Jo & Andy

In a day that today’s happy couple, Jo and Andy describe as “modern, classic & fun” the glamour, the elegance was there in spades. An outdoor ceremony, which moved inside at the last minute, set against the beautiful city backdrop, the most beautiful entree to a celebration that was understated, curated and focussing on everything important.

Jo and Andy chose Darin Collinson to capture their quintessentially “Melbourne” day, making the most of beautiful city landmarks as they soaked in every second.

It was a beautiful way for these two to celebrate their meeting, one day on a beach in Thailand. Jo shares their story. “We met in Thailand on our way to the Full Moon party! I had a boyfriend at the time, but we were both travelling with our best friends. We ended up spending the whole night together, drinking buckets and singing on the beach. By coincidence, we were staying at the same resort, so as a group we hung out for a few days. Once the group parted ways, it ended up that Andy and his best friend were on the same flight back as me from Singapore. A few months later in Melbourne, after breaking up with my ex, we decided to go on our first date. As they say, the rest is history.”

It seems amazing experiences in foreign countries is a running theme for these two because they became engaged on a trip to Europe! “We were travelling around Europe and little did I know, Andy was carrying a ring around for 2 and a half weeks in his backpack” remembers Jo. “We arrived in Santorini, and Andy told me we had dinner plans. Once I hopped out of the shower, a beautiful dress and shoes were waiting for me. We made our way to dinner on a private balcony overlooking the sea. After the first course was served, Andy ducked away to the toilet but was asking the waiter to take photos while he proposed. While I was looking at the sunset, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. The waiter had great photography skills!”

The bride found her Made With Love gown at Bluebell Bridal. She even spotted it well before she saw it in real life!  “I had seen a Made with Love dress on Instagram a few months before and loved the classic but modern style of the dress. I visited Bluebell Bridal and the first Made with Love dress I tried on I knew was the one. It suited my body shape and was so comfortable (some dresses are so heavy!) I tried on about 15 other dresses just to make sure (and also to try on some for fun) but knew the first was the one!”

Jo and Andy met before their ceremony for a first look, giving the couple plenty of time for photographs with their wedding party.

The groom and groomsmen dressed in classic black tuxedos, Andy working with Hermen Menswear on a completely custom suit for the day.

Of their photographer, Jo raves “Darin was awesome! He captured so many great moments and memories from the day. Everyone looks like they are having the best time. We wanted minimal posed photos and Darin did a great job with that! At one point he was on the floor on the dance floor capturing the fun around him. We now have the most amazing album displayed on our coffee table.”

Mother Nature dictated the couple to move their ceremony to their reception space, Alto Event Space. Jo explaining “We had planned on having the ceremony in front of the fountain at the Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens. We love old beautiful heritage buildings and the Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage site. Unfortunately, Melbourne weather in January had other ideas and it poured with rain! We always had a Plan B, so on the Friday Andy organised everything to be moved to our reception venue – Alto at the top of the GPO building.

With so many guests coming from overseas, we wanted a central venue which also showcased Melbourne’s heritage buildings. The venue doesn’t feel like a typical wedding venue, more of a restaurant/bar vibe which we loved. Having lots of space for guests (including a balcony) was also important.”

Jo walked down the aisle on the arm of her father to “Tenerife Sea” by Ed Sheeran.

The couple chose Russ Macumber to perform the officiate part of the day, Jo telling “We wanted to keep the ceremony short and sharp so that we could spend as much time with our guests. Our celebrant Russ was awesome at keeping the ceremony funny, engaging and personal. Andy’s sister read a short reading that Andy found, which ends ‘those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.'”

Jo and Andy chose Little Stag Floral Couture to style their flowers, Jo adding special photos to her bouquet wrap. She shares “We went for really classic and simple flower arrangements. I didn’t want to go too OTT with flowers. All our flowers were white with lots of greenery. My bridesmaids and I all had white roses (mine being long-stemmed). Other flowers included hydrangeas and lilies. I really wanted to have photos of family members who were no longer with us on my bouquet. ”

Jo and Andy bottled olive oil and limoncello for guests to take home.

The newlyweds kicked off the dance floor with “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. “We had some dance lessons, which was lots of fun leading up to the day. He didn’t drop me which was a bonus!” tells Jo.

A big congratulations to you both Jo & Andy! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us! Thank you to Darin Collinson for sharing today’s story with us!