Courtney & Jack

29 October 2016
Caversham House, Caversham, WA
Photography by Erica Serena Photographer

Jack and Courtney met in 2012. “I was out on a girls night. I walked passed Jack and we made eye contact. I said, ‘Do you need a physio?’ and he said, ‘Actually I do!’” The hashtag for the couple’s wedding became DarlingIdo, a clever take on Jack’s surname and this very first meeting.

The proposal

Jack proposed in 2014 with a diamond ring he had designed. “Jack asked me if I wanted to go for a walk around the lake near our house, a walk we do every day with our American Staffordshire Terrier Bailey. When we arrived at our favourite spot on the boardwalk, Jack got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was perfect and we were completely alone.”

The venue

“The first wedding Jack and I attended as a couple was at Caversham House in
Swan Valley. Jack had said to me that he could imagine us getting married there
one day, so when the time came to book our wedding venue we contacted
Caversham House straight away to host our wedding for 120 guests.” Courtney
and Jack’s ceremony was held at The Hidden Gardens at Caversham House, an
idyllic setting with formal terraced gardens, sandstone features, hand carved statues and beautiful renaissance gardens.

A family affair

“I have four brothers whom I adore and am very close to. They all walked me
towards the aisle one by one, starting with my youngest brother. My eldest
brother and I met my dad at the end of the aisle. It was such a special moment
that I will treasure forever.”

The gown

Courtney wore a Pallas Couture gown. “My wedding gown was custom made and
the process started about 9 months before the wedding. The team at Pallas
Couture did a sketch of a gown which was an amazing work of art and it turned
into the perfect dress.”

The moments

One of the most memorable parts of the day for Courtney was the speeches.
“My two best friends and joint Maids of Honour Tegan and Radi, gave a heartfelt
and hilarious speech officially initiating Jack into the sisterhood with a red wig
and some specific rules and guidelines!”

Courtney and Jack danced to Jack Johnson’s Better Together. “It is our song and
the lyrics resonate with us. Early in our relationship, Jack would sing it to me
and he still does.” When it was time for us to leave, all our guests had sparklers
and surrounded us singing Daryl Braithwaite's Horses over and over. It was such
a funny and awesome moment.”

The style

Courtney and Jack’s classic and elegant wedding styling started with the invitations. They were printed on white card and featured copper foiling. The overall wedding design had a timeless feel with a white colour scheme and white florals including roses, phalaenopsis orchids, Queen Anne’s lace, dusty miller, amaranth and peonies. “Our florist Matthew Landers went above and beyond anything we could have imagined. The flowers were stunning. He created our bouquets, the reception centrepieces and the floral arbour for the ceremony.” Large, light up letters spelling ‘Darling I Do’ were also on display outside the reception marquee highlighting the surrounding gardens. “

We had a delicious 3-tier cake. Each layer was a different flavour with chocolate, lemon and white chocolate.”

Plans and pictures

“We had an amazing wedding planner Mardie from Mardie & Co. who was like our fairy godmother, walking us through every step of the way. Our wedding day was an absolute dream and it wouldn’t have looked the way it did or run so smoothly without Mardie.”

Jack and Courtney decided they wanted to share as much time together as possible on their wedding day, so after spending the morning getting ready separately with their friends and families they met at La Vie Champagne Lounge at Crown Perth for their first moments together. “It was beautiful and intimate. We are lucky to have the moment documented in photographs.”

The couple then started their location shoot. The first stop was upstairs at Crown where they were upgraded to the Infinity Suite. “We had photos taken in the room before arriving at the lake where Jack had proposed. We travelled there with our bridesmaids and groomsmen in a stretch Hummer. It felt like our very own party before the ceremony. It was so much fun and a decision we are really happy we made because we had time together, and with our closest friends, to celebrate the day.”