Mel & Jamie

I love it when a couple really has fun with their day and when Mel and Jamie celebrated their lovely Yarra Valley wedding, they included much of what they love about their life together. From the handmade stationery, the handcrafted decor and the stories they told throughout the day that resulted in nothing less than joy filled laughter. The couple chose  White Rabbit Productions to beautifully capture their day.

The couple met while Mel was at work. “I worked at a supermarket with Jamie’s mum and best mate Tyson. Jamie’s mum told him about a beautiful girl who she worked with. But as Jamie was an eighteen-year-old male he didn’t want dating advice off his mum. We happened to randomly meet one night at a local hangout, where Tyson introduced me. For Jamie and I, it was pretty much love at first sight. We clicked instantly and from the day on saw each other every day and became each other’s best friend.”

The bride wore a lace gown by Sophia Tolli from The Bridal and Deb Room, noting “I found my wedding dress at The Bridal & Deb Room in Upwey, the owner of the shop Fiona was wonderful. Fiona never rushed me when choosing the dress which I think is very important. She would stand back and let you discuss with your family and friends if the dress was the one or not. Fiona gave excellent service.”

Of her gown, she tells “When looking for my wedding dress I wanted it to be one that would make me feel like a princess for the day – after all as a girl we all dream of having our fairy tale ending. When I tried on the Prinia from an Australian designer Sophia Tolli I knew it was ‘the one’. I loved the A-line shape with the soft tulle skirt that went into a train, the beautiful lace that was on the bodice and delicate beading.”

A special family heirloom was added to the gown. “Inside my wedding dress I pinned a small piece of lace from my Grandma’s wedding dress that she made herself. The dress was made from the material on my Grandma’s Grandma’s wedding dress. So that lace has been on five generations of wedding dresses.”

Valley Blooms styled the bright bouquets for the day, the bride remarking “I love the look of foliage with the different texture and shapes of leaves. The colour palette I chose for the flowers was creamy white and different shades of pinks as the bridesmaid dresses were dusty pink. We used a range of different flowers as well that were large and soft.”

The couple met before the ceremony for a first look, the bride meeting the groom amongst the vineyards.

The couple chose Zonzo Estate for their ceremony and reception, explaining “When thinking about where we would want to get married a winery came to both our minds. We love the rustic, wooden, field look of a winery. The day we drove out to the Yarra Valley to look at wineries I knew we made the right decision, just sitting in the car looking at the beautiful scenery it relaxes you instantly and that’s what we wanted for our wedding – a relaxed but fun feel wedding.
Once you visit Zonzo Estate you can’t imagine getting married at any other venue. It has so many fields of vineyards, huge beautiful willow trees, the gorgeous rustic barrel room, the cosy feel reception room. We wanted to have both ceremony and reception at the same venue as we wanted it to be easy for our guests.”

The bride walked down the aisle with her father to Train’s “Marry Me”.

Two special readings were chosen by the newlyweds, the ceremony officiated by Lisa Butler. The bride remembering “Jamie’s sister read the reading ‘Fair Dinkum Love’ by Kim Cockerell and my friend Lora read ‘The Art of Marriage’ by William A Petersen.”

Of their photographer, the bride remembers “On the day White Rabbit Productions were amazing, we didn’t even know they were there taking photos of us, they blended into the day so well. They were very helpful as well, as the groom’s party needed help pinning the flowers onto the suits, Joel was there to help. My veil fell out and Victoria was there, camera around her neck, pinning my veil back in for me. When we got our wedding photos back we were so excited and blown away. They were amazing and they captured so many special moments.”

The bride and groom added their own handmade touches, says Mel. “I made our wedding invitations with my mum’s help which I really enjoyed doing and was quietly proud of them. Jamie made an A-frame board for me out of old fence palings that we displayed the sitting chart on with photos of Jamie and I growing up. On the other side, we had the menu with wedding photos of our two sets of grandparents and parents. We also made two other signs out of old fence palings that we painted the reception timeline on. I also made a couple of dream catchers out of old doilies to have to hang from the signs.”

 

Of their first dance, which was to “You & Me” by Lifehouse, Mel tells “We loved this song and didn’t want to have dance lessons so it was an easy song to dance to.”

Congratulations on your marriage Mel and Jamie! Thank you for taking the time to share the stories of your day with us. Thank you also to  White Rabbit Productions for sharing today’s joyful celebration!