Ever wondered if it’s possible to meet the love of your life, swiping through Tinder, on a stopover mid-cross-country trip? Well, Mon and James are proof that if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. In fact, these two were so sweet on each other that they locked in their venue and celebrant before they were even engaged. We don’t blame them for their super keen attitude though, because together they managed to plan one top-notch day. Rosie Pose Event Hire took care of the Hamptons vibe whilst M.J. Bale produced a pretty schmick looking tribe of groomsmen. To top it off, Fox & Kin went all out to capture a swathe of stunning portraits. Scroll down to find out how these two dealt with some rather unexpected wedding day mishaps…
THE VENUE “James travelled 1200kms from the NSW Far South Coast to take me on our first ever date. We spent a weekend together, and we drove out to Bellingen as I wanted to show off our beautiful area. We drove past Gleniffer Hall and both thought it would be the most beautiful place to get married. Two and a half years later, we did. We didn’t even think of looking anywhere else, we just knew that was the place for us.”
THE VIBE “We wanted a beautiful Hamptons, coastal vibe. We opted for neutral tones that had enough warmth for things not to feel too stark. We wanted natural textures and for things to feel intimate but spacious.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “We loooooved the bowties. Our favourite scotch whiskey is Laphroiag, which is made on an island off Scotland called Islay. We visited Islay in 2018 and just loved it. We contacted their gorgeous little wool mill once we were engaged to see if they’d make some bowties in the colours of the local Islay tartan. They were so happy to do it, and it was such a gorgeous, personal touch for the boys to wear them. We also brought along a bottle of Laphroiag and some scotch glasses so that we could have a quiet drink together after the ceremony, and just take a breath while the amazing Fox & Kin worked her magic in our shoot.”
LITTLE LOL “The wedding day was a scorcher, in the high 30 degrees, so we’d all sweltered through the ceremony, and then had a bunch of group photos straight afterwards. Nic, our photographer, had been keeping an eye on the weather and we could see some storm clouds rolling in, so she ushered us to her car so we could start our photoshoot for just the bride and groom. Nic got some shots and then hurried us back into the car as things were getting a little unsafe. When we arrived back at the reception, our incredible stylist/planner Heidi [The Romance] let us know that there had been a total blackout while we were gone. A friend had somehow quickly arranged a generator to be delivered to the venue, and so we had the use of about two powerpoints for the whole evening. Our chefs cooked in the dark, we had very, very moody lighting for the reception dinner, but somehow all of these unexpected issues made everything more intimate and beautiful. Our incredible photographer [Fox & Kin] put out a message to the local community to bring down candles to help light the dinner, and people delivered. It was so moving. Later, our festoon lights didn’t work for our first dance, so everyone pulled out their phones and used the lights to light up our dancefloor which created such a special moment for both of us.”
A WORD OF ADVICE “Think deeply about what you want. I realised that in planning a wedding you consider the experience of lots of different people, and for me, I thought as well about the experience for our vendors. Ultimately though, it was one day-just one, that is really about you and your partner, and for us, that meant taking some time to really have things the way we wanted. We really trusted in our vendors, and let them do what they did best, which turned out so beautifully for us. So, in sum, ask for what you want, and trust the experts to deliver it. Also, heaps of things went “wrong” on our day, but we absolutely surrendered to the process, trusted that our vendors would look after us, and focused on how lucky we were to have everyone we loved in one place, celebrating our love.”
WE’RE GLAD WE “We were so grateful that we had our post-ceremony photo shoot with just the two of us, rather than with our whole bridal party. We had spent the night before the wedding away from each other, and after so many nerves and such a big day, we just wanted to connect with each other and ground ourselves in the moment.”
Feel like you need to jump in quick and nab some of Mon and James’ standout vendors? Well, we have contact details for Fox & Kin, Rosie Pose Event Hire and M.J. Bale so click through for more. If it’s more real wedding goodness you are after be sure to check out Elspeth & Ben’s Central Coast wedding, also shot by the lovely Nic of Fox & Kin. But first, you might want to scroll down to some extra special rainbow framed portraits…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Fox & Kin Event Planner & Stylist The Romance Crew Florist Bower Botanicals Stationery & Signage Paper Paper Co Venue Gleniffer Hall Catering Fiasco Catering Cake Sweet Love Cake Couture Hire Items Rosie Pose Event Hire, Oaklab Design Lighting Hire Special Occasions Entertainment The Funk Thieves Celebrant Tullia Connor Rings Digby & Iona Transport Newcombe Bus Hire BRIDE Dress Kate Willa Veil Madame Tulle Loungewear Cotton On Body Shoes Kenneth Cole Earrings Elvis Et Moi Hair Living Doll Hair Stylists Makeup Samantha Thomson Makeup Bridesmaid Dresses Shona Joy GROOM Suit M.J. Bale Bow Tie Islay Woollen Mill Cufflinks Paul Smith Shoes Wild Rhino Watch Armani Exchange Barber Tim the Barber Groomsmen Suits M.J. Bale