Nhi & Jordan

June is all about The City Issue, and with their ceremony in the heart of Brisbane CBD, their photographs on the city streets and their reception at a city bar, we really could not think of a celebration that embraces the urban vibes more than this one.

For Nhi and Jordan, they needed to have a wedding that was  “Fun, urban, relaxed, casual, a party&  non-traditional”. And that they did, after enlisting Alister Randell to capture their day, these two chose the traditions they loved, and wholeheartedly embraced them, and then? They added some of their own – our favourite? The bride arriving in a cargo bike, driven by the groom! That’s just the start of the reasons you’re going to fall in love with Nhi & Jordan’s wedding!

Nhi and Jordan first met on a dating app. “We met on a dating app in 2014 (the classic modern love story!)” admits Nhi. “At the time I wasn’t looking for a serious relationship. I felt that Jordan was special, but I had plans to travel and live overseas. Six months after we met, I made the hard decision to pack my bags and move to Vietnam for a year.

When I left we never really had a conversation about whether we’d continue seeing each other long-distance or not – I assumed that I would never hear from Jordan again, or maybe the occasional email. He ended up calling every day! He came to visit me in Vietnam and we also met up in Thailand and Sri Lanka to travel together. After making 3 trips in the space of 6 months to see me I knew then that he was someone to hold onto. I ended up cutting my trip short and came home after 9 months so we could start our lives together.”

It was Christmas morning, the years later when Jordan popped the question. “Jordan proposed on Christmas morning in 2017 at the top of a hill in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast overlooking the beach. He did his best to keep it a secret but I suspected he had something up his sleeve! The stunning engagement ring and beautiful picnic spread were the real surprises and it was lovely to follow up the special moment with a swim in the warm morning sun at our favourite beach.”

Nhi and Jordan met before their ceremony, for photographs, a decision, that along with their choice of photographer, they could not recommend more. “We immediately clicked with our photographer Alister Randell” tells Nhi. “He was professional, friendly, easy-going and approachable. We knew he would capture our day perfectly and most importantly we wanted to work with someone we could get along with.”

The bride wore a beautiful lace frock from Lover. Nhi telling “Some people find this hard to believe, but I had never yearned or thought about my wedding dress. When we started planning our wedding I knew it would be a fun, casual and relaxed occasion so I wanted a dress to suit. At first, I looked at gowns that weren’t wedding dresses, but the ones I loved had designer price tags to match!

I was aware of Lover’s wedding line (one of Jordan’s friends wore a stunning Lover dress for her wedding) and I knew that if I was going to wear a traditional white dress it would be from their collection. I didn’t even look at or try on dresses from any other stores! I tried on a few dresses at Lover and while I loved them all the one I chose stood out the most. The capped sleeves and neckline made it a little more casual, but the beautiful lace and fishtail skirt made the dress stand out.”

Although she kept her look modern, Nhi added a very special piece of jewellery, sharing “I wore Jordan’s Great Grandmother’s diamond pendant necklace, which is over 100 years old. It has been worn by four generations of brides on Jordan’s mother’s side of the family. I felt lucky to wear such a beautiful and special heirloom.”

Groom Jordan chose a suit he already owned. “Jordan actually recycled a dark navy blue suit that he wore as a groomsman at his friend’s wedding. Not a special story, but it’s a great-looking suit and I loved his choice of white tie.”

Nhi and Jordan chose Post Office Square for their wedding ceremony. “It was open and green, and looked onto the heritage-listed General Post Office building” remembers Nhi.

The couple arrived at their ceremony by bike – Jordan driving! Nhi explains the choice. “We wanted to make our wedding truly memorable and so we surprised our guests by arriving at the ceremony in a cargo bike! I’ll never forget the sound of our guests cheering and clapping when we rode through the sandstone archways of the historic General Post Office on our bike – Jordan driving and me in the cargo box.

That part of the city is usually quiet on a Saturday afternoon, but the moment we arrived there were heaps of pedestrians and cars so the quick-thinking staff at Isles Lane held up traffic for our arrival! Originally we wanted to arrive on a tandem bike, but unfortunately, I didn’t think I could ride a bike very gracefully in my dress and heels! The cargo bike ended up being perfect and was also a nod to my Vietnamese heritage, mimicking the cyclos in Vietnam. We did a few laps around Post Office Square before Jordan dropped me off at the top of the aisle. After the ceremony, the guests were able to take the bike for a spin around Post Office Square which was fun to see!”

Nhi walked down the aisle with both her mother and her father, something very important to her.

Melissa Bradford-Evans officiated the ceremony. Nhi noting “For the actual ceremony, we wanted to keep it light but solemn at the appropriate moments. To acknowledge my Vietnamese heritage and Jordan’s Irish background, my cousin read a Vietnamese bible passage and Jordan’s nephew read an Irish blessing. Jordan and I each wrote our own vows, which told the stories of how we first met and the moments we realised we were meant for each other. It was lovely to hear each other’s versions of our story, although Jordan somehow managed to get in a fart joke into his vows!”

Although they have many in their lives who they adore, Nhi and Jordan oped for no wedding party, sharing “We chose not to have a wedding party to keep things simple. Everyone we loved was involved in the wedding in some way and it was important to us that all the guests closest to us were free to enjoy the day.”

And then it was time to celebrate! Nhi and Jordan inviting their guests to a cocktail reception at urban bar Isles Lane  Nhi noting “The reception was held at a gastropub called Isles Lane in Post Office Square, Brisbane CBD. We knew that the reception would be cocktail-style and needed a venue that was casual, relaxed, modern and could accommodate 200 guests. We also wanted a venue that was open and airy, and that didn’t need any extra styling or decoration – Isles Lane was contemporary and cool on its own. The fact that the venue served amazing food and drinks and offered exceptional service was an added bonus!

Isles Lane went above and beyond to make sure our wedding was perfect and as we wanted. I heard the Isles Lane staff were tending to the Post Office Square lawn on the morning of the wedding. We were so impressed by the effort Isles Lane put in to make sure the wedding went smoothly.”

Guests shook handmade tassels as they welcomed the newlyweds.

Plenty of fun was had throughout the night, including the services of Botanical Photo Booths. The bride noting “Lisa at Botanical Photo Booths staffed our booth the whole night and was so friendly, lovely and helpful to all our guests.”

A little Elvis was on the cards for the couple’s first dance. “We didn’t follow many wedding traditions but Jordan and I both love to have a boogey (even though I’m a terrible dancer!) so a first dance was important to us. It’s a bit cliched but we chose Elvis Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love with You’ as our first dance song. My highlight from the whole day was when all our guests sang along as we danced – it was magic!”

 

A big congratulations to the newlyweds! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us! Thank you also to Alister Randell for today’s beautiful imagery.