J A I M E E + J A M E S
The brief for Jaimee and James’ dream wedding was simple: a big party in a magical setting. The day turned out even more beautiful than they could have imagined! The couple live in L.A but flew home to marry on a private property on the Mornington Peninsula. They celebrated poolside with Espresso Martinis in hand, under a canopy of fairy lights.
F R O M T H E B R I D E
We first met…
We met a little over 5 years ago at the Melbourne Cup in the Lavazza Marquee. We instantly connected over a love of espresso martinis (which featured at the wedding!)
We knew it was love…
In the first month of our relationship, I (Jaimee) had a 5 week trip planned to the US (where we now live). This time apart was extremely hard; we spoke multiple times a day on Skype! I think we both knew after that trip that this was the real thing – absence makes the heart grow fonder as they say.
The proposal…
James proposed to me on a weekend trip we took to San Diego. I was attending a work conference, so we decided to make a weekend of it. James picked me up from the conference and we went to take a walk along the Sunset Cliffs, which he told me were a must see in San Diego. Funnily enough, there was no sunset that night, but something else very special happened. The proposal was heartfelt, private and very surreal. We celebrated afterward with a delicious dinner at the beautiful San Diego restaurant Juniper and Ivy.
Wedding photographer…
Our photographers were Lyndel and Daniel of Lost In Love Photography. Lyndel and Daniel were absolutely amazing on the day, they were so much fun and made us feel completely relaxed. They are so extremely talented and work as such a great team. We chose them for their ability to capture the most natural and love filled moments, their work is simply beautiful. We couldn’t be happier with our photos, there is something so whimsical and romantic about them. They truly captured the emotion of the day.
T H E W E D D I N G
Our dream wedding…
James and I wanted a wedding that felt like “us”. We wanted it to be a relaxed, fun and informal celebration. We dreamed of a big party in a magical setting and we got just that. The views were incredible and the location was special as it was where I had grown up. We decided early on that, in keeping with our relaxed vibe, we would have a stand up cocktail style wedding focusing on delicious foods, local wines, live music and of course our signature cocktails (espresso martinis!) Our theme was loosely based on ‘The Beverly Hills Hotel’ with the beautiful poolside setting and famous ‘banana palm’ print. We wanted to bring a little of our home in LA to the Mornington Peninsula.
Ceremony location…
On the beautiful grounds of the private estate we rented for the wedding. It was a garden setting, with a little white gazebo and small lake in the background.
Reception venue…
We had an outdoor marquee reception held on the pool deck of the estate home. The deck looked out over Port Phillip Bay, the view was just breathtaking.
Pre-wedding celebrations…
James and I both had our respective hens and bucks parties, which were a lot of fun! We did however have them the week before the wedding (not the best idea!) as we were flying in from LA with little time before the wedding.
The bridal party…
I had two bridesmaids who were two of my oldest and dearest friends. They were so great and made the day so perfect. James had three of his five brothers as groomsmen (yes big family!) It was so lovely to see the special bond between James and his brothers on the day.
The bridesmaids wore…
A gorgeous dusty pink silk dress by Shona Joy.
The groomsmen wore…
Calibre Suits – they looked fantastic!
The groom wore…
Also a Calibre Suit – big shout out to the Calibre team who were so great and did an amazing job at styling the boys for the wedding in very little time!
The dress…
My gown was strapless, despite my preconceived idea that I would never wear a strapless wedding dress! It was fitted, flattering, comfortable and made me feel absolutely amazing. The dress was an ‘Antique Rose’ colour underneath, with a delicate ivory lace over the top, which gave it a pinkish tone. It had a long sweeping train, which was so much fun, but definitely needed to be bustled up for dancing!
Wedding flowers…
Our flowers were neutral with lots of greenery and a little splash of pink. I am drawn to anything with lots of green and white when it comes to flowers. The girls from Flower Muse Styling Co. did an amazing job of bringing my vision to life.
Reception décor…
We wanted to keep the reception decorations fairly subtle and to celebrate the natural beauty of the setting we were in. We incorporated elements of our colour scheme – green, pink and white as well as little splashes of palm leaf print here and there (cushions, palm arrangements). There were flowers scattered throughout the marquee on tables and lights, lots of a lights – everywhere, string lights, fairy lights, lanterns, candles. Even the pool was lit up, it was absolutely magical.
Cake: Sweets for Tilly did an incredible salted caramel and white chocolate mudcake – still dreaming about it
Flowers: Flower Muse Styling Co. based on the Mornington Peninsula.
Decorations/styling: Jess Ainsworth from Mornington Peninsula Pop Up Weddings. Jess was our savour and was so absolutely incredible in the lead up and on the day of the wedding. She not only styled (which she has an amazing eye for), but helped with the coordination and planning of the day. Our dream would not have come to life the way it did without Jess’ help and hard work.
On the menu…
Cocktail reception catered for by Elle from Moreish Catering. Her food was mind blowingly good. All our guests commented on how delicious it was. We had a variety of small dishes and canapés along with cheese and antipasti platters, it was all absolutely divine.
Memorable moments…
The speeches were particularly memorable and very moving. Also our first dance, I loved every minute of it even though I was so worried I would step on my dress and fall over!
Wedding soundtrack…
James had written a song for us, which his brothers played and sang as I walked down the aisle. It was so meaningful and made even more so by having his brothers sing it. Another of our ceremony songs was ‘Better Together’ by Jack Johnson and our first dance was to ‘Everybody Here Wants You” by Jeff Buckley. The music of the evening was all played live by James’ very musically talented family members.
M A R R I E D L I F E
The honeymoon…
We haven’t honeymooned yet, as the trip back to Australia was holiday enough! We are however planning to visit Croatia in July for our actual honeymoon, which we can’t wait for.
Future plans…
I wish I knew! Our lives are constantly in flux, which is both exciting and scary at the same time. We may still be in the US, we may be back home in Australia. We would love to have a family someday, but for now we’d love to travel and have new life experiences together as a married couple.
In 40 years you hope to… still be best friends.
W E D D I N G W I S D O M
The planning process…
Your wedding day is about you and your fiancé! Make it yours (you can’t please everyone). Have fun with it and try and put as much of yourselves into the day as you can – your favourite foods, favourite drinks, a special venue that means something to you as a couple. It is easy to say ‘don’t stress’ and harder to do, but everything will come together – it always does. If it doesn’t, you’ll be the only one to know!
On the day…
ENJOY IT! The best advice I was given was to try as hard as you can to be extremely present, ‘be in the moment’ and soak up every minute. Don’t sweat the small stuff, no one notices except for you. The day will be over in the blink of an eye and you want to be able to remember every minute.
Photography: Lost In Love Photography / Venue: Private Estate on the Mornington Peninsula / Bridesmaids’ dresses: Shona Joy / Groom and Groomsmen’s suits: Calibre Suits / Flowers: Flower Muse Styling Co. / Cake: Sweets for Tilly / Decorations/styling: Mornington Peninsula Pop Up Weddings / Catering: Moreish Catering