Beneath the golden Croatian sun, with olive branches rustling gently in the breeze and the scent of wild herbs in the air, Sara and Zeb said their vows surrounded not just by loved ones, but by the helping hands that made their day possible!

In front of a timeworn white-stone villa, with a food truck dishing out local favourites and live music echoing across the vineyards, their wedding became something more than a celebration – it became a communal success, a true gathering of hearts and histories. All captured by Zeb’s longtime best friend and expert photographer – Jack Chauvel!

Sara was working in the café next door, and Zeb was the regular customer who always lingered a little longer at the counter… What started as stolen glances and warm smiles turned into conversations full of spark – until one night, Sara, heart racing, knocked on Zeb’s door mid-party and turned their flirtation into a love story!

Flash forward 13 years, after buying their first home together and just about to welcome their son into the world, Zeb had one more milestone surprise to hit! “He proposed with a ring made by his cousin. He wrote “will you marry me” on a blackboard on our wall but I didn’t notice it, of course :)”

Zeb wore a classic blue Armani suit with a subtle pattern, a white shirt, brown leather accessories and a plum coloured bowtie.

Sara rented an Italian wedding gown in Croatia, with a halter-style neckline and a long, flowing train. “My bridesmaids came with me while I was choosing the dress. I wanted the simplest and plainest white dress with no laces, flowers, sparkles, etc., and I found it – it was super comfortable too, which was very important to me!”

Both Zeb and Sara had three people in their respective wedding parties. Zeb’s groomsmen wore chinos, overalls and blue bowties to match his suit. Sara’s bridesmaids wore infinity dresses from one of their own weddings, in an effort to reuse: something Sara loves to do!

When searching for their dream venue in Croatia, Sara’s only criteria was that it was close to her hometown. “We found a beautiful secluded traditional villa made of local white stone close to a picturesque medieval town and surrounded by olive groves and vineyards! The ceremony and the party happened there, and we stayed at the villa with the wedding party.”

Sara’s friend is a florist and was shocked to hear that she and Zeb weren’t including any flowers in the bouquets or throughout the styling! “The theme of the wedding was olives/olive branches, so I asked just to assemble a bouquet with olive branches from the olive trees in front of my house in Croatia. She did an amazing job with this challenging task of no flowers, and she mixed olive branches (my hometown in Croatia is famous for olives) and eucalyptus (my husband is Australian and eucalyptus is Australian).”

Sara walked down the aisle with her sister to kick off the ceremony.

Like everything else in their destination villa wedding, the ceremony was simple and relaxed! They didn’t include any personal vows, but Zeb did surprise Sara by learning to say “I love you” in Croatian. Their two-year-old son worked hard with his cousin to bring the rings down the aisle to finish the ceremony. “We didn’t think that our son would be able to bring us the rings, but he did it perfectly – it was the cutest moment of the ceremony!”

The top five things that made this destination villa wedding so special for Sara were:

“1. Having a destination wedding in my hometown,

2. Organising it by ourselves with the help of our friends, especially having our friend as the photographer,

3. The most relaxing atmosphere, for example: no sitting at tables, everyone could eat whenever they wanted by going to the food truck and eat and sit anywhere,

4. Having our two-year-old son bringing us the wedding rings at the ceremony,

5. Having an outdoor wedding surrounded by stunning views with olive groves and vineyards, and the beautiful location Jack found for our photo session nearby.”

The most special thing to Zeb and Sara about their wedding was how there were no guests – everyone was a participant! “From serving (extra strong!!!) drinks made and served by our mates, the truffle olive oil gifts for the guests were made by my mate, the florist was my childhood friend, the English interpreter at the ceremony was a very close friend, Zeb’s mum sang at wedding with the band, I knew the food truck with local traditional food people, the transport was organised by my childhood friends, we did our own make up, the bridesmaid dresses were from my friend’s wedding, my friend surprised me and cleaned the whole venue (hungover) the next day as a wedding gift!” she explained.

“However, the person who helped us the most is Jack Chauvel – Zeb’s best friend from high school and the most talented wedding photographer in the world. We wanted a relaxed spontaneous wedding and Jack, with his experience and knowledge, structured our wishes, gave us precious advice, created the schedule and told all the stories in a way only he can. He is the main reason our relaxed, spontaneous wedding wishes turned out perfectly.”

The photographer for Sara and Zeb’s wedding was Jack Chauvel, who is actually Zeb’s best friend from high school! “We always knew that he was extremely talented, but after our wedding we think he is God. Not only did he capture every story, he taught us about wedding schedules and gave us the best advice about organising the whole wedding!!” Sara shared.

“He gave me hints and reminded me about important things – like don’t forget about hugging your sister after she hands you over to Zeb, etc. He scouted a beautiful historical building nearby for our photo session. He was our rock when we were forgetting things from all the emotions. We couldn’t have done it without him. He is the reason our wedding was perfect.”

A piece of advice Sara and Zeb want to leave for future couples planning their own weddings is this: “Don’t be scared to ask for help – it is much more special for your friends and family to be participants of the story than just guests.”

When they began planning their destination wedding, the one thing both Zeb and Sara wanted the most was for the day itself to be relaxed. “That’s why we didn’t want to plan who is sitting where, what time we would eat, etc. And everyone was relaxed!!! They could eat at the food truck or wherever they wanted, jump in the pool, dance to the live music, everything was spontaneous, even the speeches were open for everyone. That’s why the best moments were a great surprise. Even the weather was perfect (and we didn’t have gazebos, etc.) and nothing went wrong like in American wedding movies 🙂 Everything was perfect!”

For their first dance, Sara and Zeb planned to dance to Tina Turner’s “Nutbush”, and encouraged everyone to join them!

Shortly after their first dance, Sara’s favourite moment and photo was captured: her being thrown into the pool, gown and all. “I asked my childhood friend to throw me in the pool in my wedding dress!”

To finish out the night, Sara put on her mum’s dress (after she’d dried off), as one of the subtle nods to loved ones they’ve lost. “Memories of my mum and dad, who died not long ago, and Zeb’s dad, who also died – I wore my mum’s golden watch, Zeb wore a little piece of his dad’s hair in a necklace, I wore my mum’s dress for the party.”

A huge thank you to Jack Chauvel for capturing every sun-drenched moment of this unforgettable day. And to Sara and Zeb – congratulations on a wedding that was as heartfelt, joyful, and beautifully collaborative as love itself!