Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met in 2013 at a Swimming Australia youth development camp when we were both teenagers. We were fast friends, but nothing really developed romantically until an international swimming competition in Los Angeles in 2014. We had been apart for a few weeks in the lead up and the distance really had made the heart grow fonder. A cheeky kiss on the hotel rooftop sealed the deal.
Ten years later we are married, but the in between involved numerous overseas adventures together, three years of distance (from Australia to New Zealand), many rounds of Mario Kart and the adoption of our dog/ruler of the household, Dougal the Italian greyhound.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We have always adored New Zealand, having both lived in the North Island for a few years. We wanted to have a sense of running away and eloping somewhere beautiful and beyond our backyard. The Queenstown mountains were impossible to resist and once we started to research vendors, ceremony locations etc. the whole affair wrote itself.
How many guests did you have?
Three - our parents.
We then surprised thirty of our closest friends a few weeks later, who were invited to attend our ‘engagement party’ in Melbourne. Guests were picked up in a bus and dropped off out the front of a Vegas-style wedding chapel (The Altar Electric) where we relatively theatrically announced the news of our already minted nuptials. We then danced the night away.
What was your budget?
We initially set the rough outline of about $20,000 for absolutely everything - accommodation, car, wedding attire etc. Suffice to say we ended up going over that by a few-ish thousand. In practice, the entire wedding ended up being this lovely extended holiday for us and our parents.
Tell us about your outfits.
It was important for both of us to not feel overly traditional, but to still consider ourselves dressed up enough to honour the occasion. The ceremony dress and neck scarf was customised by the gorgeous team at Hera Couture, who understood the vision and brought it to life with ease. The 16Arlington mini dress was purchased in advance of any engagement (oops) as I just fell in love with the structure and feathers immediately.
Jesse wanted to wear colour, and over the months leading up to the wedding we slowly pieced together his ceremony and post-ceremony looks. The green velvet suit jacket was perfect for the ceremony, which then transitioned into a beautiful light blue linen jacket for the post-ceremony pictures.
Jesse’s ring is imprinted with both of our fingerprints.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
A sense of calm and only doing things how we wanted, vs how tradition dictates. We did not want to feel like we were performing a wedding, rather we were keeping the elements that were important to us and doing away with the rest.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We wanted to polish the night off with some takeaway pizza, so we wandered through Queenstown and ordered a few slices and a beverage. It was such a casual way to wrap up the way and unwind that felt distinctly us.
Any tips for couples getting married?
If any part of you is entertaining the idea of eloping, look into it. The day is ultimately about you, and your love, so cement in whichever way you see fit with or without an audience.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Everyone we worked with was beyond incredible.
The Lovers Elopement Co. were the most phenomenal coordinators, stylists, and hype-women ever. Life threw us a bit of a curve ball two days before the wedding and they seamlessly pushed all of our plans back about a week so that we could still have the wedding we initially planned. They are real life angels, with the most wonderful ability to curate an aesthetic and build a vibe that felt representative of us.
Photographer: Dawn Thomson Photography @dawnthomsonphoto | Planning & Styling: The Lovers Elopement Co @theloverselopementco | Flora: The Vase Floral Co @thevasefloral.co | Ceremony Location: Lakehouse Joela, Queenstown New Zealand @relaxitsdone_queenstown | Reception Location: Fat Badgers, Queenstown (& party with friends at The Altar Electric @thealtarelectric in Melbourne) | Celebrant: Andrew Bell Celebrant @andrewbellcelebrant | Hire Car: Touchdown Car Rentals | Makeup Artist: Jet Makeup Artist @jetmakeupartist | Hair Stylist: Victoria Carling Bridal Hair
@victoriacarlingbridalhair | Ceremony Catering & Beverages: self-catered | Cake: Sophie Roseanna Cakes @sophieroseannacakes | Vow Cards: Sea and Paper Creative Studio | Ceremony Dress & Neck Scarf: Hera Couture @heracouture | Reception Dress: 16Arlington @16arlington via NetaPorter | Coat: Thrifted | Ceremony Suit: Politix & Hugo Boss | Pizza Reception Suit: Country Road, M.J. Bale and RM Williams | Engagement Ring: Cullen Jewellery @cullenjewellery | Wedding Rings: Linden Cook @lindencook | Shoes: BY FAR, Martino Carolus, Julius Marlow | Ashleigh's Sunglasses: Prada | Jesse's Sunglasses: Prada