Kristyn & Jayden

You’d never normally consider the industrial areas of your suburb to tie the knot, but for Kristy and Jayden, the Melbourne Bayside suburb of Highett had a secret warehouse in store, and it was just what the bride had dreamt of. “I (Kristyn) have always dreamt to get married in a white warehouse” explains the bride. “Just after we got engaged and began looking for venues we came across a new and upcoming venue due to be opening in September that year.” With 40rd Event Warehouse locked in, the pair set about planning a day that was “a fun, sophisticated Palm Springs styled wedding, with pops of colours, and classic attire” enlisting Smokey Oscar to capture it all!

After meeting at church, and a somewhat rocky journey, Jayden popped the question at Hillsong Conference. Kristyn explaining  “After a year of dating, we both had a lot going on in our lives and felt that we needed time apart. We ended up breaking up and didn’t speak to each other for 6 months. We both attended a conference in Sydney (Hillsong Conference) in July and reconnected on the last night through mutual friends, from there we rekindled our relationship. A year later Jayden proposed to me on the last night of the same conference as everyone was leaving the arena. The date happened to be the 7/7/17. Which I absolutely loved, as seven is the number of completeness and perfection. Which felt so appropriate for us, as we said yes to marriage and see our relationship come 360 degrees and completing what was started all those years ago.”

Jayden chose a black floral velvet suit at Jack London and instantly knew it was “the one”.

“I have loved Grace Loves Lace for many years now and always dreamt to wear one of their gowns” shares Kristyn. “I found my perfect dress when I visited the Gold Coast with my parents 7 months before the wedding. I never imagined myself in a high neck dress and to be completely honest, it was almost the exact opposite of the style of dress I was looking for, but when I tried it on it nothing else compared to it and I always found myself going back to it – and so I got it! It was elegant, sexy, comfy and had the low back I desired and fitted in perfectly with our wedding style!”

Kirstyn and Jayden were actually the very first wedding at the venue 40rd Event Warehouse, The bride remembering “It was actually so fun we got to see 40rd it in its early stages before it was officially open for business. With our wedding almost a year away, we could see the vision of what it was going to look like, with plenty of time for it to unfold. Katie and her team at 40rd were super creative and not afraid to play around with colour and new concepts to create a vibrant and fun new venue.

Each time we went back to visit/meet with them, a new wall was painted, additional details were added, new lights, new plants… we truly felt like we were apart of seeing this exceptional space come into existence. The polished concrete floors, simplistic industrial charm and natural lighting were huge wins for us. I wanted something spacious and simple which we were able to put our own touch on without having to add too much. 40rd was a perfect blank canvas, with enough texture and detail to add character and atmosphere! We were in love!”

Kristyn created the wedding stationery herself!

Kristyn and Jayden chose very significant songs to them both for points throughout the day. “My dad walked me down the aisle to a song that is super significant to Jayden and I – Captain by Hillsong United” remembers Kristyn. “It was also fitting, as later we would get some photos by the ocean. Some of our favourite lyrics: “Through waters uncharted my soul will embark, I’ll follow Your voice straight into the dark, And if from the course You intend, I depart, Speak to the sails of my wandering heart”.”

The bride’s father had one secret in store, Kristyn explaining “My dad was hilarious and shaved our initial’s in the back of his head. I had no idea he planned to do this (Jayden saw earlier in the morning). As he walked me down the aisle everyone was emotional and all of a sudden I could hear laughter erupt from behind us, and it wasn’t until dad hugged Jayden that I saw the back of his head and realised what everyone was laughing at. It was hilarious!!”

“I think our vows were the most powerful words we’ve ever spoken to another person” tells Kristyn. “To commit ourselves wholeheartedly for life to one another was truly the most special moment not just of our wedding, but of our entire lives.”

“We wanted to have a short and meaningful ceremony, we wanted to really focus on our vows and the commitment we were making to each other,” tells Kristyn, the couple choosing Samuel Lim to perform the legal obligations. “We had one of our close friends and pastor marry us. He spoke an incredible message on the wedding feast, where Jesus turned water into wine and how the best wine was saved till last – which is unusual, as you would generally drink the best wine first and then switch to cheaper wine later in the night. But Jesus was depicting what married life is like, it gets richer and better with time, and the best is still yet to come.”

“The photo of us laughing after our first kiss is our favourite,” tells the bride. “This shot captures the pure joy, happiness and excitement we experienced on our wedding day. And is a representation of the joy and fun we’ve had in our first year of marriage so far! Every time I look at that photo I’m immediately taken back into the moment.”

Being so close to the bay, seaside wedding photos were a must for the newlyweds, Kristyn not able to stop raving about their choice of photographer. “Jenna is an absolute photography genius! She captured our wedding in the most natural and candid way. We didn’t want many (if any) staged photos, and really wanted the day to be captured as authentically as possible, and she did just this. But beyond her amazing photography & editing skills, we fell in love with her as a person! She went over an above with arranging cool smoke bomb props for us, as well as her fun creative ideas when we met up with her to brainstorm and go over the details of the wedding. She is the sweetest and loveliest person you’ll ever meet! So easy going, confident and is just as excited as you are about your wedding! She makes it feel so personal and has a real eye for details.”

Bright and beautiful floral details on the day were styled by Oh Hello Petal. Kristyn sharing “The brief given to our florist was “palm spring vibes”, we also wanted a wallcreeper-style altar arch going up the wall. We had the most incredible florist (oh hello petal) who provided us with mood boards for us to envision what the flowers would look like. She also suggested adding pastel spray painted foliage to capture the colours in the bouquets and venue colour palette. Somehow she created the most incredible wall arch, I am still blown away today by what she created for us. It was absolutely divine! Also, her cute little touches gave me the loveliest surprise when I realised there were tiny pineapples hidden in my bouquet!”

Long tables were left bare, topped with minimal, yet sculptural floral details, folded napkins and menu details, to allow the space to shine.

Guests sat down for a festive, shared feast created by Fourside Food Design + Events.

Kristyn says “We loved having so many incredible close friends and family involved in our day. From singing at the ceremony, MCing our reception, signing our registry, gifting us a car for the day, filming, handing out ceremony programs, running the photobooth etc.. Just having everyone a part of it.”

Tells Kristyn of their first dance “Our first dance was to Ed Sheeran “Perfect”. The lyrics were so perfect. We didn’t get to have photos at the end of the night of our first dance. But we got some shots down on the cliff front at the beach – which was technically our first dance anyway”.

A big congratulations to you both Kristyn and Jayden! Thank you for sharing the beautiful stories of your day with us. Thank you also to Smokey Oscar for today’s gorgeous images!