JESSIE & SATJIT'S BERRIMA WEDDING

Photography by John Benavente - Jessie wears our Cara gown

Wedding Date:  21 September 2019

What was your wedding venue and why did you choose there?
Bendooley Estate in Berrima – our ceremony was at the lakeside and our reception was in the Book Barn. My father-in-law found it online and told us it looked elegant. It was the first venue we looked at because we realised we would be driving past on the way to visit my Mum in Canberra. It combined so many of our favourite things.  I grew up in Far North Queensland and spent a lot of time outside in nature, so I wanted our ceremony to be in a beautiful garden with lots of trees and flowers. We were blown away by how beautiful and well-maintained the garden at Bendooley was, and Satjit loved the lake. We then went inside and realised the venue was a book store during the day, and I was in love with the space. It was so warm and cosy, with lots of wood I grew up loving reading so it felt perfect. And our last selling point was the fact it is a working vineyard! The cellar door has a gorgeous fireplace and we wanted photos walking between the vines, and loved that we could serve wine directly from the venue, not to mention the food looked amazing.

Did you have a wedding theme/style?
Not really. We wanted lots of colour and wanted it to feel warm and welcoming. We also wanted it to feel elegant and classic to meet the venue, which we tried to continue with the string trio, acoustic music and our styling.

How did you and your now Husband meet?
We met online! I had just moved to Sydney and wanted to meet people from outside my immediate friendship circle so signed up to Bumble, and Satjit was my second date! We hit it off right away and saw each other three times in four days, then he asked if we could see each other exclusively.

What is your proposal story?
Satjit and I were planning to go overseas for 6 months on a world adventure so were busy finishing up work and packing up our place when my Mum told us she had accepted a new role and would be moving from Mareeba (FNQ) to Canberra in the next month, so was selling our childhood home that we had grown up in. My Dad had died less than a year earlier and she really wanted a change and to be closer to my sister (who lives in Kiama) and I (now that I lived in Sydney).  I wanted to spend a last weekend at our home before we left for overseas because it had a really special place in my heart and I loved spending time in our garden while we were growing up. My sister was married in our garden, we had my Dad’s funeral in our garden, and I had always imagined also getting married in the garden. Satjit said he wanted to plan a picnic for my Mum and I as a farewell and asked me to go out with Mum for the morning to get a coffee so he could get it set up as a surprise for Mum. He also suggested we go into town for a manicure and said I “might want to dress up a little” so needless to say I was a little suspicious! We came home and he had set up a beautiful picnic in our garden by the creek with a blanket, cushions, music, cheese platter, flowers and champagne chilling in a bucket with ice. Mum and I went down and we had a lovely time eating and drinking the champagne, and then Mum said she was going to get another bottle of champagne from the fridge. Satjit changed the song, asked me to dance, twirled me around and then went down on one knee and had a speech prepared. He gave me a ring he had designed with a jeweller in Sydney. He said he had been planning to propose overseas but when he found out we would be selling our home in Mareeba he decided he wanted to propose there so I would have it in my heart as a special memory. He asked my Mum, sister and best friends for their blessing and planned it all. It was so sweet and thoughtful and I was so touched. Our neighbours then came over with champagne and we had a bonfire down the creek in our backyard. It was a perfect weekend.

How did you hear about Prea James Bridal?
Initially on Instagram! I was following a few wedding accounts and saw Prea’s dresses from her shoot in Paris and loved the simple elegance and modern style of the Cara gown.

From where did you purchase your gown?
From Prea directly in her Wollongong store. It was really important to me that we found products made by local designers and supported Australian businesses where we could.

What do you love most about the gown? 
It felt so different than the other dresses I tried on. I knew I didn’t want strapless and didn’t want anything too big or elaborate, but I also didn’t want overly simple. I loved it as soon as I tried it on. I loved that it felt classy with a high neck and short sleeves but also a bit cheeky with the twist opening and the split at the front. It felt timeless and like I would look back in 10, 20 and 30 years and still love it. I also loved the low V back, gathering at the waist and the longer train. Because there was no embroidery or lace, it was so important the cut and fall was perfect, and it felt amazing.

Are there any special details about your wedding that you would like to share?
My Mum walked me down the aisle, which was really special. We designed a non-religious ceremony that included three readings from our friends and family, and a song from my cousin (You Got It by Roy Orbison) that was one of my Dad’s favourite songs. We also wrote our own vows, so the ceremony felt very personal to us. For the reception, Satjit and his friends performed a Bhangra dance routine (Indian Punjabi dance), which I joined as a surprise towards the end. We also choreographed our dance, which had three parts: a Waltz, then a salsa and then an energetic Bhangra performance towards the end.

Were there any details that you made yourselves?
I designed our order of service and menu and had them printed in the city.

Finally, Do you have any words of wisdom for couples planning their big day?
The planning can be overwhelming. Make lots of lists, set aside time to plan and make decisions, and go with your first instincts. Even when we went and talked to lots of different people we usually went back to our first choice. 

On the day: some things will go wrong, and some things will go so much better than you could have dreamed. And all of it will be fine because everyone you love is there for you and your partner and to be a part of this for you. It will give you all the energy you need. Make your wedding a day that works for you and your partner. Add the touches that are important to you. Make it personal where you can. Let people in to your relationship and ask for their blessing and support and to be a part of the community you have chosen. It is a gift for them to have travelled and organised and worked to be there for you so be grateful for everything that happens on the day.

Wedding Vendors

Photographer: John Benavente, who was lovely and so great to work with!

Videographer: La Lune Cinema

Florals: Form Over Functions

Hair & Makeup: Hair: Shelly from Airlie and Co, and Make-up: Louise Antonjuk

Wedding Coordinator: Kelly and Mark from Bendooley Estate

Cake: Stacy Brewer

Caterer: Bendooley Estate

Accessories (Veil/headpiece/jewellery): I bought my veil from mibridalveil on Etsy. My earrings were from Maison Sabben in Paris (ordered online) and my gold cuff was from Eddie Borgo in New York. My shoes and bag were from Loeffler Randall 

Bridesmaids Dresses: Scanlan and Theodore

Groom & Groomsmen’s Suits: Satjit’s white jacket and pocket square was from Bentex Suits, and the groomsmen wore their own black suits.

Band/ DJ: Ollie and Alex from the Red Soda Band

String Trio: Accent Strings were fabulous!