J A R R A D A N D M I C H A E L
After 19 years of magical bliss together, Jarrad and Michael enjoyed the ultimate celebration of love in an opulent ceremony that incorporated humble, personal touches. Fall in love with the couple's sweet story and be inspired by the jaw-dropping, lavish details from the big day.
Sparks Fly...
After meeting in Tasmania in 2001, Jarrad and Michael quickly realised that they had found the love of their lives in one another. "Pretty much from the first meeting we both knew we had met someone special," says Jarrad. He recalls how they spoke a lot about their future goals and aspirations and wanted the other person to be a part of those plans.
'Pop' The Question...
The couple got engaged in 2017 after Jarrad proposed to Michael in an uber romantic way. "I filled a room with balloons and attached a photo to each balloon of special memories from our 17 years together," he recalls. Jarrad hired a photographer to capture the magical moment when he got down on one knee and asked Michael to marry him in front of their adorable son, Reid. After calling their immediate family, Jarrad and Michael announced the exciting news to all of their devoted followers on Instagram.
Let The Planning Begin...
After celebrating the long-awaited engagement, the couple hired wedding planner extraordinaire, Creating Beautiful, and started preparing for the big day. They decided that they wanted their overarching wedding theme to be classic and timeless and came up with a style and colour scheme that incorporated lots of marble, dark velvet and gold with a black tie dress code.
'Bridesmaids' On Repeat...
One of their favourite moments from the planning process was getting to propose to their bridal party. Jarrad and Michael had a matron of honour, best man and groomsmen each, who they created gift boxes for when they asked them to be a monumental part of their wedding. The gift box included champagne, chocolates and a wine glass as well as a 'Bridesmaids' DVD and personalised card. The matrons of honour wore bespoke black Cappellazzo Couture off the shoulder dresses on the big day, while the best men and groomsmen wore classic black tuxedos.
Costume Change...
The couple had three custom Arthur Galan tuxedos made for themselves and Reid to wear during the ceremony. The grooms paired these dashing suits with incredibly dapper Christian Louboutin shoes with red soles which symbolised the only bit of colour in the entire wedding. For the reception, they all switched out their jackets for a custom sequin number. These had also been designed by Arthur Galan to add a touch of sparkle and shimmer to their look once the dancing began.
Sentimental Ceremony...
The ceremony was held at Alfred Place by Rockpool in Melbourne CBD. Despite being a lavish and opulent affair, the ceremony was heart-warming and personal with one of Jarrad and Michael's favourite memories from the big day being when their son declared them officially married.
Flower Power...
The reception was also held at Alfred Place where flowers played a huge part in the decorating. "We requested all white flowers with green foliage, keeping in theme with our 'classic' brief," says Jarrad. The reception venue was decorated with 2,500 perfect white roses and orchids as well as white marble tables, black velvet chairs, gold cutlery, dark green velvet napkins and a custom "JM" neon sign for a personal touch amongst the luxe details. The venue was brought to life by stationary company, Sketch And Etch, who created the beautiful signage, seating charts, place cards and neon signs for the reception.
Fancy Food...
The couple kept their guests well fed at the reception with canapés on arrival followed by a sit down meal in the dining room. The extravagant menu was accompanied by a divine wedding cake made by One By One Cakes. Jarrad and Michael chose to have a lemon coconut cake with fresh lemon syrup and coconut butter cream. The cake was a vision of excellence with intricate textures such as white chocolate ganache, gold leaf edible sugar lace and fresh flowers.
Musical Guest Stars...
The night was full of fun surprises for Jarrad and Michael's guests. The luxurious bonbonnieres were custom personalised Glasshouse Candles made with their favourite scent, which was also infused in the ceremony foyer. Music was a really important part of the day for the couple so they also surprised their guests with a performance from international music artist, Conrad Sewell, for their first dance. The lavish musical moments also included Lara Dabbagh singing her original track 'Smiles' as the couple walked down the aisle. Acoustic artists San Joseph and Sarah Stone played during the meal and DJ Chloe burned up the dance floor.
Modern Inspiration...
After a romantic honeymoon in Anantara, Maldives, the newlyweds headed back to Melbourne and are now settling into a new home with Reid and their new dog, Ernest. The key advice Jarrad and Michael have for couples in the wedding planning process is to hire a wedding planner or stylist if the budget allows for it. "Being exposed to the online world of Instagram meant we got to see so many amazing products and services", says Jarrad. He shares that the hardest part of the planning process was narrowing down what would and wouldn't work for their wedding which is where their stylist swooped in and saved the day."Although we felt like we knew what we wanted, without our wedding planner/stylist it would have been really stressful trying to bring together all the different elements," shares Jarred.
Go back to where it all began and read Jarrad and Michael's sweet engagement story here.
Photographer: Yervant Photography / Videographer: Tango Films / Stylist and Flowers: Creating Beautiful /Ceremony/Reception Venue and Catering: Alfred Place by Rockpool Events / Cake: One By One Cakes /Grooms and Ringer Bearer Attire: Arthur Galan / Grooms Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Matron Of Honour Dresses: Cappellazzo Couture /Groomsmen Attire: Formal Red /Groomsmen Shoes: Julius Marlow /Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands: Paul Bram /Ceremony Music: Lara Dabbagh /Reception Music: Sarah Stone and San Joseph /Musical Guest: Conrad Sewell /DJ: Chloe Wilson /Officiant: Marry Me Megan /Photo Booth and Guest Book: Shutter Hub Photo Booth /Invitations: Sketch And Etch