BILLIE & JONNIE'S BANGALOW WEDDING
Photography by Cassie Sullivan - Billie wears a custom Elena Gown
Wedding Date: 16 November, 2019
What was your wedding venue and why did you choose there?
Hinterland House in Bangalow for both the ceremony and reception. We chose the venue because of its timeless class – with the heritage sandstone house and macadamia orchards cascading down all sides! HH was an intimate setting, in a time of bushfire and extreme drought, HH bought greenery and a sense of good occasion, which many of our guests were in desperate need of. Our entire bridal party and partners stayed on site – so we minimised the comings and goings – and maximised the relaxed feels in the lead up, day of and aftermath of the big day. In accommodating for our ceremony and reception, we also got to maximise time with our guests, rather than allowing for travel time between venues – this was very important to us!
We also knew we wished for a venue that encapsulated coast and country – of which Jonnie and myself originate from respectively – we could look across to the Pacific Ocean and Byron Lighthouse whilst being nestled amongst the trees. The venue spoke for itself, so we needed very little in the way of décor!
Did you have a wedding theme/style?
As above, we let the tone of HH set the scene - let the ivory arch way, stone steps, epic views and green macadamia trees did all the hard work! Tables, chairs and lounges were through The Wedding Shed (Byron Bay Weddings) – which kept to the classic theme – walnut timbers and fairy lights did the trick!
How did you and your now Husband meet?
We met at University back in 2009. We were good mates for two years prior to taking the next step. We have been together for 9 years, and as such our families have intertwined for almost a decade too.
What is your proposal story?
We were living in Bronte, Sydney at the time. Jonnie and I got up for an early morning run down at Bondi, but thought we would stop off at the headland of Bronte to watch the sunrise (which we often did)! As the sun was coming up, Jonnie got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! Honestly I had not the faintest idea - you can tell from my shabby running kit and tired eyes – all captured by a friend of ours who is also a photographer! Jonnie then whisked me away to Cabarita for a few nights to soak up the engagement feels. I had no idea where we were going until we got on the plane – it honestly was a dream engagement! Nothing like the element of surprise!
How did you hear about Prea James Bridal?
I hoped for a wedding gown created by an Australian designer and I dreamed of wearing a dress that was uniquely mine, whilst remaining classic and elegant in design. My sister, who was an avid Prea follower, suggested I drive down to visit Prea’s store to view the collection myself – she thought Prea was spot on for my style. When I met Prea, I knew that I wanted to wear one of her gowns before I even tried any of them on! She was so humble, classy and considerate. I honestly would have worn ANY of the dresses that I tried on, I loved them all!
From where did you purchase your gown?
I was lucky enough to purchase my gown from the store in Wollongong. It was a privilege to have one on one contact with Prea throughout the whole process – she tailored the dress beautifully. The custom Elena gown felt like a true reflection of me.
What do you love most about the gown?
I loved how I felt in it. I was so excited to put it on, and to wear it on the big day and it still gives me the happy chills. The fine details were so subtle, so intricate and didn’t take away from the bigger picture of the dress. The cross over at the back, and the overlay with the slip beneath on the top half was heavenly! The way the sleeves had been altered highlighted the simplicity of the slip underneath, which I adored. I loved how it fell, and how I could move just as I wanted to without every having to think about the dress. It moved as I moved!
Are there any special details about your wedding that you would like to share?
We chose the date based on our engagement, which was exactly a year prior to the wedding. It also happened to be my late Grandpa’s birthday, so it was very special to have all the family together. We chose the venue so that all of our family felt like they were on a mini-break – we didn’t want anyone to feel the pressure of ‘hosting’ so to speak. We come from rural NSW and QLD, so literally all of our guests had to travel, we thought Byron and Bangalow provided a good excuse for a few days away!
Were there any details that you made yourselves?
We decorated the tables with gum tips from our property in Armidale and Billy Buttons sourced from home. My sister did all of the calligraphy for the big day, and we were lucky enough to source many of our vendors from our ridiculously talented friend and family network! My uncle was our celebrant – which was especially surreal and humbling for us.
Finally, Do you have any words of wisdom for couples planning their big day?
