For today’s feature, think elegant garden party meets relaxed countryside charm. Mewburn Park Homestead set the stage for Nikeisha and Jonathan’s sun-drenched celebration, beautifully captured by Caro from Daisy + Pine and the team from Mim Media. With a ceremony beneath the trees, cocktails on the lawn, and a dance floor glowing under the fairy lights, it was the kind of wedding that perfectly balanced intimacy and fun festivities.

Just as Nikeisha was about to give up on Hinge, she matched with Jonathan – and the connection was instant. “We were sending voice notes and videos within the week. Nikki had already had a date planned for the weekend we started taking and spent the whole night telling Jonno that she wished it was him,” they explained.

“We had our first date at Nikki’s apartment, where she made him pasta from scratch and finished too many cocktails and wine. From then on, it was just love.”

Jonathan proposed at Red Hill Estate in the Mornington Peninsula. “Before proposing, he had orchestrated a wine tasting with Nikki and her friends while he was “playing football”. To Nikki’s surprise, he emerged from the vineyard and proposed with the ring of her dreams. We then enjoyed a quiet celebratory champagne and went for lunch, where Jonno had planned for our families to join us as another surprise.”

Jonathan picked out a robust yet elegant ensemble, with a charming eucalyptus green suit to match the neutral tones of the day. “Green seemed the perfect choice, being both our favourite colour. The suit was accessorised with a personalised pocket-watch, which the bride gifted to me on the morning of our wedding. The suit was custom-tailored from Suitably, which is based out of Richmond. I couldn’t recommend them enough.”

Just three weeks before the big day, Nikeisha was left without a dress, and in her mad rush to find a replacement, she came across Bernadette from Bernadette Pimenta Couture – her saviour! “I ended up choosing my gorgeous couture gown from her samples, and she fitted it with so much reassurance and kindness. I picked up my dress the day before we left for Gippsland and am so happy with how things turned out. My dress was so stunning and unique, and truly a silver lining to the stress!”

Their wedding party was kept intimate, with just Nikeisha’s mum as the Maid of Honour and Jonathan’s brother as the Best Man. “This felt like the perfect choice for us as we are so close with our family and couldn’t think of better people to have by our side. Nikk’s mum wore a sage green dress to match the tones of the day and Jonno’s brother wore another custom Suitably suit with a matching tie.”

Mewburn Park Homestead was the perfect backdrop for this garden wedding. “We fell in love with the homestead from our first visit there. It had everything we envisioned for our day, with gorgeous, lush gardens and a stunning, clear marquee. Nikki had always pictured a clear marquee for the reception, but we were so drawn to the idea of an outdoor ceremony, too. We ended up getting married under the trees and had a garden party cocktail hour. As the sun set during dinner, the fairy lights lit up for a party under the stars.”

All of the flowers were arranged by Nikeisha herself, filling the venue with beautiful bundles of white and green florals. “We went with white florals and natural greenery for the arrangements and table vases that kept things simple and elegant. Nikki had always dreamed of a colourful summer bouquet, but the flowers weren’t quite in season for the wedding, so she arranged silk flowers for the matching bouquet and Jonno’s pocket square. The best part is that we can now have them displayed in our home.”

Nikeisha walked down the aisle by herself, honouring her independent nature, as “Those Eyes” by New West. “Don’t worry, Dad still got a speech!”

The ceremony was modest yet still overflowing with love and emotion, perfectly encapsulating Nikeisha and Jonathan’s relationship. “We had a Christian ceremony with a reading of Colossians, and our amazing pastor Tim gave a brilliant message that paired with it. To add a bit of fun, we pulled out two random names from the guest list and had surprise witnesses to involve everyone in the formalities.”

Ever the romantic, Jonathan has been consistently gifting Nikeisha flowers throughout their relationship, and Nikki had been drying details from each bouquet. After so many bouquets, she had more than enough dried petals saved for their guests to shower them as they exited the ceremony! “It felt so special as it showed that we really did know from the beginning that we were meant to be.”

As a fun, interactive part of their cocktail hour, Nikeisha and Jonathan included a painting station for guests to enjoy. “This was a fun activity for them to do, but also we now have a lovely painting hanging in the study that was created by our loved ones (although it won’t be winning any art awards),” Nikeisha shared.

“We also made sure to have a private entree as the guests settled into the marquee; our entree and some drinks were brought to the signing table at our ceremony location, and we had some time to just sit, talk and soak in the joy of being newly married.”

Caro from Daisy + Pine was the perfect photographer to capture this garden wedding, and Nikeisha and Jonathan couldn’t have loved her more. “She was so accommodating and professional, but also just felt like we were hanging out with a friend all day. The photos are all so stunning, and we are so pleased that they turned out as they did. We would highly recommend her to everyone.”

Nikeisha took many elements into her own hands, taking on the flowers, the tablescapes, the garden decor and, of course, the wedding cake! As a cake maker herself, there was no question who would create their cake.

Of all the beautiful details from their wedding, these five moments took the cake:

“1. Marrying each other in front of God and our loved ones.

2. Partying with our family and friends.

3. Seeing our vision and all our hard work planning come together.

4. Our wedding dance

5. The wedding speeches.”

Both Jonathan and Nikeisha had advice they wanted to leave for future couples planning their own weddings, saying:

“Jonno: Make sure that the wedding reflects you as a couple.

Nikki: Don’t think of yourselves as the hosts, but the guests of honour.”

When it came to their favourite shots from the day, Jonathan’s favourites were the magazine-worthy portraits of the pair sitting down on the grass. “Caro randomly asked if we were up for sitting on the ground, and we’re always down for a creative vision.”

But for Nikeisha, any of the photos of her and Jonathan in front of Mewburn’s historic stables have a special place in her heart.

But what really made their garden wedding special, was the staff at Mewburn Park! “The staff were exceptional and so worth a shout-out. They were so organised, guest-oriented and made sure the day ran smoothly. Not to mention that one legend that literally ran the whole way down the driveway to bring us drinks during our couple’s shoot.”

Nikeisha choreographed their first dance by herself, to “Lover” by Taylor Swift. “There were lifts, dips and turns, and even though he was very nervous, Jonno absolutely nailed it. Everyone loved it. We spent months practising and really enjoyed spending the quality time together,” she explained.

“Practising our dance was just a wonderful thing to do together and made that moment during the reception even more special because we did it as a team and got to enjoy showing our loved ones what we worked on.”

A huge congratulations to Nikeisha and Jonathan on creating such a heartfelt and joy-filled celebration. And a big thank you to Caro from Daisy + Pine for capturing every magical moment so beautifully.