Literally, the day before the country went into lockdown and the world changed forever, Jono and Jacqui celebrated their wedding at the Stones of the Yarra Valley. Just in the nick of time… Phew!
We sat down with these delightful humans to chat about their incredible day.
What date did you get married on?
Our date was, March 22nd, 2020. The day before the world of weddings was shut down!
How did you meet?
Our journey together began way back in our high school days but, it actually took us years to properly get acquainted after officially meeting through friends, Chris and Whitney.
Jacqui says of this time: “At first I thought Jono was a bit cocky so I was not too interested in getting to know him. As the time progressed we were the only single two for a while and we spent a lot of time together. The more time we spent together the more I realised what an amazing guy Jono was. He is genuine and honest and has a great love of life, music and food. ”
Jono remembers his first encounter with Jacqui like this: “Back in our school days, I always thought Jac was pretty cute in her own emo way. She was – and still is – different. We bonded over our shared love of adventure, fitness, food, and travel. After spending more time together, and a lot of denial, I worked up the courage to say "I think it'd be nice if we were a couple.” The rest is history.
How long have you been together for?
Almost 8 years.
What kind of jobs do you have?
Jacqui is a Nutrition + CrossFit Coach.
Jono is in Technology Sales.
How would you best describe your wedding in a few words?
Due to Covid, we have a hectic and very stressful lead up, though a super fun day!
How and why did you choose your reception and ceremony location?
We love our country and have always found that the team at Meletos and Stones do a marvellous job of showcasing Australia and Melbourne’s finest local wonders, and we’ve always LOVED their food. The true beauty of the venue, team and cuisine just made sense.
Was your wedding in your local area or did you have a destination wedding?
Stones is a less than a 20 minute drive from our front door.
What was the most important element for you to have in your wedding?
We wanted it to be our day, but to have everyone feel welcomed and a part of our celebration. We wouldn’t be here, or together, without the people that we’ve surrounded ourselves with.
Did you have a large or a small wedding? What were the deciding factors in this?
It wasn’t about size for us, all invites were purposeful and the people invited meant a lot to us. So having them be a part of the celebration only helped make our day special.
How did you choose what to wear?
Jono had the help of the amazing owner at Dyonsu - with a few not so subtle hints from me in terms of what rather than colours. I had a look on Pinterest and Instagram for ideas and sent pictures over to Elly, who was so wonderful! She sent over samples to the US for me to pick out the lace I wanted. We had constant emails back and forth to really get it to where it was on the day, nothing was too much for her and she was wonderful.
Tell me all about the proposal?
So awkward (on my behalf). We came home to surprise our families when we were living in London, yet I think I got the biggest surprise. We were all sat down to breakfast, asking people why they thought we’d wanted to get everyone together for a Skype call (that was how we had everyone in the same room when we arrived) and someone said “we thought you were engaged” - I responded with “so far off that!” and Jono stood up and started to walk over to me and I basically ran out the door ...not because I didn’t want to, but I definitely hate being the centre of attention, and being put under pressure like that. Long story short, I was nervous and told him to f*** off in disbelief, then changed my answer to “Yes” pretty quickly.
What style helped to shape your reception and where did you get your inspiration?
We wanted to be casual and relaxed with some elegance; Stones is already perfect for that. We spoke with the team about what we wanted and had a look at their website and Instagram photos. From there we just simply picked from the preferred supplier list and left it up to the experts on the day.
Did you write your own vows?
We did, they were short and sweet but super meaningful.
Did you include any special elements into your ceremony?
Nothing too different. Mainly just to recognise the people who couldn’t be there on the day.
How did you choose your suppliers?
Most were either on the list that Stones had supplied and the rest were either recommended by friends or from a wedding expo in Yarra Valley.
Stand out suppliers were: The Providore - they NAILED the look of our flowers and bouquet. We didn’t even give them samples, just asked that it be natural and not too “out there”. It was wonderful and still gives me goose bumps to think of how amazing they were for us. The whole team at Stones really were amazing. Everything was wonderful.
