With a warehouse backdrop, an abundance of Spring blooms, and the perfect blend of modern romance and sweet whimsy, Shannon and Jack’s wedding was briefed as “something classic with a touch of whimsy to it. We also wanted our guests to have heaps of fun.” And my my my, Brisbane sure put on a show for these two, because this story? As evidenced by the photographs shot by Trent & Jessie, not just stunning in its moments, but also stunning in its detail. “I think bringing the vision to life was the best part” says Shannon. “It was fun to think about all the elements and really hone in on the parts that matter to you, as a couple.”

After meeting at work, the couple took a few sideways glances, before they finally started talking at a work event. “We exchanged numbers and went our separate ways, only to meet up at the after party” remembers Shannon. “After leaving that I just sent the classic ‘You Up?’ message and Jack responded, so I told him to come over. Now it’s not going where you think. I ended up falling asleep in my gown waiting for Jack while he got me McDonald’s. The next day I had to send an apology text which Jack nearly didn’t reply to but thankfully he did and the rest is history.”

It was on their third anniversary that Jack set the perfect plan to ask Shannon to marry him. “It was our third anniversary and Jack’s year to plan. It was 2021 and we had decided on a staycation because of COVID. He had booked a room in the valley and planned an afternoon event. We went down to New Farm park and he had organised a picnic set up. It was beautiful.

We talked and ate and after an hour Jack was weird. I started talking about some big in-depth conversation to which Jack kept saying ‘oh cools’ and ‘maybes’. What I didn’t realise is that he had one of our friends, who is a photographer, hiding in bushes waiting to capture the proposal. It was so sweet and the pictures are so beautiful.”

Not only did  Trent & Jessie capture the stills of the day, but they also captured this beauty of a film. Shares Shannon “Our photographers/videographers were amazing! Trent, Jesse and Tim are such a good team. They were doing our friend’s wedding and they raved about them so we booked them too. From the beginning, they were friendly and easy to work with.

On the day, they made everything super fun and easy and I think the photos reflect this. We love so so many of the photos and love that there is nearly a single shot of every one of the guests.”

Jack went for classic black, remembers Shannon. “Jack wore a classic tux suit jacket with black slacks, white shirt and a black bow tie. In truth, he wore it because I always loved the idea of him wearing a black tux. He originally wanted to wear a dark grey suit.”

Shannon’s beautiful boat neck gown came complete with a dramatic, oversize bow. She shares “When I was looking for a dress there were two options that were very different. One was very romantic and the other had more classic, cool girl vibes. I ended up going with the more classic look because I think it worked better with our overall vibe of the day. I also love a back detail on a dress and this one had that. I went to a couple of wedding shops but in the end, got my dress handmade. Throughout the experience, I learnt a lot about dressmaking and it certainly made it easier when it came to alterations etc.

I loved the idea of having some coloured shoes, from Pink Inc,  with my outfit to add a pop of colour. I kept my jewellery simple – only earrings which were both from Molten Store.”

Brisbane warehouse venue  The Refinery was an easy option when Shannon & Jack laid eyes on it. “The refinery was everything I wanted in a venue. It ticked the boxes on what I was looking for” explains Shannon. “It has great food and wine options, a  ceremony and reception space, which meant no one had to go anywhere. It didn’t need heaps of decorations to make it look really beautiful, it had a bunch of inclusions we liked and  Rach, who heads up the team, was super helpful.”

The flowers (those poppies!) embraced every bit of the Spring season. Maddie Jaydee created multiple arrangements that were used throughout the day.  “Our florist was an absolute superstar” exclaims Shannon. “I stumbled across her on Instagram and instantly knew from her page she was the vibe I was looking for. When we first met I described I wanted something that kind of looked like colourful wildflowers. I wanted to soften the space using flowers. She delivered! Even when I threw a hanging flower installation at her late in the game.”

“I did walk down the aisle and it was one of the most emotional parts of the day” remembers Shannon. “I had nieces as my flower girls and I walked down with my dad, which was something I had always dreamed I would do. I went with “Beautiful Crazy”‘ by Luke Combs, I love country music and this is one Jack also likes.”  The day included many special little details too. “With having lost my grandparents and Jack recently losing two of his we wanted to include a candle with a note to acknowledge the important people in our lives that weren’t there.”

 

The ceremony was designed to be personal, with Shannon & Jack giving officiant Natalie Enlund a very clear brief. “We told our celebrant that we wanted the ceremony to give people who aren’t able to be part of our day-to-day, a real insight into our story and life. I’m not from Brisbane so a lot of my friends and family haven’t been able to see Jack and I’s relationship play out.

We also wanted it to be fun and sentimental. Fun in our story and sentimental in our vows. Jack and I hadn’t shared our vows so it was super special to hear those.”

“Pick the three most important things to you as a couple to have on your wedding day and stick to that” advises Shannon. “It’s easy to get caught up in wedding planning but always go back to what you want the day to be.”

Each guest took home a delicious boxed sweet treat. “Our bonbonnière was also something we love – brownies! We have a tradition of making brownies for valentines day every year so we wanted to incorporate it into our day. I Heart Brownies were perfect for this and the perfect shape (a love heart).”

“I tried to keep the DIY to a minimum because I wanted a very chill run into the wedding day.

We did print a bunch of polaroid photos to hang in the alley way everyone entered the ceremony through, which captured moments across our relationship.”

The speeches were a definite highlight. “We laughed, we cried, we thoroughly enjoyed our friends takes on us and our relationship.”

For their first dance Shannon roped Jack into a choreographed number to Donna Lewis’ “I Love You, Always Forever”. “As an ex-dancer, I wanted to do a fun choreographed part of our first dance. Jack isn’t much of a dancer so it was something fun we got to do together in the lead-up to the wedding.

We chose a song that is a classic that was both fun and that we could partner dance to. I choreographed the dance (the first 90 seconds) and then we practised over and over again in the living room. Everyone was so shocked on the night and it was such a fun way to kick off the dance floor.”

 

The biggest congratulations to you both Shannon & Jack. Thank you both for sharing your beautiful stories with us and thank you to Trent & Jessie for the beautiful imagery.