Melissa & Jonathan

5 May 2016
Spicers Peak Lodge, Maryvale, QLD
Photography by Studio Impressions

Introduced by a mutual friend, Melissa and Jonathan's first date was coffee on New Year's Day. It was a special start to a new year.

Jonathan proposed in Noosa. "Jonathan had suggested we take a drive there and walk through the headland to see the sunrise. It was always a causal, 'We will get there one day soon' kind of plan and we ended up postponing a couple of times, which I later found out was to remove any suspicions I may have had. When we finally made it we sat on the edge of the cliff and watched the sunrise. Jonathan wrapped his arms around me and opened a ring box. We had a trip booked to Fiji shortly thereafter so if I had any suspicions I thought it might happen then!"

A small delay

"Jonathan and I had intended to get married a year earlier than we did. We postponed the wedding when I fell pregnant with our first child. This made the planning a little more frantic with a small child around!" Melissa and Jonathan chose to work with Main Event Weddings for the planning and styling. "We had already locked in our photographer and venue and were happy that the Main Event Weddings team could help us with styling, theme, finer details and complete coordination on the day."

"The initial planning process involved meeting with our planner Cassie and talking through ideas. Cassie had a wealth of wedding planning knowledge and experience working at Spicers Peack Lodge. She was able to translate my thoughts and ideas into a mood board. Throughout the planning process we made revisions and additions to the moodboard until we settled on a final version."

Tradition

A traditional part of a Jewish ceremony is a ‘Yichud’, a moment of reflection for the bride and groom immediately after the ceremony. It is also a chance to have a small amount of food and drink as there is a period of fasting for 24 hours prior to the ceremony. "For Jonathan and I, this was a highlight of the day. It helped us to stop, appreciate the moment and the fact that we had just got married! On a previous trip to Israel, we had visited one of the oldest wineries in the region, selected a bottle and wrote a message on the label for our wedding day. We had left it at Spicers' cellar and had our best man collect it and bring it over so that the first glass of wine we had was from this bottle."

Serenity

Following the ceremony and their first glass of wine as husband and wife, Melissa and Jonathan had their photographs taken. "I absolutely loved our on location photos. Marcus from Studio Impressions is so talented and made us feel so relaxed and comfortable that we had an absolute ball."

The place for us

"We had been meaning to visit Spicers Peak Lodge as I had heard such wonderful things about it. We ended up taking a drive for lunch one day and as soon as we walked into the main lodge we looked at each other and instinctively knew that this was the place. We hadn't seen any other potential venues. Spicers Peak Lodge is spectacular and embodied the perfect mix of luxury, elegance and romance that I had dreamt of. We knew our wedding would be intimate, which suited the venue perfectly as many of the guest could be accommodated onsite. The remoteness of the location meant that logistically, it was probably not the easier choice in terms of planning and travel for our guests. This was one of many considerations in the decision to engage Main Event Weddings as we knew that they had planned many weddings at the venue in the past and would be able to provide expert advice and tips."

Natural beauty

"I had not given much thought to the theme or detail of styling at the time we booked our venue, but I did know I wanted simple elegance. The venue itself is so special with an abundance of natural beauty that it did not require much embellishment." The wedding styling was clean and crisp but not stark against the natural background. "We decided on light grey tablecloths with white chairs and blush coloured floral arrangements that complemented the natural scenery but did not compete with it. We provided guests with linen napkins embroidered with our monogram and wreath as per our wedding stationery. The table decorations were low set bouquets of flowers and clusters of three varying sized cylindrical candle holders."

The bridal table was situated outside and above it hung 100 baubles of varying sizes containing flowers and candles. "This was a key design feature to offset the relative simplicity of the table settings and it definitely gave the reception styling a wow factor."

The gown

Melissa's gown was by Darb Bridal Couture. "It was an ivory, strapless, full skirted gown with cathedral length veil. I searched many stores for a dress made from a specific type of European silk that was my inspiration and did not find it until I walked into Darb Couture and spoke to Brad who knew immediately what I was asking for. By the time I left his store, he had done the initial design sketch. The luxe feel and weight of the silk meant that it held a beautiful natural structure without the need for a petticoat." Delicate French lace on the bodice added to the design and emphasised the richness of the silk skirt.

"We went for simplicity and timelessness for Jonathan’s suit and Hugo Boss was a natural choice with classic cuts and perfect tailoring."

The laughs & the special parts

"Jonathan and I laughed practically the entire day, which I think is a reflection of who we are as a couple and of those people we shared our day with. If I had to choose one hilarious moment it would be during the Horah, a Jewish tradition of dance culminating in Jonathan and I being lifted on chairs into the air by our guests. This was very memorable and certainly had us laughing!"

"We had a Jewish wedding and the entire ceremony was officiated by our cantor who switched between English and Hebrew for various parts. Jonathan asked his groomsmen (who had travelled from Israel) to read the wedding blessings in Hebrew, which was a special moment for us both. The best man read the ketubah (marriage contract) that contained both traditional Jewish vows and modern vows that we had written ourselves. The ketubah was hand drawn by a prominent artist and member of the Jewish community."

A bride's advice

"I don’t think I truly realised how important the small, seemingly insignificant details are to your wedding planning. It can be overwhelming during the planning stages to give consideration to the finer details but they really can make a big difference to your day. Also, consider the weather and ensure your guests are prepared, particularly if they are travelling and may not have an idea of the climate. We knew it would be cooler at Spicers Peak Lodge given the altitude however it was significantly colder than what we expected even with the heating and fireplaces."