Why did you decide to marry?
Neither of us are religious, it was more of a commitment to each other and what felt like the right step for our relationship. We’d been together for 6 years before we married - we knew we couldn’t live without each other.
What was an absolute stand out on your wedding day?
Our celebrant Charis, she kept us calm, ensured the guests were looked after and understood the stresses of the day. Even the lead up to the day Charis was always on top of the restrictions being out in place and was a great friend to lean on and talk to. We honestly couldn’t have done it without her. Another would be Marcel, our photographer. He was a dear friend of my sister who passed recently - it was important to me to have him there and he really did keep us in line without being pushy, and made sure others didn’t stress us out and made sure we got those AMAZING shots with all the beautiful scenery.
What advice would you offer to future couples?
Don’t stress the smaller details… you honestly don’t even notice them on the day. It goes so quickly. Spend more time enjoying each other and the experience, rather than “the perfect” this or that.. Pick your invites wisely - we had a “no drama” rule. If someone was known to cause drama or disruption at events, they weren’t invited (that includes most family!).
What supplier did you book first and why?
The wedding venue; we only looked at Stones and I think we already knew before touring. We tried to book it on the day but had to wait for new release dates -- talk about keen!
Is there anything you would change about your wedding day?
Perhaps extending the time. It didn’t feel like we were able to see a lot of people; however, I probably wouldn’t remember anyway! It’s very much a blur, but a happy blur.
How much did you budget for your wedding and did you stick to the budget?
We budgeted 50K and we stuck to it, to my knowledge haha.
What was the most stressful part of the wedding planning process?
Choosing what guests to have, where they should sit, etc. COVID also came out of nowhere and it was a major stress.
Were there any funny moments in the day?
The whole day was a laugh really. Everyone was cracking jokes, my uncle was making fun of us all and Jono’s sisters’ speech was GREAT! Our friends and family are pretty easy going, which really helped to make it a great time.
Did you both equally plan the wedding together or did one person have more input?
I probably had more input; however, we made the final decisions together.
How did Covid affect your planning?
It was mainly in the week leading up and our overseas guests were not able to attend. Other than that, the team at Stones, Charis and Marcel all made it like it didn’t exist on the day.
Did you have to plan your wedding multiple times?
No. It was slightly updated last minute in terms of guest attendance and seating spacing, though that was about it.
Did anything go wrong on the day of your wedding?
I stupidly got the travel time between the accommodation and the wedding wrong… so I was late. The bridesmaids also did not get up on time so we were late to get our makeup and hair done. Little things that really don’t matter in the end - the actual day was wonderful, that’s the main thing.
What are your hopes for your married life?
That at the end of the day, we still enjoy each other’s company and are friends foremost, married second.
Is there anything else you would like to include?
Trust the venues preferred supplier list, we had quality suppliers due to this list!!!!! Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Vendors
Photographer: Marcel Van Der Horst @marcelthephotographer
Videographer: Duuet Weddings Melbourne @duuetweddings
Venue: Stones of the Yarra Valley @stonesoftheyarravalley
Celebrant: Charis White Celebrant @melbournecelebrant_chariswhite
Wedding dress: Elly Louise Bridal @ellylouisebridal
Suits: Dyonsu Melbourne @dyonsu
Flowers: Providore at Meletos @theprovidoreatmeletos
Cake: Choice Cakes @choice_cakes
Jewellery: Earrings; Uk Custom Plugs @ukcustomplugs
Hair piece: Lovisa @lovisajewellery
Bride’s Necklace; Tiffany & Co
Cufflinks; Tiffany & Co
DJ: (Band) Like This Band @likethisband
Hair: Rebekah Reynolds @bekkiereynolds
Make-up: Erin Renee Makeup @beauterfied
Food or alcohol Caravan’s: All catered by Stones/Meletos
Engagement ring; The Diamond Shop (in London)
