Sus + Luke

“Celebrant Jam was the perfect fit for our ceremony. She is the perfect amount of professional, yet also provides a unique calming and fun energy to the whole experience. Could not recommend higher! xx”

They say it takes a village to raise a child and in this case the village gathered around to lend a hand for Sus and Luke’s homegrown Bonnie Doon Wedstival. Luke’s lush and open family property in Bonnie Doon has always been our couple’s special little slice of paradise so naturally they wanted to bring everyone there to revel amongst the trees and see them enter into married life together.

For this unique occasion our couple embarked on an ambitious plan, enlisting the help of their dear friends and family in building a free standing structure on a secluded piece of their property overlooking picturesque Lake Bonnie Doon. And like most builds and things in life, they encountered some hiccups and delays. The wedding was postponed for a few months, but that did not dampen the occasion. 4 months on we came together to celebrate the life and love between Sus and Luke under their own personal hand built ‘love shack’.

Sus and Luke also brought other members of their ‘village’ together in manifesting their wedding day. They were fortunate to have wonderfully talented friends and family on hand to man the bar, cook up a delicious Spanish feast and also capturing the day on both film and video.

I had the pleasure of getting to know both Sus and her twin sister Bella through our time together undertaking a Master of Teaching a few years back. So we were truly honoured when my husband Malachi and I were asked to be a part of Sus and Luke’s wedding day. My husband Malachi, an arborist by trade, have just started down the path into creating floral arrangements and installations so it was the perfect opportunity for us to join forces and rock out on a wedding celebration together.

The looming rain clouds on Sus and Luke’s March wedding day meant that our guests were safely huddled within the cosy ‘love shack’ for the beautiful ceremony and delicious reception fest. The thumping tunes and warmth of the dancefloor and open fires lasted well into the next morning!

Marriage Celebrant: Celebrant Jam
Photographer: J.Quertier
Floral Installation: Arbor Florist
Make Up: Hair and beauty Sactuary

Corey + Renee

What a couple of rocking superbabes!

This pair of super chill lovers go way back to being ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ in their primary school days, now that’s just too freakin adorable! They drifted apart in high school where Renee became a little too cool for skool. Luckily Renee did eventually came to her senses after her extended bout of teenage angst and reconnected with the boy who introduced her to ‘The Strokes’ thanks to the wonders of Facebook! They have since adventured to various distant lands and made the move to Melbourne together.

For their wedding day Renee and Corey had their kick ass photographer Kristina Wild follow them on an epic ‘First Look’ photoshoot through some gorgeous gardens, winding streets and back street bar with their cheerful wedding squad in tow.

Renee and Corey then regrouped for an intimate celebration of their love within the uber lush Richmond venue Glasshaus Inside. We began the ceremony by thanking everyone present and giving special individual shout outs and dedications to each member of their beautiful wedding squad. It was a wonderful way to honour the extra special friends and family who have been instrumental in witnessing and supporting their shared life together.

Everyone present was overjoyed to see these two absolute sweethearts make their heartfelt vows to each other and become one through the act of marriage. Our newlyweds partied deliciously into the night with special thanks to their favourite local Mexican eatery Little Tienda, who providing an amazing eye popping feast for all to enjoy.

Marriage Celebrant: Celebrant Jam
Photographer: Kristina Wild
Venue: Glasshaus Inside
Venue styling: Good Day Club
Catering: Little Tienda Thornbury
Wedding Dress: Grace Loves Lace

Lauren + Nathan

“Overall we loved Jam's vibe and friendliness, it put us at ease throughout the planning and ceremony prep - she was amazing in the lead up and on the day. Every one of our guests we've spoken to since has raved about her - and we rave about her back!”

Lauren and Nath first met when their mates conspired to set them up at a friendly Aussie Day BBQ. However our stubbornly bashful lovers did not want to play along and take the bait. Therefore they played it cool in order to not give their mates the satisfaction. They’d become friends and would catch each other regularly at social gatherings and parties.

