Jorja and James’ Bowral Garden Wedding

Jorja and James

Jorja and James were set on a garden party feel for their wedding. They tried venue after venue, but none would allow them to have their reception outside in case of rain. Finally, they remembered how much James loved his parent’s home in Bowral and soon it was set in stone – this would be their wedding venue. They married on the verandah and dined under the stars, dodging a few wayward storms! Their day was beautifully captured, underneath the trees by Gemma Clarke Photography .

Jorja tells the story of how they came to be. “I worked at McDonalds and James worked at the pub across the road. He used to come in for coffee each time and we got to know each other. We had a few mutual friends and ended up seeing each other at friend’s birthdays. One thing led to the other and I eventually forced him into asking me out!”

The flowers were a DIY project, Jorja noting, “We did all our own flowers by heading to the flower markets the day before. I really wanted a ‘picked a bunch of flowers from the garden’ look.”

The bride wore a strapless Collette Dinnigan gown and the bridesmaids wore dresses from  One Teaspoon, Sabo Skirt & Asos. All of the girls wore shoes from Minty Meets Munt. Jorja explaining, “The bridesmaid dresses were all sourced online and chosen by themselves, I wanted something they loved and would wear again. They didn’t see each other’s dresses until the day! The flower girls’ dresses I picked up from a market stall for $30!”

Jorja and James married in Bowral at James’ parents home. Jorja tells, “We were set on having the wedding in a garden outside. Unfortunately, not a lot of venues would allow us to have it outside in case of rain. James loves his parent’s property so it seemed fitting to ask his parents if we could have it there!” The groom and groomsmen wore different outfits from Roger David, tying together grey and yellow accents.

The ceremony was decorated simply with the trees providing most of the decoration. Jorja says, “My bridesmaids and I spent hours making tissue paper pom poms, bunting and wrapping twine around glass jars to hang from the trees for tea lights.”

Jorja walked down the aisle to ‘Follow the Sun’ by Xavier Rudd.

The ceremony spot was decorated with family photos, Jorja remembering, “One of our most favourite touches was having our families’ wedding photos hanging behind us during the ceremony, it was like everyone who couldn’t be there was with us in spirit.”

Of their photographer, Jorja says, “Gemma is lovely, funny and quirky but most of all she is PASSIONATE and this is so evident in her photographs. From the first email that Gemma sent me I knew I had chosen the right photographer for James and I. On the day, Gemma and her assistant (her oh so lovely father) were absolutely brilliant to work with, they made the entire bridal party feel comfortable and never made us do those horrid posed photos! Gemma completed captured the style of relaxed photography I had always wanted. My guests and bridal party did not stop raving about Gemma, her ability to blend into the crowd, to chat amongst the guests, to capture those candid moments. I would highly recommend Gemma to anyone!”

Guests dined at a long table underneath the trees, Jorja telling, ‘When James and I started planning our wedding the first words that came to our mind were relaxed, loved and family. We knew instantly we wanted it to feel like a laid back garden party. This is where the idea of having it at home and the long table with platters of food came from. We envisioned sitting down with our family for a Sunday roast. Pinterest was a huge help, I was constantly finding our ideas and then working our how to add our own touches.”  M&B Catering ensured guests dined in luxury.

The couple did away with sweet cake, instead choosing a savoury alternative! Jorja explains, “We made our own Cheese Wheel Cake – and by making, I mean buying the blocks and stacking them on top of each other!” Guests also enjoyed a dessert table – chocolate mousse, shortbread, meringues, trifle and little cakes made by the groom’s mother.

“We requested people to put the songs that would get them dancing, in the RSVP, and compiled a song list to suit our guests and hooked our iPod up to a sound system. I also collected jars to hang in the trees for lighting. I was never keen on having a DJ for fear they were going to bust out ‘Love Shack’ so we asked all our guests to write a song that they would dance to on their RSVP and then we compiled all the songs to make a guest list and put it on our iPod. When I think back on the day, it was everything I had dreamt of, and had turned out so wonderfully.”

Congratulations on your marriage Jorja and James! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you to Gemma Clarke Photography  for sharing today’s wedding!