Real Wedding - Sarah & Jake, Hesse VIC

February 28, 2024 In Blue, Classic, Country, Garden, Real Weddings By Ivory Tribe

Real Wedding – Sarah & Jake, Hesse VIC

Sarah and Jake’s love story culminated in a weekend getaway that was as unique and charming as their journey together. Their choice of venue, Barunah Plains, spoke volumes about their desire for an intimate celebration in a setting that felt like home. With a blank canvas to work with, they embarked on a styling adventure that perfectly captured their minimalist aesthetic with pops of spring colour.

For Sarah and Jake, the ceremony stood out as a magical moment surrounded by loved ones and sealed with their favorite song, “Dancing in the Moonlight.” Another highlight was stealing away for sunset photos with their talented photographer, Nikki McCrone, capturing their love against the backdrop of a breathtaking landscape.

Their advice for future couples echoes their own journey: stay true to yourselves and your vision, invest in a supportive team of vendors, and plan for more than you think you’ll need, especially when it comes to food and drinks.

Sarah and Jake’s wedding was a testament to their love, individuality, and commitment to creating a day that was truly their own.

The meeting.

We’re a modern love story and met on Tinder back in 2018.

The one.

We’ve just taken this snippet from our ceremony as our beautiful celebrant Sarah summarized it so well for us: For Jake, it was displaying his true self, sharing his deepest thoughts, his feelings and vulnerabilities and experiencing the comfort and understanding that only Sarah can provide. He knew in that moment that she was the one for him. For Sarah, it was the immediate ease she felt when she was around Jake and how she instantly felt at home. Her favourite part of every day is sharing any highlight, funny moment or learning with the one that she trusts implicitly. For these two, it is protecting one another with fierce loyalty and knowing that even after all these years, they would not choose another path. They are each other’s person.

The proposal.

Again, taken from our wedding ceremony: It was a regular afternoon in the Summer of 2021 and Jake, having carried the ring around for 3 months, finally seized the perfect moment – one that would catch Sarah off guard. Jake had finished work for the year and was about to celebrate his 30th birthday weekend. Knowing that Sarah would be preoccupied with the planning, he took advantage of the opportunity. As Sarah arrived home, she was greeted by their beloved husky Sascha and Jake – with a glass of wine at the ready. Little did she know that in those following moments, her life would change forever. There he was – her husband to be – in their favourite place in the whole world. The place they hold most sacred above her all. Their home. With instant tears and a resounding yes – their fate was sealed. And as they say, the rest is history.

Style inspiration.

We always wanted to have a weekend away for our wedding so when we visited Barunah Plains for the first time we knew it was the perfect venue for us. It was amazing to have a blank canvas with Barunah and bring in the elements that were important to us. In terms of styling, we didn’t want anything too over the top as the venue itself is so beautiful. For inspiration, we looked at previous weddings at the venue and sent Laura (Wanderlust Creative) mood boards of what we loved – the brief was a minimalist, spring soiree with pops of colour that were blues, yellows, greens – and to be a little extra, we had a few gorgeous chandeliers in the Shearers Shed where the reception was held.

The ceremony.

Our ceremony was one of our favourite parts of our wedding day! Our celebrant, Sarah, made us feel so comfortable during the whole process leading up to the wedding and never seemed to mind if we asked a million questions. We will forever be grateful for the way she scripted our love story so beautifully and will cherish those words from the ceremony for our lifetime. Sarah took so much care and preparation not only in the lead up to our special day but on the day itself to make sure everything was perfect for us. We couldn’t recommend her enough to future couples looking for a celebrant for their wedding!

The outfits.

For Sarah – I went to Jane Hill Bridal first and absolutely fell in love with both the studio and the dresses they had available to try on. The whole experience from when I first arrived for a try-on appointment through to when I finally picked up my dress was incredible – special shout out to Alyssa who works at Jane Hill and let me come back three times before deciding on my dress! I knew from the first appointment that I loved the Huntleigh Dress but there was something that I wanted to change around the neckline, so I ended up getting detachable off the shoulder sleeves added just to make it slightly different. I loved how I was able to wear the sleeves during the ceremony and cocktail hour for photos and then able to take them off, along with the outer skirt for the reception!

