Garden Restaurant Wedding - Polka Dot Wedding

Whitney & Jed

I love the romantic, relaxed feel to Whitney and Jed’s garden restaurant wedding. They wanted the day to focus on a fun and relaxed atmosphere with a ceremony that was humble and authentic. Together, it all combined to turn into one very special wedding day. They chose Figtree Pictures to capture it all.

Whitney fills us in on the story of how she and Jed came to be. “We met in the last year of primary school. We were the best of friends throughout high school and decided to get together in grade eleven. 12 years later, here we are.”

Whitney chose a gown from Bohemian Brides noting, “I was lucky that the first dress shop I went to had the dress I chose, in the window and I loved it instantly. I loved the lace detail in the dress and most of all I loved that the dress was comfortable. The dress had a small train, beautiful detail and had an exposed back, it was exactly what I wanted.”

Whitney and Jed chose Mediterranean restaurant Osteria for their wedding, noting, “Osteria was the first and only venue we looked at. We loved the beautiful garden that had colourful bougainvillea, it was the perfect setting for our ceremony. We also loved that the venue offered a feasting option for their menu. This was perfect to create the atmosphere of a big family dinner. We were happy that the room was simple so we were able to style it in our own way.”

Eden Place created the floral arrangements for the day, the bride remarking, “It was a relaxed and fun atmosphere, we wanted it to be a big feast and party with family and close friends. I didn’t want it to be a specific style as I like vintage, I like rustic and I like pretty. As far as theme is concerned, I guess I knew I wanted the pink proteas and cream lace to stand out on the day and I just worked around that.”

Whitney remembers, “I walked down the aisle to an instrumental arrangement of the Journey song Faithfully.”

Clarah Luxford officiated the ceremony, Whitney remarking, “We were both happy to keep the ceremony relatively short as we were both very nervous. Jed wrote joint vows for us both to say as we didn’t want to use someone else’s words to express something so personal. We wanted the ceremony to be happy and honest and a celebration of the time with have spent together and the time to come. We were going for a really humble and honest ceremony, we decided not to have any bridal party with the exception of our nephew Paddy serving as the perfect long-legged ring bearer.”

Of their photographer, Whitney remarks, “We had Kristy from Figtree Wedding Photography take our photos on the day and she was fantastic. We both felt very relaxed and comfortable. We weren’t away from our guests too long and she managed to capture our style perfectly, while having a laugh with us.”

Guests received homemade cookies, made by the bride, as wedding favors.

Whitney adds, “With help of family and friends, we made the table runners, welcome sign, table numbers, seating plan, cake, vases and place cards were all DIY. I made sure that I included something from both Nans. I included a vase that was my Nan’s and we included a teacup from Jed’s.”

There was one very special surprise for the bride, who remembers, “Jed surprised me by performing a song he wrote for the day. He had the whole room in tears. It made my day all the more special.”

Of their first dance, Whitney tells, “Our first dance song was performed by our close friend Jess. She played “Future Days” by my favourite band Pearl Jam. The lyrics are about spending the rest of your life with someone, it seemed pretty fitting.”

“Our friend Stacie was having such a great time dancing on the dance floor that her water broke and she had to rush off to hospital. Hours later she gave birth to her beautiful baby Keiran.”