Jaya and Llewellyn

I’m very excited to end off such a beautiful week of inspiration with the most romantic Byron Bay wedding. A first look, dining under fairy lights and the clear blue sky, the Australian landscape and a couple who look so beautifully in love on their wedding day- I’d say that’s the tune of a perfect Friday afternoon!

Jaya explains how fate brought her and Llewy together. “Llewy and I both love India, so it was very fitting that we met there whilst traveling.  The way we met felt very magical and dramatic, as we first caught each other’s eyes when we were extra’s on a Bollywood movie.  We instantly started connecting once we realised we were both Australian, and had a lot in common.  Looking back, it was probably the most romantic way we could have met.  Whilst we chatted and joked there was a huge sign lit up in light-bulbs that said “Made for Each Other”.

The next few days we kept on bumping into each other and caught up for dinner and lunch on different occasions.  Everything felt very synchronistic.  Even our flight times to leave India were only an hour apart, so we shared a ride to the airport.  One week after our India trip had ended we were planning to see each other in Sydney (I lived interstate), and the rest is history.”

Photos today are by Ngg Studios who has such a romantic, beautiful way of capturing images. I love Kristy and David’s sense of style and elegance with every photo they capture!

Jaya and Llewy were married at Lyndoch on the Lake in the Byron Bay Hinterland. Jaya explains, “We found Lyndoch on the Lake after a lot of research and a couple of set backs with other venues.  I must admit that I wasn’t convinced about the venue until I actually visited it.  Once we arrived, both Llewy and I instantly fell in love.  It was exactly what we were looking for – lots of lush greenery, large paddocks with yellow grass, a beautiful lake and a charming country house.

At the last minute, Llewy and I decided to take a first look of each other before the ceremony, at Possum Creek Eco Lodge.  I am so glad we did, as this property is also very beautiful and it was very calming seeing Llewy beforehand.”

Jaya wore a stunning gown from Vivienne Westwood paired with Alannah Hill sparkly shoes and a hair clip from Jennifer Behr. The flowers were by Imbue Weddings. Jaya says, “They  did an amazing job on our flowers, which included sprigs of lavender, wheat, daisies and large purple tulips.”

Jaya has some sage advice for other couples. “The day was so beautiful and magical, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather.  There were some definite stressful moments (both Llewy and I were running late, and later the music system threatened to not work), but we had some amazing people nearby to help out.  In the end, our celebrant’s advice really stuck in our minds – just slow down and enjoy the day because it will be over before you know it.”

The couple walked down the aisle together. “Llewy and I both walked together down the aisle to an acoustic guitar version of Explosions in the Sky.”

I always love hearing about vendors who are found through our pages. Jaya and Llewy found their photographer right here! Jaya explains, “I found our photographers (ngg studios) after looking at another wedding on Polka Dot Bride who had used them.  I instantly fell in love with their soft, artistic, heartfelt photos.  What I loved about them was that they seemed to capture intimate, personal moments without any awkward poses.  On the day they were very relaxed, friendly and fun to be around which made it very easy to have the photos taken.”

Of Jaya’s favourite moment she says “I loved the intimate moments shared with Llewy – our laughs, kisses, chatting”

The reception was held in an open field, Jaya’s dream. She explains “One of the features of our wedding is that we wanted a European style dinner set underneath the stars.  Because this dinner was so dependent on weather the lead up to the day was very tense (even though we had back up options).  Luckily, weather permitted and the table looked amazing set in the paddock with strings of light-bulbs hung above.”

When DIY gets too much, hire it in! That’s what Jaya and Llewy did! Jaya recalls “Originally I was going to do all the decorations for the wedding.  A few months before the wedding I realised it was virtually impossible for me to do this (as all my family lived interstate and we were both working full-time).  I was very lucky to find Imbue Weddings who helped bring all our ideas to life.  Particularly we were able to hire old vintage chairs, and vases which matched the aesthetic we wanted.  They were also more than happy to integrate what we hired with our own collection of old fans, boxes, vases, picture frames, and bits and pieces.  On the day they were a life saver as they set and packed all of our decorations up.  ”

There were many personal touches, says Jaya. “We wanted our wedding to be very intimate and reflect our style: down to earth, country rustic, and relaxed but romantic.”

Jaya handmade the stationery for the wedding, a paper flag guestbook and  jam and chai tea favors for their guests to take home.

The scrumptious chocolate cake was made by Seaweed Cuisine who also catered the event. Jaya recalls “The caterer we hired, Seaweed Cuisine was amazing.  They served delicious food that all our guests commented on (like scallops wrapped in prosciutto served with a lemon butter sauce) and the wait staff were very attentive and friendly.”

Congratulations Jaya and Llewy! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us today on Polka Dot Bride! Thank you also to Brett and Kristy of Ngg Studios for today’s photographs!