Elegant Sorrento Wedding - Polka Dot Bride

Kate & Josh

There is a lot to be said for simplicity and Kate and Josh’s elegant Sorrento wedding shows exactly why. Simple, chic details that put the focus on the couple and their own very special story. Kate and Josh worked with photographer Alli Campbell Photography to capture their wedding day.

Kate starts us off with the story of how they met. “Josh and I went to the same high school but didn’t know one another as I was a little older than Josh! We then met at a night out in Portsea around Christmas, with Josh telling me fibs about his age, haha…I soon got the truth and although Josh was a few years younger than me, we just clicked. That January we caught up again and that was basically it, we were inseparable and have not looked back! 7 years together so far.”

Kate Ellen Designs designed the chic white and grey stationery for the day.

Kate chose a gown by Karen Willis Holmes noting, “My amazing gown was from the very talented Karen Willis Holmes. After it being the first dress I tried, yet not having my size in stock, I hunted high and low for the perfect wedding dress. I think I dragged my mum and bridesmaids to almost every wedding dress store, finding nothing that compared to that original KWH dress! Luckily for me, a bride had previously ordered the dress in my size and decided it wasn’t for her…so after a call from KWH I headed to their store to try it once more! And it was perfect….nothing else compared! From the soft silk georgette train to the delicate beading, this was the dress for me…it was definitely meant to be.”

“For our special day I chose to wear something old from my 91 year old Grandma. I wore an anniversary ring given to her by my papa, 94, on their Wedding Anniversary. They are our inspiration and have now been married for 73 years. Another key element was a beautiful piece of lace taken from my mum’s veil. We used this to wrap around my bouquet, which finished it off perfectly. For our one year engagement I had some cuff links personalised for Josh which he wore on our wedding day. I had them engraved, one with a K with Oct 14, the date Josh proposed, while the other had a J with Nov 14, our wedding day. For my something blue I had Karen Willis Holmes personalise my dress, stitching K&J Nov 14, 2015 inside the bodice of my gown.”

Briggins dressed the groom and groomsmen who were immediately won over at the idea of the team heading to the groom’s home with beers for suit fittings. The bridal party chose navy suits while the groom added a black lapel and bow tie to his own.

Kate and Josh chose Sorrento Park for their ceremony.

Kate walked down the aisle with her parents to Higher Love by James Vincent McMorrow.

Father James Grant officiated the ceremony, of which the bride remembers, “We wanted our ceremony to be full of love and emotion but most importantly we wanted it to represent the two of us and our journey together. From the reading of our vows, to our reading etc, the words were us to a tee. We chose our sister in law, Jerri to read the following:

In marriage it is the “little” things that are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say, “I love you” at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.

It is standing together and facing the world. It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each grown.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is not only marrying the right partner – It is being the right partner.

The road that has brought Josh and Kate here today hasn’t been easy.

Its been filled with challenges that they weren’t necessarily prepared for.

But together they’ve taken each one on and have used those experiences to strengthen, not weaken their love.”

Of their photographer, Kate tells, “Our photographer was Alli from Alli Campbell Photography. We met through a mutual friend and loved Alli’s relaxed vibe when discussing our wedding photos. Alli was all about capturing those natural moments, and that she did. No star jumps, no over the top staged photos…simple, natural moments which turned out beautifully. Alli stayed from start to finish and captured our whole day…so many stunning photos.”

Kate and Josh chose Stillwater at Crittenden for their reception, remembering, “Our reception was held at Stillwater, Crittenden in Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula. Stillwater was the first venue Josh and I visited and we fell in love. Its simplicity was exactly what we were looking for. White interior, timber floors, surrounded by large open windows overlooking the green lawn, vines and large lake, it was perfect. The food, wine and service was like that of no other…our guests were blown away, with everyone commenting what an amazing job the venue did.”

Kate laughingly recalls “After initially planning to do a lot of DIY for our wedding, I soon realised my skills didn’t match my ideas! My DIY skills were very limited to say the least, so Josh and I ended up employing the professionals instead! I think our only DIY ended up being some white painted frames!! Because everyone can paint right?”

“Though the day was running well…Josh became so nervous about his speech that he made himself quite ill!! We spent around half an hour out the back by the rubbish bins! Our guests were none the wiser and after his speech he was a new, much more relaxed, man! Amazing what nerves can do!!!”

Of the first dance, Kate remembers, “This was one part of the day we were not looking forward to. As both of us found, our dance skills were somewhat limited! We chose to dance to Georgia by Vance Joy, something slow and easy to move to! After some help from a beautiful friend, as well as two dance classes we were able to at least move together and do a few twirls! Although we were nervous we realised that if we had pulled off the perfect dance it just wouldn’t have been us. Josh is always the life of the party with his wacky dance moves so anything too perfect would have been a disappointment!!”