Don’t get hung up on the small stuff – keep the details to a minimum! You’re the only people who will notice if things are out of place, or don’t happen on time (if at all)! Your guests are there to celebrate you, everything else for them is a bonus. Being engaged is such a special chapter of life – don’t let it pass by too quickly with stress and worry over what, at the end of the day, is trivial.
Take some time to be in the moment – it sounds cliché – but we had a unplugged ceremony – and we could really feel it. Our guests were so present, which was a pretty overwhelming experience! Let the photographer take the pictures – they do a much better job capturing the day than phones do I can assure you!
Also take time to engage one on one – even if it is a moment outside the marquee just the two of you looking in – soaking up the sight of all of your favourite people in one place is truly something else!
Wedding Vendors
Photographer: Cassie Sullivan – my sisters good friend – and as such mine too! Cass travelled from Tasmania to capture our wedding day, and boy did she do a splendid job! Cass is such a gentle soul and we were honoured to have her photograph our wedding. @cassiesullivanweddings
Videographer: Luke Mears – Luke has captured many of our friends weddings – and as such has been an integral part of our wedding experiences as guests to date! His warm nature is comforting in times of potential stress and he put us at ease throughout the course of the day– and his ability to capture candid moments is unrivalled! @mearsproductions
Hair & Makeup: The Future Mrs – Claire Moriarty was our hair stylist! She actually chopped my hair off the morning of the wedding, and created a look that I was in love with! I had the most confidence in Claire that our surprise bob was going to be a hit! She was so good at keeping the tribe looking naturally individual – we all have very different hair, and she styled perfectly to them all. Phoebe Barrett was our make up artist! Again, Phoebe was an integral part of the day – not only for her talent with our make up – but for her gentle nature. Each of us had the most fantastic experience with the girls from Future Mrs – they kept the vibe and excitement for the entirety of the morning – and made us all feel glamorous beyond words.
Stylist: Byron Bay Weddings and the Wedding Shed
Wedding Co-ordinator: Byron Bay Weddings – they were hands down amazing to work with – not only on the day but in the months leading up to the big day! I had every bit of confidence that our day would go without a hitch – which meant that I could sit back, relax and really just enjoy the day! The relationship built with your personal team was genuine, and their process of checking in, updates, wet weather plans, change to guest numbers etc was second to none. Their on-the-day coordination was above and beyond what we expected – could not recommend them enough!
Florist: Bramblehaus – I didn’t give the team here much of a brief, but boy was I blown away by the elegance and beauty of the bouquets they created for myself and the girls! Professional, relaxed and very talented, we had the most beautiful florals for our day, which matched the theme of the day perfectly! @bramblehaus
Stationery: With Paloma – an old school friend Jade Tindal was behind our stationary. Such a talented lady, who know simplicity was at the heart of our wedding planning. She was no fuss – and created the most beautiful custom stationary for us.
Cake: Fig Tree Catering – 5 wheel of cheese cake!! I’m obsessive over cheese…need I say more!
Caterer: Fig Tree Catering – through Byron Bay Weddings, Fig Tree Catering delivered above and beyond our expectations. We had canapés, a sit down for 140ppl and desert canapés. We chose a range of share plates so that our guests could interact and get comfortable over delicious food – one of our favourite past times too! Local seasonal produce at its best – our guests are still raving about the food!!
Hire/Prop furniture hire: The Wedding Shed – through Byron Bay Weddings. Their range of furniture enabled us to keep our simple and timeless theme throughout the ceremony, canapés and sit down. Walnut timber was our theme and on the day it look exquisite against the natural backdrops and fairy light clear marquee.
Accessories: Veil by Prea! Jewellery – my sisters drop pearl earrings.
Bridesmaids Dresses: Bec & Bridge
Groom & Groomsmen’s Suits: MJ Bale.
Band/DJ: Dave Dow – Dave and his band used to sing at may functions that Jonnie used to attend back in Brisbane. Jonnie knew they would bring character, a full dance floor and a bucket load of untapped talent to the day! Dave sang acoustically solo at the ceremony, while we were treated to his three piece band for canapés and the reception dance floor – which was full to the brim from get go!!
Celebrant: John Wilson. John is my uncle, and it was so very special to have him marry Jonnie and I. He was genuine, light hearted and spoke from the heart. He engaged our guests and made the ceremony uniquely ours.
