Kailey and Ethan

Gosh I love Kailey and Ethan’s wedding. We have their stunning wedding film coming up later today but the photographs give you a taste of the beauty of their day. From their gorgeous beach ceremony, to the beautiful reception. It’s relaxed, unfussed and totally carefree.

Kailey tells their story. “Ethan and I met six years ago at the University of Victoria on Vancouver Island Canada. Ethan was on exchange from Australia and I was in my first year at university. Following a quick romance in Canada I moved to Australia to be with Ethan. In 2010 we traveled for twelve months around the world. On the beach at sunset in Northern Mozambique, Ethan got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. It was absolutely perfect and totally unexpected.”

Joseph Koprek captured today’s wedding. I love Joseph’s elegantly beautiful shots capturing the backdrop, the details and most importantly, the story of the day.

Kailey’s bridesmaids chose their own gowns, choosing dresses from Rebecca Taylor, Zara and ASOS. They wore robes from Plum Pretty Sugar while getting ready.

Kailey carried a colourful bouquet with a loosely picked look. She explains “Jo at The Green Room (Albert Park (03) 9690 4383) was wonderful to work with and did an extraordinary job on our bouquets. I gave her lots of freedom, telling her all I wanted was a colourful wild flower look. She could not have done a more perfect job – they were exactly what I had envisioned! The beads and jewellery on my bouquet were from special women in my life who have passed away.”

Kailey wore a gown by Elizabeth Fillmore with Kate Spade shoes and jewels from BHLDN.

Kailey and Ethan chose Cumberland River Beach for their ceremony. Kailey explaining “Ethan grew up on the Victorian coast near Torquay and our lives together thus far had really centred on the coast. Have a beach wedding ceremony was a no brainer – in fact we didn’t even entertain a different possibility. Cumberland River was particularly important to Ethan as his family and five other families had camped there every summer for the past 27 years.” The couple made the decor together, Kailey recalling, “The wedding arch on the beach was particularly special as we built it together from wood we had collected on the beach.”

For the processional, Kailey says, “My Dad walked me down the aisle to Today by Joshua Radin. It was a really special moment to share with my Dad. Amazingly, there were no nerves, as soon as I saw Ethan standing at the end of the aisle my butterflies vanished and my heart felt calm. It was exactly where I was meant to be.”

Kailey recalls “Kirsty Adams was our celebrant. She was exactly what we had hoped for, someone kind and loving and down to earth. Kirsty was open and adaptable and worked with us to create a ceremony that was unique to us. So many of our guests commented on how beautifully she delivered our ceremony.”

Kailey and Ethan hired a wedding planner Events By Kate. Kailey notes “We were so lucky to have worked with so many great vendors. It really made the planning and execution of the day so much more enjoyable! Events by Kate- Wow! While Ethan and I were sure we wanted to plan our own wedding, we decided pretty early on that we wanted someone to ‘coordinate the day.’ Kate and her hubby Mik helped with the set up the day before and provided on the day coordination. I can’t speak highly enough about Kate and Mik. They truly were life savers and allowed Ethan and I to really relax on the day. Kate offered great advice leading up to the day, and was always available to answer any questions. It truly was a honour to share our day with Kate and Mik! I share Events by Kate with the highest admiration and recommendation!”

Guests headed off for drinks after the ceremony, Kailey explaining “We felt strongly that we wanted a ‘pre-reception’ to cater for guests while had photos taken. Old Lorne Road Olives was a fantastic place for this, a gorgeous restaurant set in the olive groves with a view of the Otways. Judy and her staff were wonderful, and the food was fantastic. This was a great prelude to our bush bash reception.”

As for DIY, Kailey tells “What didn’t we DIY! (with amazing help from friends and family)!!! In the year leading up to the wedding we gathered all the plates, cutlery and bottles from vintage markets and op-shops. The burlap table runners were made by my mum and her bestie Anne. The bunting was tirelessly sewn by Ethan’s Mum. We folded a few hundred origami hearts, hand stamped all the gift favors and did the table flower arrangements. My mom and I made the cake stands, Ethan and I made the signs, and constructed the wedding arch out of drift wood we collected. It was really incredible to see it all come together and see all the love that went into the day. Set up day we had about 30 people pitching in, the whole thing was a real team effort and we really could not have done it without all the support of our friends and family. We were both so proud to look around on the day and see all our little crafts and knick knacks we collected!”

Each wedding favor hung off the guest’s chair. Kailey explains “Wedding favors were olive trees and jars of olives for international guests. We loved the idea of these trees being planted and growing with our marriage. Each tag read ‘Let love grow’ “.

There was a typewriter at the ready. “Instead of a traditional guest book we bought an old typewriter and guests typed us a note and left it in an old mail box. Everyone really got a kick out of this and the notes left were a fun read the day after the wedding.”

Of their photographer, Kailey says, “Choosing a photographer was very important to us – we wanted natural and fun photos, nothing too staged. After a few months of looking we were recommended to check out Joseph Koprek’s work from our videographer (C2 Video). As soon as we met Joseph we knew we had found the right guy for the job. We were very fortunate to have Joseph shoot our big day! He was fantastic to work with, energetic and easy going with a clear passion for photography. He made us feel very natural and comfortable in front of the camera and was simply fun to work with. And to top it off the photos are absolutely stunning!”

For their first dance, Kailey remembers, “We danced to ‘The wedding song’ by Angus and Julia Stone. It was really nice to have a moment just us, as husband and wife – we both kept saying how perfect the day was, looking around at all our friends and family and the celebration of our love for one another.”

Congratulations Kailey and Ethan! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to Joseph Koprek for sharing today’s photos!