If you’re currently cheering with delight at the sight of the daffodils and crocuses popping up everywhere, then you’re going to just adore this cheery spring celebration I’m sharing. Groom Calvin works in marketing, whilst bride Judy’s in accounting, and the happy couple married at Kent Life on the 30th of April 2016 – an eclectic open-air heritage farm in Kent. The season of spring inspired their day and because organising their wedding in the UK from Australia presented a challenge, the couple wanted an easy day that was low maintenance.
Judy’s delectable dress was the ‘Gardenia’ style by the brilliant Claire Pettibone (you can explore all of Claire Pettibone’s existing collections from one single page in our Style Files), which she found in Melbourne, Australia. I don’t know about you lovelies, but I am literally in love with every CP design I ever come across – she’s a genius! I love the signature illusion lace back, as well as the long lacy sleeves Judy had added to make her dress totally bespoke.
“The dress was a bit vintage in style. I wanted something that was easy to walk in and dance in, so nothing too structured or ‘boofy’. I chose it because of the lace back with floral lace motifs – and what made it extra special were the long lace sleeves that were custom designed and hand sewed by the seamstress in the store with the same lace motifs.”
Photography by Joanna Brown Photography
“We chose Joanna Brown Photography because her photos were warm and whimsical and she uses about seven different cameras, including film and polaroids. She was a total pro on the day and fitted in with our family and friends.”
“We chose our venue as it was relaxed, quite organically pretty and didn’t need a lot of decorating, as there were loads of interesting elements about the place, like the hops on the ceiling of the wagon store, the beautiful old pink wedding chapel, lots of animals and a fairground.”
“It also had no sound restrictions unlike some other venues, which was important to us since we were there to party.”
“The theme we went with was spring, as it was my favourite season in the UK and it just brought back such lovely memories, so we had lots of florals and bright colours.”
The bridesmaids wore off-the-shoulder midi dresses in a pretty floral print from ASOS, utterly perfect for a spring wedding, and paired them with their own shoes and the same earrings as the bride. Hair and make-up for the ladies was by Beauty Call and The Powderpuff Girls.
“I am Chinese Australian and I was on a two-year working holiday visa in London. Calvin and I met through a friend in 2012 and we spent many drunken weekends and weeknights together gallivanting the streets of East London and Dalston before Calvin finally persuaded me to be his girlfriend.”
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“We were together for about two years and decided to leave the UK to go and live in Australia.”
“Calvin proposed with his grandmother’s engagement ring about a month before we embarked on our epic trip Down Under. He was going to wait and propose at our first stop in St Petersburg but thought it might be an awkward trip if I had said no. It also coincided with my 30th birthday, which definitely lifted my mood since I was depressed about getting old!”
Judy added a dried flower crown with veil from ‘PelicanRoseBride’ via Etsy, bright pink floral shoes from ASOS, her favourite scent, Issey Miyake, and silver stud earrings with floral enamel to match her bouquet and the bridesmaids.
“Kay from Bowbellas did a fantastic job with the big and bold bouquets of sunflowers. She also decorated the wedding breakfast tables with bottles of sunflowers.”
The wedding party travelled in black cabs out of nostalgia for Judy’s time in London, with her cab suitably in white.
Her dad accompanied her down the aisle to Cinematic Orchestra’s melodic ‘To Build a Home’, played on the keyboard by Marc Hepburn, a member of the couple’s band, and the ceremony was performed by someone very special.
Calvin looked suave in a dark brown three-piece tailored suit made by the Suit Shop and tailor-made leather shoes by the leather craftsman at Wootten, both located in Melbourne in Australia.
“Calvin’s dad performed our service, he’s a vicar! He chose the readings since he’s done this about a million times and we had no idea, and they were beautiful. We had Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, read by my mum, and Corinthians 13, read by Calvin’s mum.”
“I’m studying a diploma in jewellery and object design, so I made the rings with the help of my tutor Jane Ruljancich in Melbourne. She actually does special wedding ring making sessions with couples too.”
“The only additional decorations was the bunting which was supplied and put up by Bluesky Bunting, and the sunflowers arranged around the venue by Bowbellas. The rest of the decor and styling was supplied by the venue.”
Zest, the onsite caterer at Kent Life, cooked up tasty cuisine for the guests, and Angela Fry Cake created the utterly scrumptious naked cake.
The crafty couple created their stationery themselves, with their family lending a hand too.
“We did the stationery ourselves. Calvin’s dad printed a simple wedding program at home and I illustrated the borders in line with our wedding invites, which were sent online using the designs from minted.com. The place cards were just blanks from a stationery shop and I used a calligraphy pen to print the names. Calvin’s mum got a blackboard and I illustrated the order of the day and the table plan. Both mums also made a collage of the family tree for respective sides of the family, which was displayed in the village hall.”
The contents of the favours for guests made my mouth water. I’m a total sucker for a Caramello Koala and when I lived in the UK I would squeal with pure delight upon receipt of a special delivery from Australia with a care package filled to the brim with these yummy treats!
“The wedding favours were little red embroidered silk bags my uncle brought from China filled with Aussie sweets like Caramello Koalas, Cherry Ripes and Allen’s lollies – it signified the multicultural nature of the union.”
“We knew the band we wanted before we even got engaged. They are called Iron Boot Scrapers and Calvin’s sister (one of my bridesmaids) is a good mate with one of the musicians in the band. They play what they call ‘Victorian pop’ on instruments like the trombone and sousaphone. They were so much fun and really got the crowd going with favourites such as Lady Gaga and Electric Light Orchestra.”
“Our first dance song was ‘I Would Do Anything For You’ by Foster the People. We chose this as I went to this gig not long after Calvin and I were together and when this song came on I called him and sang it to him at the top of my lungs!”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Have fun and remember, it’s just a party. Spend money on what makes a great party, which is food, alcohol and music, and a great photographer who makes you look like a million bucks!”
So so true Judy and Calvin – and for all you upcoming brides and grooms be sure to party like it’s 1999 and discover some new moves on the dancefloor! I’ve adored sharing your day with our lovely readers. A big thank you also to Joanna for capturing the couple’s delightful day in such a beautiful way.
If you’ve not already discovered the brilliance that is Claire Pettibone, then I urge you to pour over these images from the vaults of Love My Dress now. Enjoy the prettiness and good luck trying to choose your favourite 🙂
Love Jo -xo-
