Refined modern wedding at Zonzo Estate
Jess and Tom envisioned a celebration that felt timeless, modern and elegant, without ever tipping into formality – and their day at Zonzo Estate captured that balance effortlessly.
A fresh, refined aesthetic came through in a palette of crisp whites and soft greens, complemented by a classic black-and-white dress code for the wedding party. The result was understated yet striking, allowing every detail to feel cohesive and considered.
Jess’ gown was a true showstopper, modern yet beautifully restrained. The sculptural strapless bodice, complete with a sheer inset, brought a contemporary edge, while the thigh-high split added just the right amount of drama.
And of course, no celebration would have been complete without their beloved dog, Moose. Dressed for the occasion in his own tuxedo, he made a memorable appearance alongside the couple, adding personality and charm to an already special day.
Guests were treated to incredible entertainment by Melbourne Entertainment Co, who not only stepped in at the last minute but completely saved the day. Every heartfelt moment was beautifully captured by Maegan Brown Moments.
The meeting.
We first met in 2013 at a mutual friend’s birthday and stayed friends for around three years. We became quite close during this time, and it basically got to the point where it didn’t make any sense why we weren’t dating. We went on our first date and the rest is history!
The one.
It’s hard to tell as we have been friends and part of each other’s lives for such a long time. We are definitely in a space where it is hard to picture life without each other.
The proposal.
We were living in Adelaide, and it was summer, Tom planned a day at Silver Sands beach. On the way we stopped at Bekkers Winery and bought two bottles of wine as keepsakes – unknown to me at the time. While we were at the beach having food and drink and just relaxing, Tom found the perfect moment to propose! I was so surprised that I kept interrupting him before I realised what was happening. We opened the first bottle of wine when we booked our wedding and we are holding onto the second for a wedding anniversary.
Style inspiration.
We wanted our day to be timeless, clean, modern and elegant, without feeling too formal. We did this through white and green florals and keeping the wedding party in black and white.
The ceremony.
We loved our ceremony and a lot of guests commented that it felt ‘very us’. It started with our miniature labradoodle, Moose, coming down the aisle in a tux and then he roamed around the whole ceremony and was so well behaved. There are some great photos of him just doing his own thing. We also came up with the idea very early on of asking one of our groomsmen, James, to be the celebrant. We then had an officiant there to complete the legal aspects. For us, it was so nice having James up there with us. We all used to live together in Adelaide, and we call him our first son! To have someone who knows us both so well made the whole ceremony so much more personal.
I (Jess) was so anxious to get down the aisle to Tom with all the adrenaline of the morning. But as soon as I reached the front, there was an instant calm from being with Tom. Having James next to me, along with Kieren (best man) and Alana (maid of honour), made the whole ceremony feel so much more relaxed and fun.
The outfits.
After we became engaged, I went to a bridal boutique with my mum and we just tried on all different dresses and designers for fun. I found a style that I loved and was very me – strapless with a split. I then did a lot of research and found designers in Melbourne that matched my aesthetic and then went to all four in one day with my mum and maid of honour, Alana. From the moment I walked into Maison Oui, Jen was so lovely, and the minute I tried on my dress, we all said, “wow.” No other dress beat it. It was true to me but also something unexpected which I loved!
On the day I got the girls matching blue PJs so they could be my ‘something blue’ in the morning. I took inspiration from my sister-in-law who was married a few years earlier and had a white slip and robe which felt very fancy and fun.
Tom and Kieren also had their own fun and spent the day going suit shopping before picking tuxes from Oscar Hunt.
Favourite moment.
Oh, it’s so hard to choose! We loved our personal vows — they unintentionally complemented each other perfectly and included some of our best inside jokes. I also loved that during Tom’s vows he said, “I promise to always keep you fed with snacks,” and then proceeded to pull out Natural Confectionery Snakes from his suit pocket for me to eat during the vows! That was amazing!
The other highlight has to be the dance floor at the end of the night. Tom spent so long curating the perfect list of songs, and it was so much fun dancing with all our guests!
Meaning of marriage.
Someone you can always be yourself with and you choose to love each day.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Christian Leave – Can’t Help Falling In Love
Recessional: Ray LaMontagne – You Are The Best Thing
Reception Entry: Stardust – Music Sounds Better With You
First Dance Song: The Goo Goo Dolls – Iris
Exit Song: Avicii – Wake Me Up
Funny stories (or near disasters).
We had an absolute near disaster on the day with our music and almost had none! However, our wedding coordinator from Zonzo’s Estate handled it all with such grace and proficiency that we also didn’t know about this until we both turned up to the venue. Nathan from Melbourne Entertainment Company also swooped in and absolutely saved the day. He gave it 110% and our guests continue to rave about how amazing he was!
Planning surprises.
The number of little things that we needed to think about the closer we got to the day
Words of wisdom.
All the stress and worry is worth it – the day is truly one of the best days of your life!
Final tip.
One of the best things we did was create a 20+ page document that covered everything about the day — contact details, timelines for the Groom Crew and Bride Tribe, florals, signage placement, the music, and everything in between. We handed this to Zonzo’s the day before, which meant they had everything they needed without having to contact us. It also helped prevent a near disaster, as they were able to queue all of our ceremony music without needing to check in with us!
Jess & Tom’s Vendors
We looked at Zonzo’s preferred suppliers, Ivory Tribe, Hello May magazines, and Instagram!
Ceremony and reception venue / location: Zonzo Estate. They were incredible – the food was amazing and there was plenty of it, the staff were so lovely, and our wedding coordinator Isabella was phenomenal – she was so attentive, made sure the whole day went smoothly and did the best job! We couldn’t have been happier with our choice of venue.
Celebrant/Officiant: Stephanie the Celebrant
Photography: Maegan Brown Moments. Maegan was an absolute stand out of our suppliers! She was the first one we booked because I was really particular about making sure I got the photographer I wanted and when I found Maegan on instagram months earlier she was top of my list! I can confidently say we were not disappointed. Maegs is so lovely and made the whole day so easy and relaxing, she captured the emotion of the day in all the photos and got so many stunning shots! It was above and beyond all our expectations.I can’t stop looking at our photos and we could not recommend her more!
Florist: Flowers of Yarra Glen
Hair: Tammy McNee. Tammy is actually one of my friends and hairdresser which just made the morning even more fun and special!
Make-up: Olivia Florence Makeup. Liv did such an amazing job! Everyone looked so stunning but natural and she’s just a wonderful person.
The dress: Maison Oui
Veil / headwear: Luv Bridal, it was actually my ‘something borrowed’ on the day as it is my lovely friend Manon’s veil!
Shoes: Bared Footwear
Rings: Cullen Jewellery
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Bec + Bridge
Suits – if applicable: Oscar Hunt
Cake / Cake topper: Ladybird Cakes
Entertainment: Nathan, Melbourne Entertainment Company. We could not be more grateful or thankful to Nathan for saving our day! He was so easy to deal with, checked in with us throughout the night and gave it his absolute all! We are not kidding when we say our guests still comment on how good he was and the energy he brought to the night!
DJ: Nathan of Melbourne Entertainment Company
Transport: McKenzies Tourist Services
Honeymoon: Mini moon in Daylesford and Honeymoon in Bali
