Words by Victoria Black
Jamie and Myles dreamed of more than a wedding day. They wanted an entire weekend filled with family, friendship and fun – complete with a jasmine-filled bush chapel, glamping, yoga, kangaroos, dancing beneath the gum trees and one very important petting zoo.
11.10.25
The Woods Farm, Jervis Bay
120 Guests
Rustic • Elegant • Charming
Photography: Jona Grey
EDITOR’S NOTE
Every wedding we feature at Modern Wedding is special, but I hope you’ll forgive me for saying that this one might just be my favourite so far.
Because the groom is my eldest son, Myles.
When Myles proposed to his beautiful girlfriend Jamie and she said yes, I suddenly found myself experiencing weddings from an entirely different perspective.
Not as an editor.
Not as someone who has spent more than 30 years immersed in the wedding industry.
But simply as his mum.
And of course that was a very different and emotional experience!
What Jamie and Myles eventually created was so completely them: romantic but relaxed, elegant but never overly formal, filled with thoughtful details, surprises, family, laughter and a wonderful sense of fun.
There was a bush chapel fragrant with jasmine.
There were heartfelt and hilarious personal vows.
There was a traditional family candle lighting, honouring grandparents who couldn’t be there and then uniting the two families.
There was yoga in the bush chapel at 7am.
There were kangaroos, glamping tents, fairy lights, cowboy hats and dancing under towering gum trees.
And because Myles had one very specific non-negotiable, there was also a petting zoo.
Most importantly, there was enormous love.
This is Jamie and Myles’ story.
Love Victoria xo
A MODERN LOVE STORY
Like so many modern romances, Jamie and Myles met on Hinge.
Myles swiped right first and responded to one of Jamie’s prompts:
“First round is on me if you can guess my coffee order. Get it wrong and take me out to find out.”
Unfortunately (or fortunately as it turned out) for Myles, Jamie’s order was a soy chai latte.
Technically not even coffee.
He got it wrong.
Which meant he had to take her out.
Their first date was a walk from Spit Bridge towards Manly on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and from there the relationship quietly blossomed.
Jamie says she realised relatively early that there was something very special between them.
“For me, I knew after our first international holiday to New Zealand. It showed we could survive travelling. We were a good team.”
Both Myles and Jamie are extremely adventurous and love to travel – so for their 30th birthdays they both took time off work and decided to travel to 30 countries together! A second gap year you might say!
Myles said after spending six months travelling together, it became impossible to ignore what they had.
I absolutely loved talking to her” even after six months of intensive travel,” Myles says.
“I think six months just the two of you shows you something. It would be pretty stressful with anyone, but we just got along really well. Anytime there was an issue, we worked it out quickly. There were way more good days than bad days.”
Perhaps there is no greater relationship test than months of travelling together.
And no simpler definition of finding your person than still wanting to talk to them at the end of it.
Photography: Lisa Thompson
THE PROPOSAL
After they returned home, Myles began planning the proposal.
Myles knew that if he was going to propose, Jamie wanted one thing.
She wanted the moment captured.
So about six months beforehand, he subtly began finding out what her ideal proposal might look like.
Then he created a plan.
The couple stayed at the InterContinental Double Bay in Sydney for the weekend, where Myles arranged a rooftop photo shoot with the help of his younger brother, Lloyd.
The cover story was that Lloyd was creating content.
The photographer was already there.
The setting was perfect.
Myles even suggested Jamie wear her blue dress.
“She thought that was a bit sus,” he laughs.
But Jamie still didn’t realise what was coming.
Myles went upstairs ahead of her, then returned and took Jamie to the rooftop for drinks.
The photographer casually suggested taking a few pictures of them.
Jamie actually asked for photographs herself, helping Myles’ plan along without even knowing it.
Then, against the rooftop sunset, Myles dropped to one knee.
The entire moment was captured exactly as Jamie had hoped.
And, of course, she said yes.
Read all about Myles’ proposal story here
Photography: Lisa Thompson
THE DREAM: A WEDDING FESTIVAL
Jamie and Myles were engaged for eight months, and their vision was surprisingly clear from the beginning.
