It was Candice’s favourite day of the year, Christmas Eve when her beloved boyfriend of eight years Jarrod popped the question, “I was unwrapping my Christmas present and found a surprise indeed! Jarrod proposed to me with one of his Nan’s diamond rings, which was so gratuitously gifted to Jarrod by his mum” remembers Candice. “After many tears and warm champagne (Jarrod popped the question in our new home which was still half-built! so no electricity in the house yet!), it finally sunk in that we were finally getting married.”
The pair, who had a vision for a wedding day that was ‘Classic Chic’blending timeless style with modern design, chose Yarra Valley winery Zonzo Estate for their big day. With Perla Photography behind the camera, the day was heartfelt, beautiful and everything these two wanted it to be.
It was the most beautiful next step for the couple who met while working as teenagers in a supermarket. Candice fills us in “We met in 2006 when we were both check-out chicks (or as Jarrod liked to refer to himself as a check-out chick magnet) at Coles. We hit it off straight away and became friends. After a few years of friendship, we went on our first date in 2008 to a pizza restaurant in Melbourne. I ordered a whole pizza to myself to prove to Jarrod that I wasn’t like any other girl he knew. Little did I know at the time, that it was the last time I would ever get to finish any of my food around Jarrod!”
The bride worked with Cappellazzo Couture on her gown, sharing “I wore a gown designed by Sonia Cappellazzo at Cappellazzo Couture in Camberwell. I feel like I went to every bridal store in Melbourne (and Sydney!) before I found Sonia. I loved my dress so much, and I really feel like it completely epitomised me! It was a white, strapless, beaded French lace gown and as soon as Sonia sketched it, I knew it was the one. I wanted a timeless dress that I would be comfortable in, and it definitely delivered.”
Candice and Jarrod chose Zonzo Estate for their wedding, sharing “As soon as we saw Zonzo we fell in love. Everything about Zonzo was amazing – we loved the chapel that was so full of light, the food was incredible and the wedding coordinators were so amazing. We loved the picturesque views as well! It was a complete no brainer for us.”
Candice walked down the aisle with her parents to a live acoustic version of “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne. She tells ” All of our songs on our day were reminiscent of when we lived in London during 2013 and 2014.”
“The ceremony was one of the most important things to us” notes Candice. “We decided to write our own vows and keep them a secret from one another, they blew us both away. We knew the ceremony would be emotional for both of us, and we wanted to ensure we encapsulated who we were. We chose the chapel at Zonzo because of its beautiful light, we thought it was almost magic!”
The ceremony included a special tradition the coupe began, the bride explaining “As part of our ceremony we completed a Truce Bell tradition. Prior to our wedding, we searched high and low for a vintage bell to ring on our wedding day. The premise of the truce bell is to keep it in our homes to remind us of our wedding day. When an argument should arise, we ring the bell to call a truce. It’s sound is meant to remind you of your wedding vows and to conjure up our memories of the day!”
“We loved getting to spend the day celebrating with each other – we felt like we were the luckiest humans in the world” remembers the bride. “There’s no other feeling to describe it except we felt like we were floating!”
“Laura from Perla Photography was amazing” tells Candice of their chosen memory maker .”We both had so much fun with her and the way she captured our day. She made us both feel so comfortable, and nothing felt like a chore! We are so incredibly grateful for her.”
The groom and groomsmen dressed in classic suits from MJ Bale.
Candice explains “Being in marketing, I was pretty adamant about how things were planned and how they looked. My theme carried through from the look of my dress to the boy’s suits, bridesmaid dresses, flowers, invitations, menus, etc. I imagined a classic chic wedding with lots of foliage and greenery – and that’s definitely what it was!”
Candice briefed floral designer Sugar Bee Flowers on creating floral arrangements with plenty of white blooms and greenery, sharing “I was obsessed with having an abundance of flowers at the wedding – and Sugar Bee completely nailed the brief. I wanted Zonzo to be filled with hanging greenery and beautiful white flowers. I loved the look of green and white and even carried it through to the invitations, menus and white bridesmaid dresses.”
Candice raves “Our favourite part of the wedding planning was seeing our vision come to life! I work in marketing, so it was very easy to get a little carried away but I loved every second. We put so much work into planning our day, that I think we appreciated it so much more on the day. Everything was beyond perfect.”
A tune by Ed Sheeran, performed by Issac Main Music led the newlyweds to the dance floor, Candice remarking “All of our songs on the day were all songs that we listened to when we lived in London. So for our first dance, we chose “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran sung by Issac. We also had dance lessons courtesy of You Can Dance. We were adamant that we didn’t want anything too rehearsed but Jarrod threw in a dip or two, almost dropping me in the process! So much fun!”
Candice and Jarrod made sure the dance floor was where they stayed, telling “We made a promise that after speech time was ‘our time’, we absolutely did not move off that dance floor once! There were 120 people in that room, but all we saw were the both of us. It was incredible.”
To make sure every moment was captured, Candice and Jarrod worked with Lightbox Media to capture a film of their day.
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