (except save!) until about a month or two before the wedding.
I mainly used Instagram for inspiration – it’s how we found all our vendors. I would end up down a rabbit hole on Ivory Tribe, Hello May and then other couples’ weddings. Seeing how everyone celebrates love in so many unique ways was the best reminder that there’s no right or wrong way to do a wedding!
Style inspiration.
Colourful, warm and relaxed. We knew we wanted something from Bangin’ Hangin’s for both the ceremony and reception because it was important to us that as soon as our guests arrived, they knew they were in for a party!
We had a cocktail-style reception, which at the Post Office Hotel is a combination of canapes and grazing tables filled with beautiful, shared-style main dishes, salads, and sides. This totally added to the relaxed feel of the night, and we also had the option to bring out late-night cocktails and hot chips with gravy towards the end of the evening. This was a no-brainer!! We still have guests talking about those hot chips and espresso martinis!
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was an absolute highlight of the day; it was the moment we said our vows and made our commitment to each other in front of all our family and friends. It was super special but also had the best party vibe. The energy we felt as we made our aisle entrance together was unbelievable! In that moment, there was so much love and fun on the back deck at the Post Office Hotel; it was palpable!
The look.
Every time I pictured myself on our wedding day, I had a specific dress in mind: the pleated tulle, the sleeves and the midi-length were all it. I approached D’Italia, and they were amazing at bringing my vision to life. From working on the design with the team in-store and then working with the dressmaker, Mary Andronis, the process was a dream!
Jedd knew he wanted something a little different but wasn’t sure what. I had seen a few velvet jackets and thought he would like black velvet, something a bit different but still safe. When we were in the store, he saw the tobacco-coloured velvet jacket, and it was love at first sight!
Favourite moments.
There were so many favourite moments! Our first look was a big favourite for the both of us, though. The buildup to the wedding is exciting, but there is so much nervous energy. Once we were together, we could just relax and soak up the day.
Meaning of marriage.
Teaming up together, forever.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Let’s Stay Together by Al Green (performed live, acoustic)
Recessional: Fantasy by Mariah Carey (performed live, acoustic)
First ‘boogie’ with all our guests: Can’t Get Enough of Your Love Babe by Barry White
Funny stories or near disasters.
It’s not really a disaster story, just a funny one.
I had asked my sisters to be my bridesmaids and gave them a colour palette to use when selecting what they would like to wear. I told them to wear whatever they wanted (dress, skirt, pants, suit) as long as they were comfortable and it was within the colour palette.
Georgia came to me with an Aje dress she wanted to check was okay. I gave her the tick of approval, and when Lucy found out about this dress, she decided she wanted to wear it too. So, they came to me asking if I would mind if they matched! Of course, I didn’t mind; it was just an unexpected, backwards way to end up with matching bridesmaids!
Planning surprises.
The logistics of getting ready in separate accommodation combined with having a first look. I ended up making a run sheet for the getting ready portion of the day. We really wanted to be relaxed, and I felt like having a run sheet for every 15-minute block of time was counterintuitive, but when there were so many moving parts with family moving between locations for hair and make-up, pre-ceremony photos and the first look, I knew the only way we could be relaxed was if there was a clear plan and everyone was on board. I printed out hard copies and handed them to all family members, so there were no excuses!!
Words of wisdom.
It’s your day so do whatever you want; however you want! It’s so easy to get caught up on Instagram (and now TikTok) and feel pressure to do all the things. Be selective with the elements that will contribute to making it your own very special day.
Want to create a real vibe for your wedding celebrations? Song choices play a huge part in setting the scene for each moment of the day. Check out our guide and accompanying playlists of reception song choices, here on the blog.
NELLIE & JEDD’S VENDORS
We used Instagram to find all our suppliers! I would often start searching via the Ivory Tribe or Hello May Instagram pages, and that would lead us to real weddings and then the suppliers.
We really went with our gut feeling on all our suppliers. It felt a bit like dating when we were having all those initial meetings – we just ‘knew’ when we’d found the one!
Ceremony & reception venue: Post Office Hotel, Coburg. We cannot stress enough how amazing the POH events team are!! From our initial meeting with Jen to lock in the venue to then having Caitlin as our *incredible* event coordinator in the lead-up and on the day. And then wonderful Meg, who kept us calm right before we made our entrance. This is the team anyone would want on their wedding day! We were so lucky.
Celebrant: Wendy from Wendy Does Weddings. From the moment we met Wendy, we knew we’d struck gold! She is so warm, genuine, and professional, and she has the best sense of humour. The ceremony she wrote for us captured our story so well and was the perfect balance of lighthearted but also special. We think that the amazing energy of our ceremony is all thanks to Wendy’s warm, welcoming energy!
Photography: Miranda Stokkel. We have no words for how lucky we feel to have had Miranda take our photos! She is such a legend and was the perfect calming energy (but also the best hype girl!!) we needed on the day. Our wedding photos are beyond beautiful and capture the essence of us and our day! We also had a fine art wedding album made through Miranda. It is AMAZING and something so precious we will now have forever!
Videography: Iconic Pictures. Faz and the team at Iconic Pictures were so fun to work with! All their videos are different because they really go above and beyond to ensure your video is a true reflection of you as a couple. Our wedding video is the perfect peek into the energy and vibe of our day.
Florist: Pomp & Splendour. I loved working with the Pomp & Splendour team. Asha and Petra were able to take our inspo pictures into account whilst also advising on what would be in season at the time of the wedding, so we really knew what to expect. A few weeks before the wedding, we had our final meeting, and I sent them pictures of the bridesmaid’s dresses, Jedd’s jacket and the Bangin’ Hangin’s colour palette. With all of that in mind, they absolutely killed it, bringing together the most beautiful florals!!
Hair: Ashley Jende
Make-up: Jessica O’Donnell via Tonic Hair & Make Up Agency
The dress: D’Italia. As mentioned above, working with D’Italia was such a dream! We had to have all our design meetings via FaceTime because of lockdowns, but that didn’t change a thing. I was very well looked after by Pala and Shuchi at D’Italia.
Shoes: Loeffler Randall
Rings: Eliise Maar
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Aje
Pyjamas: Piyama
Suits: Politix
Cakes: Mad About Cakes
Stationery / Signage: Greenvelope (e-invitations). Signage was provided by Post Office Hotel
Entertainment: Acoustic Duo: Revery from Hey Jack. DJ: Aleks Mac from One More Song. We cannot recommend Aleks highly enough! She kept our dancefloor going ALL night! We had all guests of all ages dancing throughout the night. It was just the best!
Décor: Bangin’ Hangin’s. Huge shout out to Sarah, who was so great and very patient with my multiple colour palette changes throughout the planning process!
