Surrounded by the whimsical beauty of nature, Zak and Jack’s whimsical wedding was an enchanting blend of earthly elegance and fairy-tale charm. Set in a vintage boat shed cocooned by water, sand, and sky, their celebration was a love letter to the natural world. From the soft pastel blooms to the sunlight streaming into the venue, every detail was carefully curated to reflect their deep connection to the earth and each other. The day was filled with so many heartfelt surprises, laughter and love, and it was all captured by the talented Kyra Boyer Photography.

As the sun was setting one fateful night, Zak was walking into an improvised comedy troupe. Having just moved to Melbourne from Perth, he wanted to expand his connections, and the moment he walked in, he connected with Jack. Although it wouldn’t be for another year or two that they would have their first date.

It was the weekend Jack took Zak away for a weekend before Christmas that their relationship finally went to the next level. “I think I told him it was to have some quality time together. We arrived at a big, beautiful country cottage in Birregurra, VIC. It was quite extravagant and large for a quiet weekend away. We were the only residence for miles, and we were completely surrounded by land, paddocks, trees, cows and flowers.”

On the day of the proposal, Zak had plenty of surprises to get through before the grand finale. “He loves surprises. We started by horse riding along Fairhaven beach, then Zak had a two-hour hot stone massage, then we swam together in Lorne and came back to the cottage to make dinner together, light a fire and watch the sun set over the paddocks and trees behind the property,” Jack recalls. “Before we sat for dinner, I asked Zak to pass me our backgammon set. I bought this for him during the first couple of weeks of our dating. We have taken this set around the world now and played against each other in many unique and amazing places. I asked him to open it, and inside was an engagement ring I had custom-made for him. He said yes but cried for quite some time (perhaps hours) after this. It was quite the happy shock of a lifetime.”

In 2023, Zak took a photo of the beautiful rocky Irish landscape. This photo became the inspiration for their whimsical, nature-inspired wedding and all the beautiful colours that came with it. “It informed the colours of our suits, our wedding parties’ outfits, our flowers, our invitations and just about everything.”

They both wore three-piece custom suits designed with the team at Institchu in Melbourne.

In Zak’s wedding party, he had his best man, Woody, one of his oldest friends, Amalie, one of his best friends, and Kathleen. “The whole day was filled with too much love, too much joy, and too many surprises. One remarkable story is how Zak’s groomswoman, Kathleen, travelled to our wedding following a recent C-section to be by his side. The strength and commitment of this woman know no limits.”

Jack had his brother Kayne as his best man and his best friends Alicia and Emily as his grooms-women. “The best men were in grey suits, each wearing a tie to match their groom. The groomswomen each wore a dress to represent a colour from our colour scheme.”

The best part of their outfits? The matching whimsical flower crowns that were crafted by Bethany Rote from House of Figs. “She was our flower saviour. We are both so particular and wanted something truly unique. We contacted so many florists, but from the moment we met Bethany, we knew we had finally found the right person for us,” Jack explained.

“We wanted soft, pastel, natural and gentle flowers. We wanted deluxe show-stopping flower crowns that made us look like Irish Fairies. We wanted to dress the beautiful beams at the venue with a knockout flower display that we could be married underneath. Bethany is one of a kind. We connected so deeply with her, and she made our dreams come true.”

Their venue for the day was the beautiful At The Heads in Barwon Heads. “It was in the most picturesque location in Barwon Heads near where I grew up. The food and wine were next level and the staff were a dream to work with. It also held a special memory for us as we had our first-anniversary dinner there.”

Overlooking the gorgeous beach and glittering water, the ceremony took place in this stunning sunroom. After the wedding party had walked down the aisle, Jack and Zak walked together as an acoustic version of “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge played. “One of my best friends, Rutene Spooner, arranged and performed this piece. We cannot listen to his version of this song without crying very happy and grateful tears,” shared Jack.

While the ceremony was traditional, it also felt very relaxed, warm and full of emotions. Their celebrant, Hollie James, led guests through the journey of their love story before moving on to a Tea Ceremony to salute Zak ‘s heritage.

They then had four readings, three of which came from books. Extracts from The Velveteen Rabbit, The Song of Achilles, and The Light In The Piazza were all performed by Zak’s sister Eden, Jack’s uncle James and Jack’s friend Lola. “The fourth reading was a surprise musical performance of Ravel’s “The Fairy Garden,” which is featured in the movie Call Me By Your Name. This was played by Zak’s brother Elijah.”

Once the readings had been done, it was time for Zak and Jack to read their everlasting vows to each other.

They had lots of little DIY touches throughout the day, including this billboard acknowledging their cats, Busan and Minari! They also displayed a timeline of their relationship for guests to walk through.

To honour all the relationships that came before them, Jack and Zak created a shrine of framed photos of all the weddings in their families’ recent history.

All three of these beautiful cakes were made by Jack’s mum, Pauline – and they were rightfully the talk of the town on the night. Complete with two little rabbit toppers.

As a surprise for their guests, Jack and Zak sang a duet of “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie as they cut their cakes; the perfect way to kick off their reception!

Kyra Boyer was their photographer for the day, and in Jack’s own words, “She was and is a dream. We could not have had someone better. She made us comfortable. She was there for us. She caught it all. She is an artist. She is a pro. She is genuine. She is beautiful. We are still unable to choose our favourite pictures months later because every shot is so special and well captured.”

But if Jack had to pick just ONE photo from the day, it’s this photo of him and Zak kissing on the bluff, overlooking the ocean at sunset. “It was a magical moment.”

When asked what his favourite detail of the day was, this is what Jack had to say. “Every detail. We spent two years planning this wedding, and there wasn’t much we hadn’t put a lot of thought into.”

Zak doesn’t have just one memorable moment, but the day as a whole. “I remember feeling so proud that we had brought together so many of our favourite people to one of the most beautiful places in Victoria to eat and drink and dance and cry together in celebration. We planned the whole thing together; it was so US, and it all ran so smoothly,” he shared.

“I loved all the moments where Jack got teary – he’s very cute when he cries, and I like to cuddle him when he does. I loved it when he surprised me by singing one of our favourite songs with a special selection of background singers. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. Or a better husband!”

They both agree that the amount of surprises they fit into one day is part of what made their whimsical, nature-inspired wedding so special. “In fact, even Zak and I had surprises for each other that the other one didn’t know about. I had planned a performance of one of Zak’s favourite songs, and he wrote me an original song. That was pretty unbelievable.”

The biggest surprise of them all? The incredible Latin ballroom dance Zak and Jack had choreographed to Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time”, complete with outfits made by Jack’s friend Alicia!

Please join us in giving Jack and Zak a HUGE congratulations on their incredible wedding! They perfectly pulled together the whimsical colour palette of the Irish countryside with their own flair of style and charm. And thanks to Kyra Boyer for sharing these beautiful images with us.