They didn’t want just a wedding day.
They wanted a getaway.
A three-day celebration.
A wedding festival.
They initially considered overseas destinations including Fiji, Bali, Thailand and New Zealand, but accessibility quickly became important.
They wanted grandparents there.
They had family travelling from overseas.
They wanted the destination feeling without asking every guest to board an international flight.
The answer was a destination-style celebration much closer to home.
Guests could arrive Friday.
Celebrate together Saturday.
Wake up together again on Sunday.
“We wanted to have a getaway holiday so we could have a whole wedding festival,” Jamie says.
And then there was Myles’ contribution to the vision.
“Myles wanted to have a petting zoo!”
That surprisingly specific request would eventually help lead them to the perfect venue.
Photography: Lisa Thompson
FINDING THE WOODS FARM
After the night of the proposal, Jamie found herself awake at around 5am searching online for unique NSW wedding venues.
One of the places she discovered was The Woods Farm in Jervis Bay.
Coincidentally, Victoria (Myles’ mum) had already found it too.
It ticked every box.
A destination feeling within driving distance of Sydney.
Accommodation on-site.
Beautiful cottages and glamping tents.
Indoor and outdoor celebration spaces.
Australian bushland.
Kangaroos.
Peacocks.
A spectacular bush chapel.
And yes…
A petting zoo.
After visiting other properties and exploring the options with both families, Jamie and Myles chose The Woods Farm.
They couldn’t have been happier with the decision.
Photography: Jona Grey
RUSTIC, ELEGANT & CHARMING
Jamie describes the wedding style as rustic, elegant and charming.
The atmosphere they wanted was fun, romantic and whimsical.
Pinterest and Instagram helped inspire them, but some of their best ideas came from attending other weddings.
“We borrowed ideas from every other wedding we had attended,” Jamie says.
Rather than following a particular formula, the couple collected the things they loved and made them their own.
That became a philosophy for the entire wedding.
“We kept the bones of a wedding, but we mucked around with the order and when we wanted to do things.”
Tradition where it meant something.
Freedom where it didn’t.
Photography: Jona Grey
DOING IT THEMSELVES
Jamie and Myles chose not to hire a wedding planner.
Instead, they coordinated much of the celebration themselves with help from their parents.
That included a large part of the creative process.
Invitations.
Poster boards.
Signage.
Accommodation.
Timelines.
Design elements.
It saved money, but Jamie freely admits that taking on so much themselves also added pressure.
“The most challenging part was coordinating everything ourselves. We chose not to get a wedding planner and did a lot of the design process ourselves, like the invites and poster boards, which saved money but added a little extra stress for us.”
It meant a lot of work behind the scenes.
But it also meant that when the weekend arrived, there were pieces of Jamie and Myles everywhere.
Photography: Jona Grey
THE DRESS
For Jamie, one of the great pleasures of planning was wedding dress shopping.
“I loved trying on wedding dresses. It made me feel like a princess.”
She visited four bridal boutiques before finding her gown at Luv Bridal.
The dress was Jenica by Madi Lane – a romantic lace and patterned sequin gown featuring an A-line skirt and illusion V neckline.
Interestingly, it wasn’t the style Jamie originally thought she would choose.
But the moment she put it on, that no longer mattered.
“It was just so beautiful.”
She had three particularly important women with her that day: her mum, her sister and maid of honour, and Victoria – her “mother-in-love”.
“They all cried when I came out with the dress on.”
Jamie knew exactly how she felt.
“Like a princess.”
And there was one more bonus.
It fit almost perfectly.
“I just needed it hemmed. It fit like a glove!”
Jamie completed her bridal look with a veil from Luv Bridal and jewellery from Moi Moi.
Photography: Jona Grey
BEAUTY
Jamie wanted a bridal beauty look that felt glamorous without changing who she was.
Her brief was natural glam with big Hollywood curls.
She had a trial before the wedding and says she would strongly recommend other brides do the same.
Her advice is refreshingly practical.
