Jessika

That one in a million bride, Jessika was filled with excitement, had such strong inspirational ideas and a strong sense of what her and Jakob wanted from their big day. Her joyful personality filled our showroom and emails throughout her process, and was such a joy to work with towards their wedding day.

Is there a moment or part of your day that is etched into your mind, that you will just never forget?

The moment before walking down the aisle as the curtains opened up. I have such a vivid memory of them opening up, seeing all our guests standing there and feeling the most beautiful wave of love as everyone watched and then immediately focusing in on Jacob from then on, down the aisle.

Also catching glimpses of myself was crazy, I remember seeing myself in a car wing mirror and thinking “Wow! That’s me, I look like a bride!”

Now you have had time to digest and reflect on your wedding day, is there anything you would do different?

Try and relax my mind more morning and let go because there is quite literally nothing more you can do, help with, change or control about the day (including a spill on the motorway that will push everything out 30mins!)

When planning your wedding day, what details did you stress over, and what did you let slide?

What didn’t I stress over…it was a massive journey of learning. Learning to let go, learning to work with what I had, and learning new skills to make things happen. I stressed over everything however one thing I ended up naturally letting go was my aisle. Right at the start I had a vision of a glorious, long, weaving baby’s breath aisle. Turns out this is very expensive and I had many discussions with my nan and mum as to how we might create a similar effect with various different materials, flowers, grasses etc…we even attempted growing our own baby’s breath. We honestly had so many discussions about it and eventually it just naturally fell away. Turns out it wasn’t a massive priority, I totally forgot about the aisle and I totally didn’t need it. I had the most beautiful natural landscape that did all the work itself.

What would be your one piece of advice for those currently planning their wedding day?

There is something to enjoy about the whole process including all the events that are a part of it and the time spent together. It is such a unique experience for every couple and everyone will have their different difficulties through the process but at the end of the day you’re marrying the love of your life and that is so extremely special!

Tell us about your vision and how it came together?

This was a MASSIVE part of my day, so I have lots to say about it…

My vision was both aesthetics and guest experience, which structured the whole day. Running parallel to each other, influencing, and working hand in hand. My number one goal for the day was my guests experience and their lasting memories of the day. I wanted them to feel comfortable, have fun and feel the genuine love Jacob and I have for each other. This influenced anything from what furniture was chosen and how it was laid out, to the food provided and how it was served as well as the organisation of the day and our presence during the day. A genuine display of love between the two of us as well as to them. What a privilege to be surrounded and supported by the people we love!

My aesthetic vision was my best friend and my worst enemy. As a creative person, I had endless ideas and aesthetics and to have to commit and confirm something was terrifying. I wanted to get it “right”, true to me as the person I am right now but also timeless enough to look back on in the future and still love. I didn’t want to get too caught up and overwhelmed by current trends although I absolutely included elements of trends and more modern aesthetics with my own unique touch. And that was some of the most exciting parts! Finding ideas and making them my own.

I also looked to interior and architectural design, art, and fashion influences in my life. Looking into my general life and design aesthetics and seeing if they also aligned with my wedding. I think this is a fabulous way of finding your identity in your wedding design. For me it was darker timbers (seating), soft, draping fabric (ceremony + reception backdrops & cake), contrasting colours, lighting (soft & moody), layering of textures…these were key elements I identified were important to me. Also taking hold of the resources you have a using items you may already own/that are already in your life can make all the difference. I had recently inherited a couple of my great great grandmother’s paintings (which I had admired for the longest time) and had hanging in my house, that made the perfect touch to our bridal table backdrop. I had the most beautiful floral arrangements in sandstone plinths at the end of the aisle that were largely made up of greenery from our venue. I have also then taken items from the wedding and used them in my house such as the fabric from the aisle entry, I’ve sewn into the most stunning curtains for my house as well as the bleached amaranths sitting in a few of the candlesticks, and of course my paintings! I’ve also been able to reuse picture frames I had used for signage. Majority of the table décor including the plates, serveware, candlesticks, brassware, and some glassware my mum and I collected over the course of my engagement from different second hand and antique shops, so I still have full access to all of it. This is definitely not to everyone’s taste, but it is truly special to have my wedding incorporated into my home and everyday life.

Identify key moments for your day. This helped (somewhat) to centralise my focus on where big ideas went. Not all of mine ended up going to plan however the moments for me were my ceremony backdrop, bridal table (backdrop), cake table & outfit.

I really wanted my wedding to be unique and have moments and ideas that typically you might not see at a wedding. For example, floral arches are not for me, and I also didn’t want to commit a large chunk of our budget to florals so instead we played with fabric and created the most fabulous hanging fabric backdrop that was grounded by the most stunning arrangements.

Ironically, I’m not a huge fan of cake, but they tend to be a key event during a wedding as well as for photos, so I really wanted to make a moment out of it. When my original idea wasn’t going to plan, I decided I wanted it to be more of a sculptural piece, a piece of art for the day you could say, which is much more me! It was a display that included two tables with fabric cascading down the cake, off one table, draping onto the other and connecting the two, with an arrangement of candles, a candelabra, dried hydrangeas and brassware. I’m so glad my original idea didn’t work out as it was one of my favourite elements of the day and framed the most beautiful photos.

And then of course my outfit. I was insanely lucky to work with the most amazing dressmaker and designer Megan from Kenny & Harlow to form my dream dress. However, a big dilemma of mine was this new idea of having a second outfit for the reception. It was something I really battled with as it felt like everyone was doing it and has almost become expected to do. However, in the end I was so content as I already had the most beautiful dress, custom made for me, and I instead interchanged accessories to change up my look. I’m so glad I did because I love my dress and it deserved to be kept on the whole day, however I also love the two “looks” I was able to create through accessorising.

Also working with my photographer Ruby was a massive influence. I cannot speak highly enough of her! Right from booking her, we had a shared Instagram board which we saved and sent photos back and forth on to create and understand a vibe, my wedding aesthetic as well as her personal style focusing on photography but therefore also influencing my approach to the day. She is the most insane photographer and the best person to get advice from. Honestly who has more experience with weddings than a wedding photographer…they know the ins and outs, what works best and what not to do. I will forever sing her praises!

FOCUS | A Lucy’s Bride