After “seven beautiful, whirlwind years,” Elyse and Jonathan had planned to tie the knot in an intimate destination wedding in Greece or Italy (“thinking we could wait the pandemic out,”) before pivoting to the idea of a larger, local wedding, and finally landing on this epic elopement. Elyse’s ‘fit was a slight nod to the Bridgerton binge-watching she did during lockdown (complete with Bared Footwear heels) and Jonathan’s stylish suit was thanks to none other than M.J. Bale. Bulb Creative documented the day and you’ll find it all below, so scroll down for more…
THE VENUE “The overall vibe was relaxed romanticism. We wanted to feel like we were escaping from Sydney and Figtree Villa Byron Bay (via Airbnb) was like a private little oasis. We’d only seen pictures beforehand but as soon as we arrived the palm tree grove felt magical and we woke to birds singing every morning.”
FAVE DEETS “My flowers were even more beautiful than I could have imagined. I gave Britt (The Perfect Party Co. via Elopement Collective) three rather different reference photos with no specific colour preference and [she] delivered the dreamiest bouquet.”
THE DRESS “Dress shopping was the most difficult part of planning for me. I tried on 18 different dresses, whilst they were all beautiful, nothing felt like me, so I gave up for a while hoping the perfect dress would just find me. It did. I was doom-scrolling Instagram whilst isolating with COVID and there it was. As soon as I saw it, I knew that it was this dress or nothing, so I immediately reached out to Helen English [and] she called me back the next day on New Years Eve. I didn’t even need to try it on to know it was the one. Helen made my dress with exactly five months to go and was an absolute dream. She made me feel so beautiful and completely relaxed from the very first appointment.”
THE SUIT “Jonathan bought his suit from M.J. Bale three weeks out from our elopement. He already knew what he wanted and M.J. Bale is a perfect fit for him.”
REFERENCES “Instagram was my gold mine. I found my dress, bouquet inspo, makeup artist and the Elopement Collective all through Instagram. I also bought Hello May, of course, including a lot of back issues for extra inspiration and references.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “Eloped without any guests or witnesses. Waking up and getting ready together we felt so relaxed and excited, the whole day felt so intimate and magical. Because it was just us there was no additional stress of making sure everything went smoothly or the pressure of meeting family expectations and ensuring everyone enjoyed their day, we could relax and enjoy the moment.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Britt from the Elopement Collective was incredible. She made everything so easy and stress free, ensuring I didn’t have to think about anything but getting married on the day. Josh Withers was an amazing celebrant and the boys from Bulb Creative produced the most beautiful photos and made us feel so comfortable even though we both feel quite nervous around the camera!”
Keen on the captures from Bulb Creative? Head to their Directory listing with us and scroll down to see more happy couples in action. If you’re still searching for your finishing touches, head to Bared Footwear for shoes, or for your groom’s look – head to M.J. Bale. But first…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer & Cinematographer Bulb Creative Event Planner Elopement Collective Florist The Perfect Party Co. via Elopement Collective Ceremony Figtree Villa Byron Bay via Airbnb Celebrant Josh Withers Rings Alexis Ortado – Friend (Elyse) & Australian Wedding Rings (Jonathan) THE BRIDE Bridal Gown & Veil Helen English Shoes Bared Footwear Accessories Swarovski (Earrings) Hair & Makeup Ava Belle Fragrance Bastide THE GROOM Suit, Shirt & Tie M.J. Bale Shoes R.M. Williams Grooming AJ via Hair by Tommy J Redfern