We think every month deserves to end with a bang. And what could be more epic than a sunrise ceremony in a hot air balloon? Although thank goodness Jarred and Dan’s hot air balloon over South Australia’s incredible Murray River did not involve any kind of balloon popping. The couple invited just their parents, their celebrant, and the balloon pilot to bear witness to their spectacular marriage in the sky.

There was one more witness we must not forget because it was Travis of Travis & Benny, and he’s the person we have to thank for today’s photographs!  Embracing the tone of the Australian landscape, “We’d describe our day as River Murray, Earthy Colours, Creek Bed, Australian Outback/Bush,” says Jarred, the couple secretly tied the knot somewhere in the sky over Blanchetown, as the sun rose high. They celebrated their new married status over champagne brunch. Which just about sounds like the perfect way to kick off newlywed life.

A pub and a round of drinks set the scene for Jarred and Dan’s first meeting, tells Jarred, “Dan and I met at the Austral Hotel. Dan offered to pay for drinks straight up but his card was declined so I got the first round. It was awkwardly/funny but ultimately set a chilled and relaxed mood for the rest of the night. We were expecting a short catchup but the day date continued into the night. We both drove home knowing that we probably should have ordered an Uber.

Jarred popped the question with incredible, handblown glass goblets (which also featured on the wedding day, make sure to watch out for those!) “I wanted to propose to Dan but not in the traditional way. We have similar tastes and knew a ring wasn’t the way to go so I decided to commission a glassblower from the Jam Factory to make two bespoke handmade goblets. I had also planned a little wine tour adventure in the Barossa although little did Dan know, we were only going to one place.

We arrived at Hentley Farm, got out of the car and moved around to the boot of the car where I had wrapped a box with a card that was waiting to be opened by Dan. The box had a magnetic lid and on the inside face of the lid was a decal “Will you marry me”. Dan opened the box, missed the message completely and was fascinated by the goblets, he was confused about what they were for and I said to have another look, to which he then saw the message and said yes! We then entered Hentley Farm and enjoyed a wine-paired degustation with our goblets.”

Jarred dressed in olive green. “I wore a dark khaki green coloured textured jacket from Politix. White shirt with black suspenders. Brown belt and shoes with tan coloured pants.” As for Dan?  “He wore a Brown/Ochre coloured velvet jacket also from Politix. White shirt with black suspenders. Brown belt and shoes with tan coloured pants. We both wore Peggy & Finn Protea floral print bow tie, pocket square, underwear and socks and had boutonniere made up of a variety of foliage that would last the whole day.
We wanted to make a statement with our blazers but also wanted the colours to translate into the surrounding landscape by using earthy tones.”

The day began before dawn with thanks to Barossa Valley Ballooning.  “We used Barossa Valley Ballooning and chartered one of their hot air balloons for the morning. We all met at the Barossa Novotel and were driven to the launch site/paddock in Blanchetown. We helped prepare and inflate the balloon which made for some great photos. We drifted above the Murray River and said the “I do’s” over Roonka. (We used the GPS coordinates on our marriage certificate). The landing site/paddock was where we did the petal throwing and helped pack away the balloon.”

Of course, the grooms couldn’t walk down the aisle! “There was no aisle as we were in the balloon basket, however, we did ask our mums to ‘give us away’.”

“We wanted the ceremony to have a special and unique feeling to it. Knowing it’s not a cookie-cutter wedding where numerous people have stood before us. We want to know the location was unique to us and our guests in the balloon.”

There were special family traditions too, says Jarred. “My mum wanted me to have my grandmother’s ring on me (in my blazer pocket) during the ceremony, this has been something she has done with my other siblings as well.”

Jarred’s advice to you? “Don’t stress yourself out too much in the planning stage. Make lists and work through them gradually.”

It takes a clever photographer to capture a wedding in such unique conditions, Jarred and Dan could not sing the praises of their choice more highly. “Travis Cornish from Travis and Benny matched with us perfectly. His energy, humour, style were all on point. He gave us direction to get some stand out photos as we had no idea what to do.”

The newlyweds celebrated with a champagne brunch at Novotel Barossa Valley Resort. “Back at the Novotel we had a gourmet champagne breakfast with the group before heading out for more photos. The Novotel has an awesome creek bed at the bottom of the property where we got a bunch of photos, and some nice bush/outback settings.” The roaming morning was also Dan’s favourite part. “I loved seamless progression throughout the day with beautiful weather.”

Don’t get them wrong, sentimental details also featured during Jarred and Dan’s beautiful day. “We made sure we included our engagement goblets, and also our dog Aspen!” Champagne in the Australian outback anyone?

The celebrations continued! “We headed to Jacob’s Creek afterwards for a picnic lunch and games. We finished off the photos here next to the display vines out the back.”

The biggest of congratulations to you both Jarred and Dan. What a brilliant way to tie the knot and how honoured we are to share it. Thank you both and thank you to Travis & Benny for sharing this story with us.