Jake & Emily

If something is going to get you excited, then a wedding involving balloons, streamers and donut cakes might just be it. Jake and Emily chose a mass of colour to celebrate their bright & whimsical South Australian wedding with photographer Neiyo, the wedding is nothing short of incredibly joyful.

Before we kick off the story, Emily tells of how she and Jake met. “We met through our church in Adelaide. We were friends for quite some time before Jacob moved to Melbourne & coincidentally I moved shortly after. Despite going to the same church in Melbourne through a series of events we were no longer as close as we used to be for 2 years, before Jacob randomly called me one night to ask me out & the rest, as they say, is history.”

The bride chose her gown from Karen Willis Holmes, telling “I have always been a little wedding obsessed (everyone subscribes to bridal magazines when they’re single & 20 right??). Because of this, I have always wanted a Karen Willis Holmes dress, however, I had completely forgotten there was a store in Melbourne! Thankfully I happened to drive past it while dress shopping one day & knew I would find the one there! The day I found my dress my maid of honour Amber had driven over from Adelaide & my Nan was able to come as well as my other bridesmaid Leah which made the experience so special, not only that but Karen herself happened to be in the store – major fan girl moment! She loved the dress I picked & gave me some great tips about the fit & the design. All the staff there were absolutely incredible & offered so many options & alternatives to find the perfect dress.”

The couple chose a close friend to make their invitations, Emily remarking “I loved our save the date invitations, I had seen them on Pinterest & thought they would be semi-impossible to actually have. However my magic friend & old housemate Olivia rose to the occasion & completely ran with it to make them even better than I could’ve anticipated.”

Emily walked down the aisle to “My Dear” by Bethel Music. “I walked down with the proudest dad you’ve ever seen. I love the photos of my dad from the day, from when he first saw me to when he danced with me. He was a mess & they’re really special photos.”

Pastor Andrew Shepherd from Edge Church officiated the ceremony, Emily telling “We wanted our ceremony to be full of love, celebration & fun! We really just wanted the whole day to be about our love for each other & the people we love (our family & friends). We made sure throughout the whole day it was emphasised that we wanted our friends to make friends with each other & they really did which was one of the best things for us. Our beautiful friend Rach who we love, read a quote by Fredrick Buechner about moments in life you say yes to, this is the quote Jake had used to tell me he loves me for the first time.”

The couple chose the bride’s parent’s property as their venue, an obvious choice says the bride. “When my parents bought their property – 17 acres just outside of McLaren Vale, I instantly fell in love & declared it was the place I would get married at, one day, despite being very single at the time! Fast forward six years & there was no way I was getting married anywhere else.”

Of their photographer, Emily tells “Our beautiful friend & photographer Neiyo who was not only flawlessly professional but so excited for us. She was absolutely magic!”

Mclaren Vale Florist  created the bright bouquet, Emily remarking “I loved my bouquet, natives are my favourite flowers & Jake has been giving them to me with incredible frequency throughout our relationship. I’m too sentimental for my own good & given how beautifully they dry out had kept many of them. I was ecstatic when Natalie our florist said she could work the old flowers into my bouquet & (I was) absolutely speechless with how wonderful it turned out!”

Home Grain Bakery supplied donuts for three gorgeous donut wedding cakes. Emily remarking “I loved working together with Jake to create our special day. Listening to the day he wanted it to be & making it happen with him was really special.”

Emily remembers “For our first dance we chose ‘Bloom’ by Paper Kites. Throughout the reception we had different talented friends singing throughout the night & chose our beautiful friends James & Belle to sing us through our first dance.”

The dancing was an incredible highlight of the night, says Emily “My best friend Amber made our dance playlist (she’ll kill me for confessing that to the masses) & she nailed it. There was a moment after Jake & I had done our dance & the fast songs had been playing when ‘You’re the voice’ came on & EVERYONE lost their minds. 90% of our guests (including my Nan) were on the dance floor, not even dancing but belting out the words at the top of their lungs. It was absolute magic & a moment I’ll always cherish.”

“Our niece Grace who was 6 at the time had been asking us from the day we got engaged if we would have the best dancer award. Of course in the spirit of fun, we needed to have one & she practised her dancing for the 8 months we were engaged. As soon as the music started until the very end, she did not stop moving! Of course, she was crowned best dancer & lost her absolute mind. It was terrific, she was always going to win but had no idea.”

Congratulations on your marriage Emily and Jake! Thank you for sharing the stories of your day with us! Thank you also to Neiyo for allowing us to share today’s gorgeous celebration!