The Epicurean, Red Hill South, Victoria

photography by Wild Romantic Photography

ONE OF THE GOOD ONES Jessica and James met on Tinder, "...she was one of the good ones!" James said. James had made the decision to propose but wanted to wait until her parents returned from overseas. "I’m not a very patient man. I made sure the waiter pretended to take a photo so that I could record it to share the moment with her parents." James had booked a stunning location in The Grampians where they stayed together and Jessica had met all of James' family.

“Being in the wedding industry I’m quite familiar with most aspects of planning a wedding. The advice I would give other brides/couples is the same advice I would give my stationery clients. Don’t ever feel like you have to have something just because someone else has done it or you’ve seen it all over Instagram or Pinterest. Try to bring your own personality and uniqueness into the day, and remember that your wedding day is about you.
”

— Jess

THE PLANNING STAGE Stylist and planner Eliska from Ruffles & Bells was brought on to make their wedding vision a reality. "We couldn’t recommend her enough. That kind of knowledge and experience is priceless. She assisted us with where we allocate budget to maximise the impact of styling. Creating moments as opposed to spreading my budget thin over too many areas."

MEANT TO BE Jessica and James fell in love with their wedding venue, The Epicurean, on a day trip very early on in their relationship where they stopped for lunch. "We loved the industrial vibe and relaxed nature of the space. Even then we said that it would be an amazing place for a wedding so when we got engaged, it was the first place we thought of!"

THROUGH THE WIND AND THE RAIN "I remember being so relaxed and happy! The only stressful part was the weather! It was awful, we had rain, wind and hail. But that was all forgotten the moment James saw Jessica walking towards him. "He turned into an absolute mess as I walked down the aisle. It was so sweet and heartfelt, I’ll never forget that moment."

STATIONERY "Now here is where I felt an enormous amount of pressure!" Jessica is owner/designer of Studio Silva, and invitations are her game! "Everyone kept saying that they were so excited to see what I would create for myself, and to be honest it took such a long time because I just couldn’t decide. When it comes to stationery I always prefer a refined look with a focus on texture. I came up with a triple-layered invitation using three different finishes. The largest layer featured a burgundy letterpress print on luxe thick cotton paper, the second layer was translucent vellum and the third layer was burgundy paper with a white print. All secured with a sleek silver clip and placed inside a burgundy envelope, sealed with a white embossed sticker. We then sent our invitations in silver bubble mailer bags."

*"It was a little stressfull hoping my bridesmaid wouldn’t go into labour; she was due two weeks after the wedding."*

DOUBLE TROUBLE Both of Jessica's bridesmaid's were pregnant so she found dressing them a little bit of a challenge! Luckily one of her bridesmaids' mother was a dressmaker and so the fabric was sourced and a design was chosen that would suit both. "I loved the texture of the velvet and how it shone in photos."

MANLY STYLE It was all about classic style "I would have loved a 1930’s style however we decided to go with a navy pinstripe double breasted suit however we made it a little more modern by taking the pant up to show sock and wearing black double monk shoes." The groomsmen were dressed exactly the same with the exception of a sterling silver tie pin they had imported as gifts.

SOMETHING OLD My headpiece was actually the one my mother wore on her wedding day but I approached a milliner to re-design it for me to make it look more modern. I didn’t want a traditional veil but thought it was a really nice touch to have something my mother wore. My mother was so proud and happy for it to be re-designed and my milliner, Victoria Jane, did an excellent job.

TICKING ALL BOXES "I wanted my gown to be modern yet unique, and came across Holly Butler who helped me design a dress that ticked all the boxes. I absolutely loved the addition of the removable sleeve that cascaded down the side, creating a unique and asymmetrical look."

*"Pick a venue that suits your style and then work with that style. Don’t try to make a venue something that it’s not, always try to compliment it and your styling will be seamless."*

STYLING Working with their venue they created a modern industrial setting. "We both love a dark and moody colour palette and this worked perfectly with the venue and our wedding being in Autumn. James is all about burgundy which we incorporated into all the outfits (including my shoes!) as well as our flowers. We used terracotta napkins to introduce a bit of earthiness, and grey and tinted black materials to keep things modern."

The feature of the table were the centrepieces and was multi-purpose, in that they were used to serve platters of food for sharing. These raised box-like structures were designed and the menu applied to them. Adding height to long tables were tall custom-made clear acrylic boxes that were open on one side allowing beautiful floral arrangments to cascade out.

SERVING FAVOURITES Portuguese custard tart and a Frangelico shot bar was designed in ode to Jessica's Portuguese heritage, and more importantly James’ favourite dessert!

FIRST DANCE "We were driving in the country and heard 'Something Just Like This' by Coldplay, which we fell in love with, we then thought a more acoustic version would suit our style better so went for the cover by Jonah Baker and Haley Klinkhammer."

TAKE YOUR SEATS Seating plan and welcome sign were cleverly designed from tinted black poly sheets sourced from Bunnings with a white vinyl application.

STAND OUT Place cards were triple folded to stand up on the plate, printed in a combination of white print and brown/copper foil.

LET'S EAT CAKE Kirsty from Pretty Sweet Cake Design designed a non-traditional wedding cake as request. A modern concrete/stone look with details of terracotta shards.