Jessica & Josua

This relaxed Watego’s beachside wedding ended with the bride and groom walking home barefoot underneath the stars, and we say job well done! With family flown in from Germany and handfuls of homemade touches, we adore this romantic seaside affair that was captured by the exceptional Van Middleton Photography.

Jessica tells of meeting her future husband-to-be whilst both at University in Toowoomba. She recalls, ”I was dressed as Pocahontas and Josua was dressed as Aladdin. Everyone was on the dance floor and he was doing some hilarious dance moves, so I decided to find out who he was! Fairly early on in the conversation we figured out we were both from Cairns, we were amazed about the coincidence and the friendship started from there! We went on Cold Rock dates and trips to the Gold Coast where he taught me how to surf, then we started dating in September 2008! And the rest is history!”

Knowing that comfort on the day was a huge part in her decision making, the bride tells of uncovering her dream gown. Jessica remembers, ”My beautiful dress was from Grace Loves Lace. I went into the process wanting to make sure that I was comfortable, and that the dress had lace and a low back. The experience at Grace Loves Lace was amazing! I tried on lots of lovely dresses and sipped champagne and knew I had found the one over the next few days as it was the one I couldn’t stop thinking about. I felt like a goddess and am trying to think of another opportunity where I can wear it again because I love it so much! I equally loved the bridesmaids dresses from Spell Designs Byron Bay. I knew I wanted a pattern and after a long search I came across the Aloha Fox Wrap – and that was that!”

The groom and groomsmen wore blue suits from Wolf Kanat, with Josua accessorising with RM Williams boots, a crisp white shirt, a grey bow tie and a Hugo Boss belt.

Choosing their favourite spot for the ceremony, the bride tells, ”The grass at Watego’s Beach was perfect. We wanted to be close to the sea but keep our shoes on! We could see the beautiful waves and sandy beach but were perched on a lovely grassy knoll. We were surrounded by trees and greenery, it was beautiful.” Jessica also shares, ”The boys did an amazing job getting the driftwood arbour down to the ceremony and constructing it. They had the early guests help to “borrow” some greenery from the surrounding bush – it was amazingly beautiful! Apparently guests heard me before they saw me arrive in the Kombi, because I was screaming with excitement at how pretty everything looked.” The bride walked down the aisle to a cover of  ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz, sung by Timmy Watkin.

Having a relaxed and intimate feel was important, with Jessica sharing, ”Our ceremony was just…us. We wanted everyone laughing and having fun. Our celebrant, Alana Salm, was amazing. Everyone was raving about our hilarious ceremony and that it seemed like Alana had known us all our lives! We didn’t really have any readings but we did do ‘Ninja Vows’. We wrote vows for the other to read out, without having read them before, and the result was hilarious!”

Wanting to include far flung family, the newlyweds tell, ”We made sure we had shoutouts to our grandparents in Germany and at the pub in Laidley. We had both our Mum’s sign and witness our marriage certificate and we had a toast at the end of our ceremony. Everyone was handed a shot of apple schnapps and we drank a shot of home-made vintage pear schnapps from Germany, with a toast from Josua’s sister Sarah!”

Jessica and Josua were delighted with Van Middleton Photography, telling, ”Van was amazing! So relaxed and chilled, and he managed to get amazing photos while just hanging around in the background. It was exactly what we wanted – no posed or corny photos – just artful, tasteful pictures. We love our pictures and cannot wait to receive our beautiful bound album!”

An alfresco restaurant provided the perfect reception location for the newlyweds, with Jessica sharing, ”Belongil Bistro was the absolute best venue for us. Everyone sat outside under cover, under the fairy lights with the sea breeze flowing through. The venue has amazing food and great staff who worked really well with us for seating plans and menus. It was just across the road from the beach and had a lovely relaxed feel.” The bride also tells of other details she loved throughout her wedding day, saying, ”The flowers were stunning! Victoria Fitzgibbon was so helpful, making mood boards and giving suggestions – I just told her to do her thing and it was outstanding. The band was also amazing – family friends who rocked it.”

Remembering the evening drawing to a close, the bride recalls, ”Our first dance was very special. It was the moment where everything that had happened during this amazing day caught up with me and I was holding the man of my dreams listening to Jack Johnson’s ‘Better Together’ – let’s just say the tears were streaming!!”

A huge congratulations to our beautiful bride and groom on your wedding day, and thank you for sharing it with us! Thank you also to Van Middleton Photography for your stunning photographs.