After postponing their wedding twice thanks to COVID, Chloe and Jono, who live in Melbourne, we’re excited to celebrate their wedding surrounded by family and friends in their favourite seaside destination – Noosa. And then, Mother Nature threw another cure ball. “The day before the wedding, one of the most severe weather systems in over a decade ploughed its way through Noosa and the rest of Southeast Queensland. What was meant to be a predominantly outdoor wedding, quickly became a wet weather emergency!”

With the help of their dream team of suppliers, including photographer Bulb Creative (this wedding has all the justified rave reviews) the couple switched up their plans, and their beach-turned-restaurant wedding turned out still to be the dream they’d hoped it to be. “The lengths people went to, to get to our wedding in the middle of a natural disaster was enough!” laughs Chloe “Beyond that, the love and laughter that was felt by every one of our guests on the day were unforgettable. Our wedding day wasn’t what we planned, it wasn’t even the backup, but it was undeniably the best day, weekend, week of our lives.”

With a proposal in Noosa,  “Jono proposed while on a sunset walk through the National Park. I was completely surprised and was not expecting it at all!” Chloe and Jono’s story actually begins years ago in another seaside town – Portsea! “We first met at Portsea Surf Living Saving Club during a live-in camp to earn our Bronze Medals – I was 15, Jono 17. We held a spark for each other from the first moment we met, travelling in similar friendship circles but didn’t actually get together until after Uni (10 years ago).”

Jono wore a classic, glam suit by a Melbourne designer, tells Chloe. “Jono had a custom made 3-piece suit made by the extremely talented Angela Nicolades (a boutique tailor in Richmond, Melbourne). He and his groomsmen all had matching suits made for the day in deep navy, but Jono wore a white bow tie, while the others wore navy ties. The suits were superb!”

“I always considered myself to be quite a traditionalist when it comes to weddings,” notes Chloe, “I always loved to hear the stories of any given brides ‘something new, something old, something borrowed, something blue’ and so for me I wanted to make sure I ticked those boxes, something old, borrowed and blue was Clare’s aquamarine, which left only the ‘something new’ which could have easily been my wedding dress, but in the lead up to the wedding, I saw a pair of earrings (bee’s) and told my best friend and co-maid of honour, Luisa about as I thought they could go perfectly with the dress and she bought them for me as a gift.

When I put them on with the dress they didn’t quite work, but my fairy godmother dressmaker, Sonia Cappellazzo had a genius idea to place them on the dress instead, they looked insane on my right hip on the day and it’s a detail I’ll remember forever.”

Chloe, however, chose Cappellazzo Couture to make her gown; a long time coming! “When I started my wedding dress adventure, Sonia Cappellazzo was the first person I went to see. I knew her brand and had admired her work for years. Upon arriving at her showroom, Sonia and her team greeted my mum and I with warmth and energy that was palpable.

After discussing my ideas, Sonia drew a perfect concept that nailed the vision I had in my head, and I was immediately sold. But it was when she sent me away, after learning that I hadn’t been to see any other dresses and said ‘if it’s meant to be me, then it will be’ that made me admire her professionalism and confidence in what she does. Six months later I was back at Sonia’s showroom and Sonia drew me almost an identical design to the original we had discussed – it was always going to be her! I was absolutely blown away by the dress that Sonia created for me!”

Surprisingly, the indoor ceremony, which was held at Ricky’s Bar and Restaurant along with the reception, was the backup choice. “The ceremony was meant to be outdoors, in the sunshine, on the beach however due to the weather, we ended up having to shift all events to Ricky’s. Our suppliers did the most incredible job of making the space look beautiful and as close to how we had imagined it as possible.

Despite all of the chaos of the weather, when the moment arrived, my dad and I took a minute to take a drive down the main street, reminiscing on all the amazing memories we had shared in ‘our special place’ before we arrived at Ricky’s, and he walked me down the aisle. I was incredibly anxious but at the same time SO excited to see Jono and all our family and friends who had travelled far and wide to be there for us and it was a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life when I finally walked down that aisle.”