Fate would eventually step in to shake things up a little and bring our bashful lovers closer into each other’s lives. Lauren had just returned from a trip overseas, she was back in town and on the hunt for a new sharehouse. Lo and be hold the very next day Nathan declares to Facebook that his Harrison Street sharehouse is on the hunt for a new housemate. In that moment Lauren thought to herself ‘Better the devil she knows’ and promptly got in touch with Nathan. Sparks began to fly between our friendly housemates through their casual conversations around the living room. And all it took was a cheeky Hawaiian themed party and some delicious tropical rum punch to bring the sparks to flame.

For their ceremony Lauren and Nath proudly walked in together hand in hand, ready to enter into the next phase of life and marriage as one.

Marriage Celebrant: Celebrant Jam
Photographer: Lakis Sideris
Venue: East Elevation

Ricki + Sam

“Jam was an absolute legend to work with! Her vibe fitted ours, and she was a standout compared to other celebrants we had enquired with. She radiates happiness, fun, excitement and passion which resonated with my husband and I from the get-go! She is professional, informative and was a great help at getting us through the paperwork and vows process. We couldn't recommend her highly enough! In fact, our maid of honour and best man have even booked her for their own upcoming wedding!”

What a pair of down to earth lovers! Getting to know Ricki and Sam was like having a relaxed catch up with some old mates.

Ricki had came across me through the wonderful Wedshed directory and due to the travel distance between us we had organised an initial Skype meeting to chat about their wedding plans. We bonded over raising cheeky toddlers and wanting to bring all the good vibes to their ceremony. We then managed to organise a face to face catch up at their lovely home down the coast one weekend with my own little family coming along for a day at the beach, our toddlers had a chance to briefly practice their sharing.

Ricki and Sam’s good vibe extended well into their ceremony where all their loved ones gathered within the picturesque Old Church on Red Hill to witness these two make their heartfelt vows to each other. The weather gods turned it on that day as the showers cleared just in time for our lovers to greet each other for their adorable ‘First Look’ shoot with Kyle from Valley and Peak photography. The sun then miraculously emerged as we got the party started with Sam and Ricki’s wedding ceremony.

Ricki and Sam credit the start of their romance to their besties Sarah and Cam for hooking up and together forming what is to become an awesome foursome crew. It just happens that the awesome Sarah and Cam are also planning to get hitched later in the year, so I’ve been given the honour to come full circle and make it official for the ones who started it all. What a great bunch! I can’t wait to catch up with all these legends again for another lovefest.

Marriage Celebrant: Celebrant Jam
Venue: Old Church on Red Hill
Photographer: Kyle from Valley and Peak
Stying: Dream Catcher Weddings and Events
Florist: Flower Muse Styling Co.
Make Up: N.A. Makeup by Nicole Aquilina
DJ: Rich Spanning Time
Bridal Dress: Goddess by Nature
Groomswear: The Academy Brand

Doug + Alice

A super chill Christmas Eve surprise wedding special!

The wonderful Doug and Alice better known as babytje and honeychunks met almost a decade ago on sunny Rainbow beach. Alice was travelling around Australia with a friend, she never knew that a chance encounter with a bunch of Aussie boys at a beach in Queensland would lead to her meeting the man of her dreams. Their saucy summer holiday romance led Doug to fly Alice down to visit him in Melbourne and the rest is history.

Fast forward to present day our summer lovers now have two beautiful children together, and about to move into their new home sweet home. So they thought they’d take this opportunity to host a special Christmas Eve house warming soiree and surprise their guests with them finally getting hitched in their backyard by the family pool.

So on a balmy Aussie Christmas eve Alice and Doug’s guests gathered around the pool for a very special presentation. The couple’s best friends were asked to come forward to assist in the upcoming event at which point we revealed that everyone is about to witness Doug and Alice get hitched! Our radiant bride Alice then emerged to join Doug to declare their love to each other in front of their nearest and dearest. Our guests soaked up the ceremony in laid back merriment with the couple’s children viewing the whole exchange from the comfort of the pool. Their mischievous son Miles managed to give his folks a cheeky splash during their vows, which added to the fun and casual vibe of the ceremony. This family sure knows how to go with the flow and to always enjoy the good times together.