Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
When we reflect on how we met, we tell the story of how our paths crossed at the most unlikely and unexpected time.
A time where we were not looking, but when the universe had other plans in store. Samm, a Project Manager in the 4×4 accessory industry and James, a National Sales Manager in transport and logistics. The age old saying that “you shouldn’t mix business with pleasure” however we took a chance that brought us together and cemented the instant familiarisation of feeling like we’ve known each other our whole lives, without having met before. Its as though we knew who our hearts belonged to, long before we laid eyes on each other. The thing with this kind of love, we associate it with the saying “when you know, you just know” – Naturally we dove in headfirst, experienced the incredible power of our “madly in love” bubble and on the flip side, the lows that tested us in an accelerated amount of time. The best thing about it is that is in a short period of time, we lived through the reals of all relationships, quicker than what most couples would encounter over years of time! We knew if we could get through the dark, at the same time as teaching each other about who wewere and how our relationship fit this picture – Then we can make it through any obstacle that life throws us!
Our relationship is fun, but the effortless kind of fun! Life isn’t serious all the time, and we make time to laugh with each other and more so, laugh at each other. The balance in our relationship is having the happy go lucky qualities in James, subtly tame the extremely organised and structured mind set of Samm (perhaps a little OCD about perfection!)
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details…
The location of our wedding spoke to our story – With Samm being born and bred on the Mornington Peninsula, the feeling of “home” resonated with her great appreciation for the lush ambience in the most spectacular part of Victoria. Crittenden Estate was nothing short of a picturesque landscape, to showcase a love like no other. Our vision for the day was to capture the depth of the occasion and reflect who we are as a couple. We had invented a defined vision in our minds, that carried throughout the planning process. Our inspiration came from parties we had been to, music we enjoyed and venues we feel most relaxed at. Through the many unknowns, we did know that we had a strong focus on using our favourite local and admired suppliers. We emphasised wanting to treat our suppliers as our dear friends, rather than a business transaction – we were 100% transparent and what shone through was their incredibly artistic and creative delivery of our vision.
Our styling encapsulated soft romantic tones with gold features, incorporating statement elements to reflect modern day inspiration. The finer details illustrated leaving no stones unturned, in the thought process of bringing our dream for our day into reality. The entire day is full of meticulous custom elements.
We were adamant on leaving our guests with a lasting memory to an unforgettable day. With that in mind, we had each guests’ name blind embossed onto a natural leather keyring as guest gifts.
Amongst this, we were in awe of our artistic floral designs by Poppy Culture that were perfection and assembled with so much love. Miss Ladybird Cakes created a never done before masterpiece, nailing a brief for contemporary yet glamourous “WOW” factor to compliment the occasion. Our custom fabricated arbour and custom signage elements brought a new level of personalisation. Our graphic designer Paige Tuzee produced our luxury stationary elements, incorporating her own hand lettering. The balloon arrangements brought that “FUN” factor, for that effortless party vibe. I mean we can talk about our favourites all day long if we could, because the day in its entirety was perfect.
Tell us about your main outfits:
James had envisioned a slick and sophisticated look, that was quite simple to settle on. Bell and Barnett in Chapel Street lead the way with a sharp black tuxedo, teamed with a simple black bow tie and an MJ Bale white shirt. Simple yet bold. The finishing touches were of course Hugo Boss cufflinks and the famous Happy Socks!
I had earmarked Jane Hill as the designer I admired for their modern couture. Hands down, I had never seen so many beautiful creations in one room but in and amongst it all, the detail of the Harper gown caught my eye. It instantly took my breath away with the exquisite modern take on lace work, accentuated with the pale nude underlay. With such a detailed gown, all that was necessary to compliment were a pair of Amelie George pearl and 14ct gold earrings. Our groomsmen’s followed suit with black suits, and our bridesmaids wore Shona Joy. Each bridesmaid wore an alternating colour, in a colour palette to suit our theme. Believe it or not, it was only on our wedding day that I saw the colour of each dress in person & all 3 together. Risky but all 3 colours worked together seamlessly!
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
As much as our day was our story, it was equally important to us to take our family and friends on our journey. We love the love they have for us, and they truly are our favourite people in the world.We wanted the day to be memorable not only for us, but for all our guests. The ceremony was full of love, especially as we customised our own vows to be as unique to each other.
It had meaning to us, to try and included as many people as possible into various special aspects of the day. We had family and friends share in ceremony readings based on their words of wisdom, speeches to depict our make up as individuals and our MC was a valued friend of ours, that has been a continual sounding board and mentor for the duration of our relationship. Each of these memorable moments captured heartfelt connections and were beautiful as it was full of meaning.
They all say it and its true – It is the best day of your life. The day flies so incredibly quick, that you often don’t have time to witness the raw emotion from your friends and family on the day. Our photographers and videographer did an amazing job at capturing these moments, to ignite these memories for the rest of our lives. These are the moments remind you of the belief and happiness others have for our love, and the love they have for us. Taking a moment out together to stand back and look at all our guests is a heartfelt moment. It reminded us that all these people in one room, are here to celebrate US. And that is one of our most cherished moments.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Getting it right from the start has meant that our relationship pre-marriage, set the best foundation possible for our marriage and the rest of our lives together. Our relationship is a “we” rather than “me”. It is important to us to listen to each other when talking about our feelings. Because if it’s one thing that is never debatable, it’s the fact that you can’t dispute or disagree with is how another feels. There’s no such thing in a marriage of “you can’t feel that way”, because it’s their personal FEELINGS. For us, continuing to grow means that we do take risks and push boundaries to keep our minds young. Love each other when life is peaceful and when its painful, during successes and failures (said straight from our vows). Planning our wedding was the most joyful experience, because it was all done with love. Enjoy the lead up to your special day and soak it all up in its glory.
Photographer: White Vine Photography | Videographer: Rachael Mary Films | Ceremony and Reception location: Stillwater at Crittenden Estate | Celebrant: Emma Tomlinson | Bride’s outfit: Jane Hill and Bell & Barnett | Groom’s suit: MJ Bale | Rings: Empress Diamonds | Shoes: Forever Soles | Earrings: Amelie George | Cufflinks: Hugo Boss | Pocket Square: Calibre | Socks: Happy Socks | Hair: Glamour Mafia | Makeup: Makeup by Sarah Ryan at Blisque Salon | Fragrance: Si by Giorgio Armarni | Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy | Bridesmaid’s necklace: Eden Zoe | Bridesmaid’s earrings: Mimco | Entertainment: The White Tree | Flora: Poppy Culture | Catering and Beverages: Stillwater at Crittenden Estate | Cake: Miss Ladybird Cakes | Stationery: Paige Tuzee Designs
