Article by Mel Cavallaro
Surrounded by the most beautiful garden setting, mature trees and gorgeous lake, Jess and Darrell surrounded by their friends and family were wed.
All photos featured in this article were taken by the ever-so talented Devine Photography.
Lets get to know you - who are you both?
I’m Jess, I am a Primary School Teacher in the country. My husband is Darrell, he is currently studying teaching and works as a Student Support Officer.
And where did you two meet?
We actually met working at McDonalds before our careers took off. We couldn’t stand each other and would do anything to avoid one another. We then got transferred to a small store and had to get along in order to work together. Turns out we actually had a lot in common, one thing led to another and here we are 4 years later.
How did Darrell 'pop the question'?
I was teaching in the country at the time. I had lived there for 9 months by myself and then Darrell decided he was going to move up to be with me. He had organised a ‘going away’ party where our closest friends and family attended. We had dinner and then dessert came out which was a cake and on top said ‘Will you marry me Jess?’.
Fair to say everyone was a bit surprised, including me. It was so lovely to have everyone around us to celebrate as it happened.
What were the first things you ticked off of your wedding planning list, and why did you secure those first?
First thing we ticked off was the venue. We narrowed it down to 3 places and then went and checked them out. We knew our date had to be in the school holidays because of work, and we wanted an October wedding. We went to all 3 venues and after walking in to the third one, we knew straight away that was the place we both wanted to get married.
Once the venue was locked in, I then secured a photographer as research had shown some photographers were booked out 2 years in advance.
I then secured our florist, make up artist and cake as these were also big things that get booked out years in advance.
Tell us about your suppliers! Who made your big day all fall into place?
Our photographer, James of Devine Photography, was absolutely amazing. We emailed for months in advance back and forth which was crucial as we lived 4 hours away. On the day, James was incredible. He ran the day so smoothly and made everyone feel so comfortable. He got absolutely jaw dropping shots and was incredible to work with. I highly recommend James to anyone looking for a photographer.
Our florist, Poppy Lane, was also incredible to work with. Van dealt with my constant nagging emails about my flowers being perfect and she did an absolutely amazing job. I could not have been happier. She was so well priced and the customer service was sensational.
Glen Ewin Estate was an absolute pleasure to deal with throughout the whole process. On the day, the workers were incredible and they did exactly what we had asked of them. We had multiple comments on the night about how amazing the waiters were with their customer service. Not to mention the natural backdrop at Glen Ewin is beyond beautiful.
Our celebrant, Sandra Sullivan was also excellent to work with. She was constantly in contact with us via email and even let us have a ceremony rehearsal the day before to run through everything. The ceremony could not have run smoother thanks to Sandra.
Hair by Sarah Craker was incredible. Sarah listened to exactly what I wanted and made everyone look a million dollars. Our curls lasted for 2 days and looked amazing.
Make up by Annika-Jade did my engagement make up and I knew at that point I had to book her in for the wedding. She is incredible at what she does and can make anyone feel so confident and stunning. If you need a make up artist I highly suggest you try Annika-Jade.
My dress I got from Luv Bridal on Rundle. It was only the second dress I tried on and I knew it was the one when I saw it hanging in the store. The staff were lovely to deal with and made me feel a million dollars.
The boys’ suits were from Adelaide Suit Direct. Absolutely amazing company to deal with - we went in multiple times and they always helped us and ensured the guys looked amazing on the day.
Our bridesmaid dresses were gorgeous and the exact colour I wanted. They were from Jenny & Gerry’s Bridal Centre and catered to all my bridesmaids.
Our Dj was Kym from Southern DJ Hire. Kym was so easy to communicate with and was more than happy to meet with us before the wedding to make sure everything was perfect. He was so invested in our wedding which just put our minds at ease. He played anything people requested and made sure the music was appropriate for the night.
Our cake was last minute made by Jess from Worth the Whisk. She is incredible at what she does and unfortunately we had to book her only a week out from the wedding due to other circumstances that occurred with our original cake maker. Jess made sure our cake was beyond perfect and I cannot thank her enough for going above and beyond.
Our invites were designed by Melissa Fay Designs and no matter how many times I changed my mind she made sure they turned out perfect. I printed them myself at Officeworks.
Our wedding signs and arbours were made by the very talented Tamara from Chalk Talk Signs and Events and Renata from XL Letters. They did an incredible job and made everything look perfect.
What is the one thing you knew you HAD to include in your big day?
One thing we knew we had to include was our gorgeous dogs. We have 3 huskies and we knew they had to be up there with us to make it a truly special day. Thankfully, Arkaba Kennels were more than willing to look after the dogs for our wedding weekend as well as drive them to the ceremony. They were amazing.
Do you have any advice to offer couples who’s big day is approaching?
My advice is to not stress. I know it’s hard, I’m a bit of an organised perfectionist and stress about the little things but honestly, on the day none of it matters. You won’t remember what colour the napkins were or where the guest seating sign stood. You will remember that it was one of the best days of your life and your family and friends were around you to celebrate you marrying the love of your life.
And lastly, coming back from your wedding, what was the most important thing from the entire day to the both of you?
The most important thing to take away was how happy our friends and family were attending our wedding. There was so much love in the air and you see a different, wonderful side to people that you don’t normally see on a day to day basis. The absolute highlight of our night was both of our dads speeches. That is something we will never forget.
Thank you so much to Jess and Darrell for sharing their gorgeous story with us! We’re so excited to share more ‘Real Life Wedding’ stories with you all, featuring members of our Adelaide Weddings Chit Chat Group - keep an eye out for our feature next month!
- Mel x