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

Raquel + Charlie

Raquel and Charlie exude a zest for life and a powerful love shared between them both.

This being a modern romance, our two lovers were struck down and matched by OkCupid. It wasn’t long until Charlie boldly asked Raquel to meet him for a breakfast date at the cafe that he worked at. A very brave move that paid off big time!

Charlie had already thought that this chick is too cool for school, and in comes Raquel looking drop dead gorgeous. She walked in with this sultry and power swagger that just took his breath away. When Raquel met Charlie she instantly thought that he was super cute and fell for his bright green eyes that would sparkle every time he talked about something that he was passionate about, which happens a lot!

Their first date left Charlie’s eyes sparkling for days after and they were pretty much inseparable from then on. No holding back and not afraid to invite each other into their lives. They loved spending nights talking until 5am, about life, the universe and everything in between. They felt an instant comfort in each other’s company where they could be brave and vulnerable with each other and trust that the other will love them. They both said that they felt ‘met’, and had found their equal, in an almost fairytale kind of way.

On their 1st anniversary our bold and beautiful lovers celebrated with a magical day in the hills. They had a delicious breakfast, followed by a drive up to the Alfred Nicholas gardens where they had a stunning couple’s portrait shoot by Tom McEvoy. They then took a stroll down to the lake where Charlie asked Raquel to marry him.

A year later Raquel and Charlie gathered their loved ones within the lush grounds of Fitzroy gardens to witness them coming together in marriage. Love is belonging and a knowing, and they have found in each other a place to call home.

Marriage Celebrant: Celebrant Jam
Engagement Photography: Tom McEvoy
Wedding Photography: Andrew Babarczy

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.

Soman + Ingrid

“Celebrant Jam brought a unique and positive energy to our special day. She made things fun and enjoyable and made us feel at ease. We really felt like Jam cared about helping us craft the day just as we wanted it to be. Jam also provided us with different ways of doing things so we could make all our friends and family feel a part of our ceremony - and it was this creativity that made the difference.”

‘Twas a few days before Christmas that I had the honour to marry these two international expat aid workers back on home soil.

I first received the call whilst in the Coles deli section on a lazy Sunday arvo in April.
‘Hi is this Celebrant Jam? This may be a little out of the blue, I’m Soman calling from Jordan and I got your contact from an acquaintance we met in Beirut. We are looking to get married in Melbourne at the end of the year.’
I knew immediately that this one is going to be pretty special.

Through the magic of Skype I had gotten to know Soman and Ingrid and their plans to have an intimate wedding ceremony with their close family and friends in Melbourne at the end of the year before embarking on an epic Italian ‘la dolce vita’ wedding gathering the following year. So for their Melbourne do they had put together a delicious lunch at the gorgeous French Saloon.

At our first video meeting we spoke about what Soman and Ingrid had in mind for their ceremony. They wanted something to possibly involve their loved ones and was really into the idea of a little hands-on ring warming ritual. On the day Soman’s neice Arya did an amazing job taking care of the rings and escorting them around the room for our guests to hold them in their hands and pass on their love and blessings. A truely beautiful moment shared amongst all the people in the room.

Marriage Celebrant: Celebrant Jam
Venue: French Saloon
Photographer: Elsa Campbell
Florist: The Road Stall