Real Wedding – Rikki-Lee & Jordan, Moama NSW

The country never looked as cool as Rikki-Lee and Jordan’s sun-soaked soiree. This day has it all; sweet ceremony moments on the banks of the Murray River, led by legend Shannon Jeans celebrant, a wedding party portrait spree in the back of old-school convertibles and festivities under towering tipis to finish out the night.

Sleek white styling brought the contemporary to the country, complementing the natural shades of lush green grasses and sweeping blue skies. Swathes of colour block in blush, soft peach and deep ruby add warmth and depth to the reception, with decor elements provided by our faves, Elderberry Events. Festoon lighting spanned a dance floor framed with food trucks and the sweetest caravan bar by Modern Love Style Co set the scene for a truly divine occasion.

Topping it all off was the captivating couple, effervescent with emotion and excitement. Jordan couldn’t take his eyes off glowing Rikki-Lee, who was every part a modern princess in her Jane Hill gown. There to capture every sweet, incredible and love-filled moment was Mickala from Pure Mac Photography.

We suggest taking a leaf out of Rikki-Lee’s book and seeing the world through heart-shaped glasses, so take a scroll and enjoy!

The meeting.

We met three years ago, on a dance floor, ironically, the dance floor is where we spent all night at our wedding!

The ‘one’.

It was a slow burn for us; we became the best of friends and then, over time, realized that we could not be without each other and then never looked back.

The proposal.

Jordan had my engagement ring created by his good friend Ben from White Shadow Jewelry. We had just got home, let our fur babies inside to say hello, and in the commotion and excitement of greeting the dogs, I turned around to look for Jordan. He was behind me on one knee; he was holding the ring box upside down, so that gave us a laugh!

Planning process.

As we got engaged during Covid, I was worried about the availability of vendors in the future, so I went like a bull out of a gate and booked in 80% of the wedding within the first two weeks of being engaged! I then sat back and fine-tuned everything over the following months, which meant the lead up to the wedding was quite relaxed. From engagement to the wedding was just over six months.

Style inspiration. 

As our celebrant said in our ceremony, home is where the river is for us. However, although our special day was in a country setting, we didn’t want the styling to reflect that. I like to call our style of wedding “country chic”, with pops of pink and white standing out against the lush green grass.

For inspiration, real wedding photo’s and blogs were most useful – like those on Ivory Tribe. I am quite a visual person, so looking through Instagram posts, Pinterest and blogs helped me piece together the final style of our wedding.

The ceremony.

In terms of style, I knew I wanted a timeless palette for our ceremony, so we stuck to all-white styling to achieve this. What made our ceremony special was the location, right on the bank of the beautiful Murray River; there were boats passing at times and campers on the other side of the river; it was a relaxed feeling with a timeless look.

The outfit. 

I actually purchased the first gown I originally tried on at home as part of a concierge service during Covid lockdowns. As the wedding got closer, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t “the one”.

So, five weeks out from the wedding, I decided on a whim to go and try on the Saint by Jane Hill, a dress I had adored for some time and just couldn’t get off my mind. Instantly I knew it was the one! It’s true what they say when you know you know! The team at Jane Hill were exceptional and delivered the dress of dreams in what I can only assume was record time. I am so glad I trusted how I felt. We made small customizations to the dress to make it perfect for me; it makes me emotional thinking about how much I love that dress and the amazing experience I had with Jane Hill.

Favourite moments.

Seeing all of our loved ones in the one place. Our celebrant asked us mid-ceremony to take a moment to have a good look around and take it all in, and we are forever grateful for that.

Meaning of marriage.

Marriage to us is making a promise to your best friend that as long as you’re alive, you won’t ever be alone.

Wedding soundtrack.

We had Florence and the Machine as a bit of a theme, with Dog days are over as our reception entrance song, and You’ve got the love played live by Andy for our first dance. I walked down the aisle to an acoustic version of Wings by Birdy. We had a very feminine, folky sound to our wedding.

Funny stories or near disasters.

A gale-force wind was blowing right as I started my walk down the aisle; as I got to the end and turned to face our family and friends, my veil blew right off my head and wrapped itself around my bridesmaid’s legs for the rest of the ceremony!

Planning surprises.

When I was asked for a “run sheet”, I had to google what it was; that was a bit of a surprise! Having to break down the day hour by hour was challenging, but I later realized how critical this actually is in ensuring the smooth running of the day. It was all new to me, and I had no wedding planner steering the ship.

Words of wisdom.

Trust your instincts, whether it’s relating to your dress, styling, vendors; just go with your gut.

Pulling together an epic event requires the perfect team of talent. But finding these superstars among the endless eternity of the internet can be tough! Our directory can be the perfect place to start (and finish!) the search. So pour yourself a wine, settle in and get booking!

RIKKI-LEE & JORDAN’S VENDORS

I tried to utilize as many local suppliers as I could; we have some amazing vendors in regional areas! Every supplier we had was so caring and went above and beyond to ensure our day was amazing.

Ceremony & reception venue: Murray Gums Estate, Moama NSW. With only a handful of weddings held here each year, we feel incredibly grateful to have had our wedding here. The team are friendly, relaxed, and so accommodating.

Celebrant: Shannon Jeans Celebrant. What a superstar this woman is. It felt like she had known us forever; after one meeting, she delivered a ceremony that was beyond our wildest dreams. Light-hearted and humorous but still sincere and heartfelt. After one meeting, it felt like Shannon had been our mate forever.

Photography: Pure Mac Photography. Mickala had her tunes playing from a Bluetooth speaker as we wandered through the vineyards. We felt so comfortable and at ease; what a ray of sunshine she is.

Videography: Ellena Louise Films. I mean, have you seen this woman’s work? No words!

Styling: Planned and styled by me.

Florist: Bryants Buds

Hair: Clarissa Crawford Hair

Make-up: Make-up by Candace V. Candace is my cousin, so it was really special to have her part of our special day

The dress: Custom Jane Hill – Saint. Dress of my dreams!

Veil: Custom embroidered Madame Tulle two-tier veil. Sadly, because of the wind, I didn’t get to wear this veil. I was utterly obsessed with it though and loved the custom embroidery that matched the final words of my vows to Jordan.

Shoes: Billini

Rings: White Shadow Jewellery

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy

Catering: Nuoc Mammas / Pizza De Wheels

Bar: Modern Love Style Co

Favours: Worklocker Echuca (stubby holders)

Cake: Tracy’s Cakes

Stationery / Signage: Atelier Creative & My Sweet Ivy

Entertainment: Andy Loadsman Music

Hire: Elderberry Event Hire

Honeymoon: Noosa