We’ve been together 1 year the first time – yep there were 2 rounds. Like a typical boy, Sij never had time for Jo as he had just purchased and started renovated a house so she got fed up with it and said the relationship wasn’t for her. Yet they remained friends because of the family connection. After about of 5 years, and many attempts to get Jo to come over, Jo’s cousins husband Giovanni came down for another visit, in which she finally went over. You see, over the years and the distance between, there was always this underlying connection that kept us in touch. We loved watching The Block and would sit there analysing couple’s decisions over text messages. We even applied one year as ‘Ex Lovers’ with a hope to get on! After another 6 months of trying to get Jo to give it another chance, she finally gave in and so comes Sij + JoJo 2.0.

Our proposal story goes like this. Jo wanted to get to New York and Sij wanted to go visit friends in China, and so the whirlwind trip around the globe was in full swing! First stop China. We were on the Great Wall of China, in a village contained by a 320 degree view of the wall, untouched and original, sweating in parts one shouldn’t and Sij pulled out the engagement ring from his cigarette pocket, 1 day into our trip and said “now you look after it”.

We allowed ourselves a year to organise our big day, which gave us plenty of time to get our ducks in a row.

My ring was from Bozza Jewellers (and the groom’s ring was from Love 2 Have).

Being a graphic designer, the invitations had to be ‘wow’ so Jo made the invites herself and there was no expense spared. They had the industrial chic edge we wanted and being a trade they suited both of us. They had a brush metal front and a pin wheel that the receiver had to spin to get the details, making them very interactive. They were also beautifully wrapped in a self mailer which is something that isn’t done very often. Sparklers & Confetti  assisted with the stationery.

My makeup was by Beauty by Fadhel  and I also opted for no veil and had a hairpiece by Vera Xane that I could wear again at the races.

I knew I wasn’t going to find a dress off the shelf so I had heard of Signor Mont Couture and we clicked straight away, he knew I wasn’t a girly girl and the brief was no lace. I knew I wanted grey on It and not the traditional mermaid ivory gown that is still popular today.

My shoes were from Ginger & Smart and my earrings were Swarovski. I also had past family members on my bouquet, in particular, my father who had passed away several years before.

Sij ware a tie from Hextie , shoes from  Quel  and a watch from Michael Kors. His suit was from MJ Bale .

The flowergirls wore tutus and crowns from Etsy.

The flowers were arranged by Azalea Florists .

The ceremony was held at St Thomas Aquinas  and the bride arrived in a bright yellow cab from Checker Cabs Wedding Cars.  “The driver was named Michael which was also my dad’s name. The boys also brought Rosé for us girls, but then left in the car that left (first), so massive fail!”

Music for the pageboy/flowergirl entrance was Jump around, House of Pain.

As my father has passed away and I was only having my best friend as my maid of honour, I decided to have her walk with me rather than in front, was such a nice feeling someone was doing it with me and who better than someone I have been friends since kindy. My bridesmaid wore a gown by Jadore. I walked down the aisle to XO rendition.

Sij’s uncle was the priest and had performed the ceremony. I had no idea what I was doing as we’d had no rehearsal so just went with the flow.

We saw a few venues but they were either too posh or just not us. We aren’t the real whiz bang type of couple, we love more industrial chic and Cargo Hall had a bit of grunge to it and was more the look we were going for somewhere close in the city. We decided on Industrial chic meets copper and concrete as our wedding theme.

One of our standout vendors was Karinda from Cargo Hall who was like a BFF in disguise, she really did go above and beyond and met up with me a few times before the day, was always contactable and a dream to work with.

The cake was made by Michelle Hopkins with a cake topper by Grain & Co .

We made the table decorations ourselves out of Hebel blocks which we made into planters and spray painted. These were also left on a table for guests to take home and they all disappeared! We also put together the bonboniere gifts and limoncello favours and made the wedding direction sign.

Our favourite memory was sitting amongst our guests rather than on a pedestal surrounded with the traditional round tables.

Our first dance was to Never Tear Us Apart, INXS.

So after the wedding day, what does her marriage mean to the bride? She tells “Someone I can annoy for the rest of my life. As we lived together I don’t believe anything has changed (apart from the tattoo on my ring finger and the extra gold weighting it). Coming from a divorced family, I believe marriage is hard work and rewarding at the same time. Its the one person that will always have your back and put up with your crazy family.”

And for those of us yet to tie the knot? “Write a budget, don’t lose your job and don’t try to start your own business and buy an apartment all at the same time lol. I should have stressed all the fatness out of me but it only made me stronger lol”.

 

Ms Polka Dot says: What a beautiful day! All the hexagonal details, the touches of copper and the industrial feel of the blocks and the venue made for a day filled with meaning and style.

 

About Joanne and Sij: Jo is a Graphic Designer and has been working in Advertising since she was a wee 23 year old. Sij is an electrician who has seen his career take him from running his own business in Sydney to working on projects in Dubai with a pit stop in Melbourne, which he never left. Ironically they grew up in the same area but never met. They have a bundle of mutual friends and would have been at the same weddings and functions, yet never noticed each other. Jo had moved to Melbourne in 2008 and Sij a year later. It took them another year to meet when Jo’s cousin and husband (who were also friends with Sij) came for a visit and introduced them.