After an entire year spent crushing on each other, Monica & Luke finally let the negronis at their office Christmas party sort them out. Just over three years later, they were engaged and planning a wedding for four months time, helped a little along by yours truly, as well as the duo’s dear friend Magenta. In fact, the couple snagged their legendary photographer Jackson Grant Weddings via Hello May! Scroll down for the whole endlessly chic, yet casual, affair…
THE VENUE “We chose Amarillo because we had a connection to the venue. It’s a place we’ve spent some time in — we’re friends with the staff, and I [Luke] sometimes DJ there. It has beautiful light, great vibes and staff, excellent food and booze, and perfectly encapsulated the atmosphere we were after for our wedding. We essentially had a big party at one of our favourite bars.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “The floral arrangements were one of our favourite details of the day. They were stunning and we’re still pinching ourselves at our luck. One of Magenta’s friends is a highly respected florist. He doesn’t do weddings, but he made an exception for Magenta. It helped that our wedding invitation was a little non-traditional. It was a bright orange fold-down poster, and it featured a few images from Ortigia, Sicily, where we got engaged. The flower arrangements took inspiration from the location, the foliage in the images, and the bright orange tone. The rules were no payment (only gifts), no briefing (we were happy with that), and no revealing his name. So this brilliant person will need to remain a mystery. When we arrived at Amarillo we were totally blown away by the floral arrangements and the florist’s generosity. Some particular floral details we loved: Two orange rose plants—no pot, just dirt—flanked us during the ceremony. We’ve taken them home and planted them in our own garden. There was a beautiful installation featuring cherry tomatoes, which guests nibbled on as the night got longer.”
FAVOURITE MOMENT “The moment when the dance floor was heaving, when ‘Like a Prayer’ came on and everyone lost it. I have a secret love of cheesy wedding music which can be a bit hard to admit when you’re engaged to a music producer and DJ. But Luke was an incredible sport. We knew that our friend ‘Elliot Of Marco’ would be the perfect person to DJ on the night — he managed to strike the perfect balance between keeping all the DJs happy while indulging us with (good!) cheesy bangers.”
WE’RE GLAD WE “We were so glad that we made it more casual. We greeted guests as they arrived at the front door, and walked to an archway to start the ceremony in lieu of walking down the aisle. We were mindful to keep the ceremony short, which helped everyone enjoy it more.”
STANDOUT VENDOR “We were so glad to have found Jackson Grant as our photographer. He was really accommodating and has a great eye. We went with Jackson because of the more ‘authentic’ shots in his folio (brides pulling strange faces, guests fallen on the floor). When things are too prim you lose the really special moments from the day. Jackson was enthusiastic from start to finish and really delivered.”
Want more for this stand out lens guy? Click here for Jorja & James Melbourne wedding and here for Santana & Riley’s Country Vic wedding. Contact details required? Click here to get in touch. But first…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Jackson Grant Stationery Luke Brown (groom)Printer Press Print Venue Amarillo Dessert Hunted and Gathered Entertainment DJ Elliot of Marco Celebrant Charis White Rings Pol Meegan BRIDE Top Aje Skirt Bec + Bridge Shoes Gucci via Ssense Bracelet Lucy Folk Hair Miss Gertude Makeup Kat Bardsley GROOM Suit Maison Margiela Shirt Hugo Boss Bow Tie Vintage Lanvin via Grailed Shoes Common Projects via Ssense Barber Herr Blick