“I walked down the aisle to “Come Away with Me” by Norah Jones song live by the incredibly talented Jax & Josh on keyboard” remembers Chloe. “My dad, Paul walked me down the aisle – I cried the whole way down! I couldn’t possibly have a favourite moment, the entire day was the best of my life, but if I had to choose, it would be seeing Jono’s face for the first time at the end of the aisle.”

The couple were married by Jay Flood – Noosa Style Ceremonies. “We had two readings that we chose for the ceremony, one was read by Jono’s aunt, Robyn who had travelled from New Zealand, especially for the day and the other was read by one of our best friends ‘Cen’ (Oli Cendenese). Two readings that mean a lot to Jono and I and we were honoured to have both individuals part of our special day.”

Even with the rain, these two still loved every moment of working with their photography team. “Harley and Jarrod from Bulb Creative were the perfect balance of professional and personal on the day, pivoting and going with the flow even in the face of horrendous weather. They found the humour in the situation and were an absolute joy to work with.”

Chloe’s favourite shots of the day included the entire wedding party. “The Vanity Fair-inspired shoot at my parents’ house ended up producing the most amazing shots. They are so different to anything we’ve ever seen from wedding shots; we ADORE them.”

The feast was where this venue really shone, guests settling in for a delicious long lunch. “Originally, we had chosen to get married just off the beach and then move our guests to Ricky’s for a late lunch, however, due to the weather, we ended up having the entire day at Ricky’s and it was spectacular! We chose Ricky’s as it’s our favourite restaurant in Noosa and as keen foodies, it was important to us that the food offering at our wedding be spot on. Not only is the food spectacular, the aspect and service were (and continue to be) second to none so it was really a ‘no-brainer’ for us.”

Chloe and Jono adored all of their vendors, but Chloe says that without a doubt, their top pick would be their wedding planner Lovebirds Weddings. “After having to postpone the wedding twice, the day before the wedding, one of the most severe weather systems in over a decade ploughed its way through Noosa and the rest of Southeast Queensland. What was meant to be a predominantly outdoor wedding, quickly became a wet weather emergency Waking up on your wedding day, not knowing where or how you’re going to get married after 3+ years of planning was stressful to say that least, but amongst the chaos, we took comfort in knowing that we had surrounded myself with incredibly talented, passionate, and beautiful suppliers and friends.

The positivity, drive, and professionalism that Trudy and her entire team showed were simply remarkable. Shielding us from a world that was caving in around us and managing our emotions with grace and compassion. They moved mountains for us and delivered us the best day of our lives, surrounded by the people we love most, in the place we love most. What more could we have ever wanted?! We don’t have the words to thank Trudy and Lovebirds team enough.

While you can spend months, if not years planning your ‘perfect’ day, ultimately, there is only so much that you can control, and you need to be open to change on the day. Investing in a wedding planner is the best money you’ll ever spend. If you do choose to go with a planner, make sure you select one that truly understands your values and vision for the day and then trust them to guide and direct you in delivering your vision. A good planner is worth their weight in gold and if you’re as lucky as us, your planner will become a part of the family!”

The floral arrangements of white blooms and greenery were styled by Mondo Floral Designs. “We went with Mondo Floral Designs upon Trudy Croad’s (our wedding planner) recommendation, and we were mind blown by the service we were provided by Terri-Anne and her team. They were INCREDIBLE!”

And then it was time to get the party started, Chloe and Jono kicking things off with a first dance to “You Make My Dreams Come True” by Daryl Hall & John Oates. Says Chloe “We had dancing lessons with the amazingly talented (and patient) Hooman Ebadi (HD Entertainment) and he choreographed the dance for us.”

Oh you know we love a good dose of gratitude so with that we say thank you to Chloe and Jono for sharing all the stories of their day with us! Thank you both and thank you Bulb Creative for today’s beautiful shots!