It was twelve years of love story before Helena and Jake finally tied the knot. Well, twelve years and six months, because you would never guess from how perfect this day was, that these two had to postpone their wedding day for six months. The pair, who chose a beautiful vineyard in the Adelaide Hills for their big day, were blessed with perfect weather – as evidenced in every beautiful shot by EVKA.  And on top of the postponement? They escaped having to postpone again by literally hours. “It was amazing that the fact that VIC went into lockdown at midnight the night of our wedding” remembers Helena, “so we literally just made it in time and JUST avoided needing to reschedule for a second time!”

Twelve years of stories began in 2009 when the pair met in high school. Their inseparable relationship was cemented on a trip to Europe. “We were travelling in Europe, after being together for 10 years,” remembers Helena “when Jake proposed at the top Monte Urgull, San Sebastian in Spain. The weather had been cold and rainy, however with only 48hrs in San Sebastián we decided to rug up and explore anyway. As we climbed to the top of Monte Urgull the rain stopped, the sun came out, and Jake got down on one knee and proposed. It was very special.”

Getting ready with her favourites was just part of Helena’s joy of the morning. “Jake surprised me with a beautiful little Labrador puppy for a wedding gift! He had organised my bridesmaids to give me an envelope with a photo of the puppy on the morning of the wedding. We named him Howie, after Howard Vineyard. He is beautiful (but cheeky!).”

Helena donned a beautiful, modern, off the shoulder wedding gown by designer Caleche. “Caleche did a beautiful job, and made the whole process easy, exciting and enjoyable” she remembers. “Particularly given the border restrictions with COVID which resulted in dress fittings being delayed on many occasions! We live in an NSW/VIC bordertown and the wedding was in SA so there was a significant period of time that we couldn’t travel into SA. My dress was a simple, elegant, off the shoulder style.”

The beautiful setting of Howard Vineyard allowed Helena and Jake to make the most of the stunning weather. Helena telling “The ceremony was under the oak tree in the garden, it was perfect weather and such a beautiful location. The staff were absolutely amazing, they were warm and welcoming from the first time we stepped in the door to enquire about their wedding services.

Laura and Mia did everything possible to make our day perfect and went over and above to help us when we had to postpone our wedding (initially planned for October 2020 however postponed due to COVID border restrictions) and to make sure our day was perfect despite some COVID restrictions still being imposed at the time. Howard Vineyard had a lovely family feel, is a beautiful location and the food and wine was delicious!”

Helena walked down the aisle to the Jasmine Thompson version of Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” – she was accompanied by her father. Jake’s favourite memories of the day? “I remember how I felt when Helena was walking down the aisle, and how much fun we all had on the dance floor later on in the evening!”

Helena remembers the ceremony as the best bit of the day, the pair choosing Married By Ali to officiate. “Our ceremony was lovely and our favourite part of the day! We had Ali Phillips as our Celebrant and she did a wonderful job of writing our ceremony script. Ali made us feel comfortable instantly and made such an effort to understand us as a couple. Her script seemed like she’d known us for years. It was funny, warm and personal. We chose the reading as in the words of Richard Bach in ‘The Bridge Across Forever and Blessing of the Hands’ by Reverend Daniel L. Harris”.

The beautiful, elegant blooms for the day were the work of  Botanik Floral Designs. “Paige is from our home town and travelled to SA to organise our flowers. The flowers were a classic, green and white style, and were absolutely beautiful. The bride had a bouquet of blush roses, and the bridesmaids had white roses. Paige also created a beautiful hanging arrangement above the bridal table for the reception that was absolutely amazing.”

“Ev from Evka Photography was absolutely wonderful” raves Helena. “As two people who are very awkward in front of a camera, we felt very at ease during the whole process. We loved Ev’s work, particularly the fact that her photos were natural, candid shots. We are extremely happy with the photos we received, and how quickly she provided us with such high-quality photos!”

“Enjoy every moment, the day goes by so fast!” advises Helena. “Don’t stress about the small things, it’ll all be perfect no matter what. Definitely hire a photographer and videographer so you can relive the day over and over again!”

Guests were seated at long tables for a dinner reception. Says Helena  “We had an intimate group of approximately 90 guests, our closest friends and family who made the whole day so special. The food and wine that was delicious !”

Helena and Jake took to the dance floor to Shania Twain’s “You Still The One”. The bride laughing as she admits “We were absolutely shocking dancers and took no lessons beforehand, but still enjoyed ourselves.”

Bensley Media was enlisted by the couple to capture their day on film. The result? This beauty!

A big congratulations to you both Helena and Jake! Thank you for sharing your beautiful wedding day with us and thanks to EVKA. for sharing today’s celebration with us.