“Do the trial and don’t change your skin routine in the lead-up.”
Most importantly:
“Go with what you’re comfortable with. If you don’t usually wear makeup, don’t go for full coverage because it won’t feel like you.”
Hair and makeup were created by Bridal Glow Co.
FRIDAY: THE WEDDING BEGINS
One of the joys of a wedding weekend is that there is no sudden starting gun.
The celebration simply begins to unfold.
On Friday guests arrived, explored the property and settled into cottages and glamping tents.
Older family members mostly chose the cottages.
Many of the younger guests embraced the adventure of glamping.
By evening, everyone gathered for a relaxed welcome Tuscan-style celebration with wood-fired pizzas served outdoors on lush long tables, beneath beautiful vines.
Drinks were poured.
Old friends reunited.
Families met.
Conversations began.
Nobody had anywhere else to be.
They were all staying together for the weekend.
And that changed the atmosphere immediately.
It felt part wedding, part family reunion, part country escape.
Exactly as Jamie and Myles had hoped.
Photography: Lisa Thompson
SATURDAY MORNING: YOGA, KANGAROOS & ANIMALS
Saturday morning began at 7am.
With yoga.
What was intended as a lovely optional wedding-weekend activity became one of the surprise highlights.
An extraordinary number of guests turned up and the family was delighted to hear they had apparently broken the venue’s record for wedding yoga attendance.
Elsewhere, guests wandered the farm feeding animals.
At last Myles’ petting zoo dream had been fully vindicated.
Kangaroos hopped through the grounds.
Peacocks wandered around.
The Australian bush surrounded everything.
For relatives visiting from England, it was almost surreal.
Several commented that they felt as though they were in a movie.
Photography: Lisa Thompson
THE CEREMONY
If there was one part of The Woods Farm that completely captured Jamie and Myles, it was the bush chapel.
Ten jasmine-filled arbours lead towards the ceremony space, creating an extraordinarily romantic entrance.
Jamie and Myles made the walk even more personal by placing framed photographs showing their journey together along the way.
They also created a special table with photo frames for loved ones who could not be there, marked with a candle.
Small details.
Enormous meaning.
Photography: Lisa Thompson
Photography: Jona Grey
FAMILY AT THE HEART OF THE CEREMONY
Family was woven throughout the ceremony.
Myles’ best friend, Harry Argyle, was their celebrant. It made the ceremony way more meaningful as it was evident that Harry shared a precious bond with the couple.
Myles’ uncle, an Anglican minister from the UK, also played a very special part in the ceremony by spiritually blessing their marriage.
And instead of asking children to carry the rings, Jamie and Myles chose their mums as ring bearers.
The couple also incorporated a beautiful candle ritual.
Each family lit a candle before Jamie and Myles lit another together, symbolising the joining of their two families.
But both agree the most emotional moment came from their own words.
They had written their vows themselves.
And when they finally stood together and read them aloud, the months of planning disappeared.
The schedules disappeared.
The details disappeared.
There were simply two people making promises to each other. And there were copious tears of joy…first from the couple, then the mums, dads and guests as well.
Photography: Lisa Thompson
Photography: Jona Grey
THE FLOWERS & STYLING
The couple’s styling was deliberately romantic and relaxed.
Light pink and white flowers by Dusty Gypsy Floral Design complemented the bridesmaids and brought softness to the surrounding bush landscape.
The reception combined rustic country charm with warmth and romance.
A country barn.
Wine barrels.
Fairy lights.
Festoon lighting.
An outdoor dance floor.
Rather than trying to compete with the landscape, the styling worked with it.
The result felt elegant without becoming overly polished.
Beautiful without being staged.
Photography: Lisa Thompson
Photography: Jona Grey
The wedding cake was made by Jamie’s mum Tracey who is a professional cake designer. The cake style followed the overall timeless, modern feel and was incredibly delicious, served with the dessert bar after the reception.
Photography: Lisa Thompson
MUSIC & ATMOSPHERE
Music was another important element of the celebration.
Jasmine Strings brought elegance and romance to the day, before Groove Union took over later and transformed the night into a party.
