Holly & Jason

I must admit, showing a couple’s engagement and then their wedding is something I really treasure. It’s like showing off the beginning and end (well I suppose another beginning) or a beautiful love story. Seeing the hopes and dreams on faces turn into something even deeper, the culmination of all the excitement, the celebration, The start of a marriage. I shared Holly and Jason’s retro inspired engagement shoot last year and today? I get to share their wedding! The couple chose the stunning Mount Warning for their wedding.

Holly tells, “We met around 12 years ago when we worked in a small accounting office and were studying at university.

We remained good friends and did some travel together when we were both in the UK in 2002.  But it wasn’t until 2007 when we were both living back in the same town that we met again and our friendship turned into more.”

Photographs of Holly and Jason’s wedding are by ngg studios. The soft, beauty of the creatures that ngg studios creates are so romantic and beautiful!

Holly made the stationery herself. Of choosing Mount Warning for their wedding, Holly says, “The area of Northern NSW means a lot to us.  The two of us have fond memories of trekking up Mt Warning in our childhood and teenage years.”

Holly wore a lace gown designed by Helena Couture Designs. She accessorised with custom and heirloom jewels. Holly recalls “I wore my grandmother’s antique brooch in my hair and carried my other nanna’s pale blue rosary beads in my clutch. I discovered a great pearl store in Melbourne where I could choose the size and colour of the pearls which they made into a sweet bracelet for me to wear with silver flower clasp.”

Jason wore a suit from Dom Bagnato, For her walk down the aisle, Holly says “It had to be John Butler – ‘All I Mind’s Losing You’. I loved having my dad walk me ‘up the hill’ (not down the aisle).”

Holly and Jason held an intimate ceremony. She explains “We asked a dear, long-time friend to do the ceremony which was so special and personal to us.  Jason and I wrote our own vows to each other, Jason’s mother did a reading and my aunty read a poem which she had written.  We felt so lucky on the day when after a week of temperamental weather, the sun came out and we were married in front of a clear and awe-inspiring view of Mt Warning.”

The couple held most of the wedding festivities at Mavis’ Kitchen, who also provided the transport! Holly explains “We hired the old black jag off Peter at Mavis’s Kitchen for the day and we were so glad for it.  We had a lovely time being driven around in it for photos and my dad had a great time driving it!”

Imbue Weddings created the floral arrangements for the day.

Of their photographers, Holly says, “We adore Kristie and Brett!  They are fun and professional.  We loved our wedding photos as well as our engagement shoot and can’t wait to have them photograph more of life’s milestones.”

For their guestbook, Holly and Jason let their guests have free reign. “We bought a Polaroid camera and designated a couple of friends to take the photos and stick them in our guest book.  Guests wrote a message next to their photo.  We love the guestbook, it’s a great reminder of people having fun on the day and a fantastic keepsake”

Holly found the reception venue, Mavis’ Kitchen, while having a glorious lunch. She explains “I had seen a photograph of the lovely Queenslander-style home named Mavis’s Kitchen a few years before and loved its’ old-world charm, not to mention the stunning view of Mt Warning.  My sister and I visited for lunch in 2010 whilst holidaying in Byron Bay and we fell in love with the whole property, it’s gorgeous.  When Jason went there 6 months later, we knew it was the venue.  We didn’t even consider looking any further!

It is  such a charming and quirky Queenslander restaurant.  We had a sit down dinner which was divine.  We appreciate the philosophy of owners’ Charlie and Peter who source local organic produce where possible and have their own organic kitchen garden for the restaurant.  The food is fresh, homemade, country-style fare.”

The favors were made by locals. Holly says “My mum found some sweet old ladies at a church fete nearby and I commissioned them to make jams for our wedding favours.  I covered them in fabric lids and tied them with brown paper tags and string.” Jason surprised Holly by singing her a Pete Murray song during the reception.

The first dance, was one that involved just about everybody. Holly explains, “I was so busy in the lead up to the wedding that I didn’t think about this much and Jason’s dad who is a drummer and singer had just gone ahead and organised a song for us so we went with it but we got the whole table up as we didn’t want to dance on our own!! Much wine flowed and plenty of dancing and merriment ensued!”

Congratulations Holly & Jason! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to ngg studios for sharing today’s photographs!