For Jake – I have a friend who began his very own custom suit tailoring business in Richmond a few years back and it has since gone gangbusters. Not only do I know Dylan, and he is also very good at what he does, but the entire process from start to finish was as seamless as you could want when planning your wedding suit. My suit had to fit well and stand out. Dyl is knowledgeable, practices what he preaches, and we had such a fun time with it all. YSG allows you to bring your vision to life and that is exactly what I was after. For me it was in the finer details that really made the difference. From the swish black buttons on my shirt, to the countless options for embroidery that Dyl made available to us, everything was fresh, stylish, and doable. My jacket was Tuxedo style with Peak lapel, 4 sleeve buttons and a white stitching that matched Sarah’s dress, custom embroidery on the shirt with JB initials, custom embroidery on the inside lining of the jacket with the date in roman numerals, and a custom lining of our dog Sascha created by a friend of Sarah. To complement the suit, I had a double breasted waistcoat (which also had the same lining) in the ‘U’ cut so it was invisible until the jacket was off. Bow ties and pocket squares also supplied by YSG.

Favourite moment.

It’s hard to pinpoint just one moment from the day but for both of us the ceremony was up there with one of the most magical moments from our special day. It felt so surreal to see all of our amazing family and friends all there in one place, there to witness our love story! Our celebrant Sarah put us both at ease and had such an amazing way at drawing in the crowd too. It wasn’t too over the top which is what we wanted and of course ended with one of our favourite song Dancing in the Moonlight which was sung by the duo Jack and Jordan from Unplugged Entertainment.

Our second favourite part of the day was when we got to sneak away from everyone for our sunset photos. We drove a few minutes from where the reception was held in the Wool Shed with our photographer Nikki and were blown away by the view of the whole venue. The way the light was hitting the long grass at that time of night truly was magical – and the photos prove that!

Meaning of marriage.

It is about compromise and a vow to never stop working at being the best partner you can be. It is a promise to love and to care for your significant other and be there through everything. It is marrying your best friend – the one you can always laugh with but also turn to, in times of need. To Sarah, Jake is her best friend. He is the first person she wants to speak to when she wakes up and the last person she wants to see before she falls asleep. He always puts her first and will always do the best for her, in every situation. To Jake, Sarah is his biggest fan. She is actually funny…in her own right. She is intelligent, sentimental and he admires everything about her.

Wedding soundtrack.

Processional: Turning Page – Sleeping At Last

Signing during ceremony: Still the One – Shania Twain

Recessional: Dancing in the Moonlight – Toploader

Entrance song (bridal party girls): Absolutely Everybody – Vanessa Amorosi

Entrance song (bridal party boys): Beautiful People – Chris Brown + Benny Benassi

Entrance song (bride + groom): Music for a Sushi Restaurant – Harry Styles

First dance: Kiss Me – Sixpence None the Richer

Funny stories (or near disasters).

On the Sunday night prior to the wedding week (so less than 1 week before the big day) Sarah had a little accident when making herself and Jake a tea before bed, she accidentally knocked a mug over and ended up with a third degree burn on her leg and in the emergency room! Luckily the bandage was hidden by her dress on the big day, so crisis averted!

Wedding planning surprises.

The unexpected labour costs for some suppliers. As our venue required us to bring everything on site including furniture (eg. chairs, umbrellas, tables etc), we didn’t originally factor in what it would cost to get everything on site and setup!

Words of wisdom.

Don’t listen to other people when it comes to what you want out of your day. When we first started planning with Laura (Wanderlust Creative) she had a great piece of advice which was to stick with it, even if it costs a little bit extra, factor in paying for someone to either help plan the wedding or coordinate on the day as it helps eliminate so much stress.

Ensure you have a team of vendors or even your planner/coordinator that will ensure your day remains as stress free as possible and you don’t find out about little things that have ‘gone wrong’. Because things will happen, and the ultimate goal is to ensure you marry the love of your life and that’s all that matters!

It’s better to plan for more than to run out, especially when it comes to food and alcohol!