Jamie and Myles deliberately changed some traditional reception timings.
One example was moving their first dance earlier.
It immediately changed the energy.
Rather than waiting for all the formalities to finish before the party began, the celebration flowed naturally.
And soon everyone was dancing.
Photography: Lisa Thompson
DANCING UNDER THE GUM TREES
And soon everyone was dancing outside under the massive tall gum trees adorned with festoon lighting, and bouncing kangaroos completing the iconic Australian celebration.
As darkness settled over the property, the effect was magical.
Music floated through the bush.
And the party continued well into the evening.
It was rustic.
Romantic.
And utterly unforgettable.
Photography: Lisa Thompson
Photography: Jona Grey
THE MOMENTS BETWEEN THE MOMENTS
One of the greatest luxuries of a three-day wedding is time.
Time to sit around fire pits.
Time to catch up over breakfast.
Time for grandparents to watch everything unfold.
Time to feed animals.
Time for friends from different parts of a couple’s life to become friends with one another.
Time to stop rushing.
Some of the most treasured memories from Jamie and Myles’ wedding happened outside the formal schedule.
And that was exactly why they had wanted a wedding weekend.
Photography: Lisa Thompson
SUNDAY MORNING
On Sunday morning everyone came together one last time for a recovery breakfast.
Coffee flowed.
Stories from the night before were retold.
Photographs were shared.
Favourite moments compared.
Nobody seemed particularly eager to leave.
But gradually bags were packed.
Cars began heading down the driveway.
Hugs were exchanged.
And three days after it began, Jamie and Myles’ wedding festival came to an end.
THE WEDDING BIBLE
After coordinating so much themselves, Jamie and Myles have one particularly strong piece of advice.
Create a wedding Bible.
One central document containing everything.
Supplier details.
Contacts.
Timelines.
Accommodation.
Seating.
Run sheets.
Responsibilities.
“We shared it with the bridal party the week before. It really helped keep everyone aligned.”
Their second piece of advice is equally practical:
Build in buffers.
“Speeches always run longer than expected.”
And if you are choosing not to have a wedding planner, surround yourself with people who are confident enough to take initiative and solve the little problems on your behalf.
Photography: Jona Grey
THE LAST WORD
Jamie and Myles set out to create a wedding that was fun, romantic and whimsical.
They wanted a destination experience.
They wanted family and friends together.
They wanted something beautiful without becoming too serious.
And above everything else, they wanted it to feel like them.
It did.
There was lace and candlelight.
Jasmine and fairy lights.
Personal vows and meaningful family rituals.
But there was also yoga.
Glamping.
Cowboy hats.
Kangaroos.
And a petting zoo.
Perhaps Jamie and Myles themselves summed it up best:
“We kept the bones of a wedding, but we mucked around with the order.”
That might just be the secret to creating a truly memorable modern wedding.
Keep the traditions that mean something.
Change the ones that don’t.
And fill everything else with as much of yourselves as possible.
Photography: Jona Grey
Did you love Myles & Jamie’s wedding day as much as we did? Explore more breathtaking real weddings, discover stunning wedding venues, and find your dream wedding suppliers on Modern Wedding.
WEDDING DREAM TEAM
Venue — Ceremony, Reception & Accommodation: /The Woods Farm, Jervis Bay NSW Celebrant: / Harry Argyle — HarryMarry Photographer: / Jona Grey Videographer: Luke and Elena/ Film Editor: /Joshua Regoli Bride’s Gown: /Madi Lane — Jenica Bridal Boutique & Veil / Headpiece: / Luv Bridal Jewellery & Rings: / Moi Moi Hair & Makeup: / Bridal Glow Co — Ally & Alyse Groom’s Attire & Groomsmen’s Attire: / Peter Jackson Bridesmaid Dresses: /
Hello Molly Florals: / Dusty Gypsy Floral Design Stationery & Signage: / Sunny Club Co Wedding Cake: / Tracey’s Cake Designs Catering: / The Woods Farm DJ: / Groove Union String Quartet: / Jasmine Strings