Chrissy and Jack’s wedding held at Mona Farm – a stunning rural NSW wedding venue – was quite the celebration. With the 124-acre venue able to accommodate a number of their guests, they created a weekend-long party alongside a team of awesome wedding vendors – an amazing accomplishment really, given Chrissy and Jack attended 18 (yes, eighteen) weddings over the course of their 12-month engagement.
Here they share some of the highlights from their wedding weekend, as well as some handy advice for engaged couples in the throes of planning their own nuptials.
Congrats on getting married. First, could you tell us about how you met, any funny first date stories and a bit about the proposal?
We’ve been together for nearly 10 years and met at a mutual friends 21st in country Victoria. The moment we met was actually on the edge of the dance floor, fighting over the next song on the iPod shuffle. We eventually agreed on Sleepy Head by Passion Pit and the rest is history!
Jack proposed on a morning walk to the beach in Point Lonsdale where his family have a beach house. As we reached the top of the hill Jack casually asked if I wanted to take a walk up to the lookout to check the surf with him (knowing I would say yes!). As we got to the top of the hill I acknowledged that the surf was pretty good and asked if he was planning on going for another surf today. To which he answered, “I was planning on going but I thought I might ask you to marry me today instead.” I was caught completely off guard and actually can’t remember much of what happened after that sentence but of course, I said yes!
We enjoyed a bottle of Bollinger together (at 10.30 am before our morning coffee) that Jack had planted in the bushes earlier that morning looking over our favourite beach, followed by a celebration with family and friends back at the house.
In a few sentences, how would you describe your wedding day? Was there a particular vibe or theme you went for?
Our wedding was everything we could have wished for and more – a fun-filled weekend with family, friends and lots of dancing! We really wanted to create a party atmosphere as the majority of our guests had travelled really far to celebrate with us so we wanted to make sure they really enjoyed the whole weekend from start to finish. Mona Farm is the MOST incredible venue and really made our wedding extra special, particularly being able to have family and the whole wedding party (+ more) staying on-site for the whole weekend.
Did you write your own vows?
Yes, we did! We really wanted to make sure that our ceremony reflected us as a couple and vows were the best way to do that. Jack’s vows were so special but he did stay up a little too late the night before the wedding trying to write them! The effort was definitely worth it!
What’s the best piece of advice you took on when planning your wedding?
The best advice we received was about the actual wedding day. Someone recommended putting aside five or ten minutes (without photographers) to share a drink with your partner and soak it all in away from it all! It was so worth it and meant we could sit back and enjoy it all together before the night was over!
What’s one thing you wish you knew before you started planning?
How early you need to book in suppliers! We were engaged just under a year before we got married but spend about two to three months in our engagement bubble. By the time we got around to starting the planning process a lot of suppliers we contacted were booked out.
In the end, persistence paid off and we had the MOST amazing group of suppliers who made our wedding what it was. Romy who is the General Manager at Mona Farm was also really helpful and because we trusted her it was really easy to take her recommendations.
Now that you’re married, what’s the best piece of advice you can give other couples?
Wedding planning can be really stressful and we did it at a really, really busy time in our lives. We moved house that year and both work pretty long hours as well as travel frequently. On top of that we also attended 18 (I know – ridiculous!) weddings so on top of hens days, bucks and engagement parties we hardly had a free weekend to focus on planning so we mostly had to do it late at night. But being organised in the lead up is so important and all the work you put in will really pay off!
Finish this sentence. The best (or most unique) thing we did at our wedding was…
At the end of Jack’s speech he organised for the DJ to play ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ by INXS. Jack loves the spotlight so it wasn’t a surprise that he had something unique up his sleeve. He asked the whole room to stand up and join us and by the end all 180 guests had their arms around each other belting it out! It was such a surreal moment looking around and seeing everyone we love having so much fun.
CREDITS: Photos Natasha Maree Photography // Second shooter Wenli Swanson // Video Motion Reel Films // Flowers Peony n’ Pearl // Ceremony and reception Mona Farm // Catering Simon Ekas Catering // Invitations Maybe Eighty // Bridal gown and veil Claire Homes Designs // Brides shoes Edward Meller // Accessories Jan Logan // Bridesmaid dresses Zimmermann // Bridesmaid gifts Humble Beginnings and Ace of Something // Groom and groomsmen suits Oscar Hunt // Groomsmen gifts Mr Koya // Rings Frederic Marche // Hair Stephanie Hair // Makeup Makeup by Megan // Music Mo’vida Collective // Celebrant Bill Pulver // Transport Braidwood Buses and Hockeys Braidwood.
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