Jess & Matt’s Decadent Country Wedding

Jess & Matt

There are not many couples who can say that the DIY for their wedding involved having an incredibly hands on role in restoring their entire wedding venue, but for Jess and Matt, who held their decadent country wedding at Tanglewood Estate which is owned by the groom’s parents, the gorgeous property tied in perfectly with their theme of a modern, rustic wedding. Jeremy Blincoe (business partner of Emma McEvoy) captured their day on this amazing country estate.

Jess and Matt met early on in high school, on the Mornington Peninsula, and have been together ever since. Jess gushes, “I am so thankful I met him at school all those years ago!”

Of her gown, Jess tells, “I don’t wear dresses very often, and for my wedding dress I didn’t want anything too over the top. I had always liked lace, and I found the perfect simple dress that I loved. I believe it was the second shop I tried a dress on in, and I instantly knew it was the one.” The bride’s stunning wedding dress was Luci Di Bella.

“Matt wanted something a little different to the standard black or grey suit. He was hooked on the colour blue, and as soon as he saw the suits at Mickey Blue, it was as simple as that for him and his groomsmen. Blue also seemed to work really well with the navy blue bridesmaid dresses from Zimmerman.

The couple remember a fun detail about their day. “We had the groomsmen drive to the ceremony around the dam in an old Ford F100 ute, which they sat in the back of. The ute was then driven over to the reception and was filled with ice and refreshments!” 

The ceremony and reception were both held at Tanglewood Estate. “We had the ceremony on the grounds overlooking the dam with the bay in the background,” tells Jess. “We were super lucky to be the first wedding to be held there since they’ve taken it over. Something very special indeed. It is definitely one of the most beautiful, diverse venues on The Mornington Peninsula. To be surrounded by bushland, and to also have gorgeous views of Port Philip Bay is truly something spectacular!”

The ceremony was held in front of the dam which overlooks the bay by a huge gumtree, which was covered in amazing floral arrangements by Poppy Culture. “Our amazing floral tree was a stunning detail we absolutely adored. It added something truly unique and beautiful to our ceremony,” tells the bride.

“We had beautiful timber church pews for our guests to sit on, and I chose to walk down the aisle to “For You” by Angus and Julia Stone. It always sends shivers down our spines. We wanted the ceremony to feel very relaxed and casual, so being out in nature was the best way to achieve that atmosphere, and it was perfect.”

Of their photographer, Jess explains, “Our photographer, Jeremy Blincoe, is the business partner of my sister-in-law. She couldn’t shoot our wedding, because she was in our bridal party but Jeremy was amazing. He really is a genius in what he does. He knew all the right angles and the best locations for each photo. We really don’t enjoy having our photo taken, but he made us feel very relaxed and comfortable!”

Jess remembers, “We took some photographs in a gorgeous vintage paddle boat on the dam. It all went well until we started paddling back to land and realised it had started leaking!! I have never gotten off a boat faster in my life!” The amazing floral decor on the boat, and the opulent bouquets were also created by Poppy Culture.

Their reception was held inside The Winery, which the bride said was just beautiful – the perfect mix of rustic and contemporary. “We had been helping out a lot with the whole renovation of the estate  to get it ready in time for our wedding, so we kind of feel like the whole thing has been very DIY, which is extra special. That was something Matt’s father said in his speech actually, that not many couples could say that they were actually involved in helping to build their own wedding venue!”

The incredible cake was made for the couple by Miss Ladybird Cakes, and the favours were delicious doughnuts by Doughboys Melbourne.

“We chose Lana del Rey’s “Young & Beautiful” for our first dance together as husband and wife. We really should have practiced our first dance, as we had no idea what we were doing, but it was so much fun and so typical of us!”

Of what they remember most fondly about their day, Jess says, “Just seeing everyone so happy and enjoying the day was such a highlight. Also our amazing parents – without them none of it could have been possible.”

The fabulous Rachael Mary Films captured the beautiful wedding film for the couple.

Congratulations Jess and Matt! We just adore your wedding, and thank you for sharing it with us. Also thank you to Jeremy Blincoe and Emma McEvoy for sharing Jess and Matt’s day with us.