Hannah and Jack found a way to make the best of a bad situation (the bad situation being the pandemic, believe it or not) by planning a revised, intimate NSW wedding at Terrara House in just five short weeks.
Their original plan was to tie the knot in Queensland but last minute border closures meant coming up with a Plan B. Unfortunately it meant none of Hannah’s family were able to attend (in the traditional sense, anyway) so instead her bestie walked her down the aisle and her family joined in via Zoom.
“We sat down with the laptop after our ceremony and had a drink with everyone on Zoom! It was a really overwhelmingly special part of the day and felt kind of fitting after a whole year on Zoom”, says Hannah.
Captured by Benedict Sutton you can see their intimate NSW wedding below.
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Hannah and Jack, how long have you been together and how did you meet?
Almost four years and we met on Bumble.
Can you tell us a bit about your proposal?
Jack proposed on a Sunday morning at the Clovelly Headland with a breakfast picnic and a looming storm. It is a tradition that we have Yum Cha on the first Sunday of the month so we had an extra special one that day at Mr Wongs to celebrate with some friends.
Was your wedding in your home town or was it a destination wedding?
It was a destination wedding at Terrara House in the Southern Highlands, NSW.
How did you decide on the location of your wedding and the venue itself?
We had originally planned to get married at Sunshine Beach in Queensland as Hannah’s family are there. However, five weeks out from our wedding date Queensland closed the borders to NSW which meant that we had to cancel all our original plans. We decided to go ahead and host a much more intimate event with immediate family and closest friends that were in NSW. We were very fortunate to have found Terrara House as it was the perfect venue for our new, pared back wedding plans.
In a few sentences, how would you describe your wedding?
Our wedding was a testament to the wonderful people we are surrounded by who made the day happen! It was so important to us that we did something that was going to be memorable and felt appropriately grand to mark the significance of the occasion.
It was also really important to us that we would have quality time with our family and friends as we had already spent so much time apart this year due to COVID. Everyone who came helped so much to pull the day together and I think we just nailed it!
Did you write your own vows? How did you find that experience?
Yes, we loved it. It made our ceremony so personal and that was really important to us as Hannah’s family couldn’t be there in person to witness it. I think everyone could feel the love on the day.
Were there any traditions you ditched or adapted?
We didn’t do a first dance as we are both terrible dancers and also since we had a COVID wedding there was no “dancefloor”. Also, Hannah’s best friend walked her down the aisle and this was really special as none of her family could be there.
The best (or most unique) thing we did at our wedding was…
Have a Zoom wedding during COVID! It was so wonderful to be able to go ahead on our original date but also include and connect with loved ones from all over the world that couldn’t be there.
What was your wedding budget? Did you stick to it? If not, how much extra did you spend?
We didn’t really have a specific figure as our budget – we were just trying to be clever and keep our costs down as much as possible. What we can say is that even with the extravagant Terrara House as our venue for the entire weekend we managed to save SO much money by having an intimate wedding and doing things ourselves wherever possible.
How many guests did you have?
27.
Were you inspired by a particular wedding style or vibe when bringing your day to life?
We obviously had to completely change the style when our wedding plans went from a beach backdrop to a country one. We pretty much winged the whole thing due to our short timeframe but we think the style we ended up with was glamorous, elegant and timeless. It and suited the country backdrop so perfectly!
Where did you gather your inspiration?
Mostly Instagram. We really just made it up with what was easily available.
Did you partake in any DIY elements to your day?
Yes! All of our guests contributed. We did our own catering, styling, flowers (except Hannah’s bouquet). We were lucky because Terrara House is so exquisite and made the styling a breeze.
How did you find your dream team?
Our amazing photographer Benedict was with us from the start of or wedding planning as he is an old friend of Jack’s and we were so grateful that we were able to have him for our 2.0 wedding. We were fortunate enough that his beautiful wife Bre is a makeup artist and was available for our new wedding date.
What are some of the most memorable and special moments of your wedding?
We got to spend so much quality time with each and every guest! Other friends who were already married commented on how lucky we were to be able to do this as they felt like they rushed around all day greeting and thanking people without having real, quality time with their guests. We were actually so happy that we decided to go ahead with our little group and can’t imagine our wedding day any other way now! I also think having the Zoom was one of the most special parts. We sat down with the laptop after our ceremony and had a drink with everyone on Zoom! It was a really overwhelmingly special part of the day and felt kind of fitting after a whole year on Zoom.
Do you have any standout suppliers that you would recommend in a heartbeat?
Benedict and Bre Sutton (photography and makeup) – they are a dynamic husband and wife duo who made our day so much fun and are true professionals in their fields.
Tell us about your dress/suit, how did you find it? What did you love about it?
I (Hannah) actually had a bit of a disaster with her dress and had to find a new one just a few weeks out from the wedding. After searching high and low for another white or ivory dress I tried on the black Rebecca Vallance dress and knew it was perfect! It was the most beautiful dress and it fit like a glove – easy! I love that it’s not your typical wedding dress and hope that more women realise that you don’t have to be in white to be a bride. Best part is I will definitely wear it again.
CREDITS: Photos Benedict Sutton // Venue Terrara House // Celebrant Sabina’s Ceremonies // Bridal bouquet Flamingo Florist // Cake Decadence Cakes // Bridal gown Rebecca Vallance // Brides shoes Kurt Geiger // Accessories Paspaley Pearls // Bridesmaid dresses Aje and Hannah Artwear // Bridesmaid gifts Piyama and Go-To Skincare // Groom and groomsmen suits Country Road and Daniel Hetcher // Rings Robert White Jewellers // Hair The Bridal Hair Co // Makeup Hers
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