Under soft winter light and the sound of Canon in D, Jed and Ola exchanged vows that felt as bright as the day itself. Their intimate Wollongong wedding was small by design – a moment to pause and reflect before their big UK celebration, shared only with their closest friends.⁠ Every detail felt deliberate and deeply personal, with Dejana Cubrilovic capturing every heartfelt moment, the day unfolded like a quiet romance book.

Jed and Ola’s love story is a true rivals-to-lovers tale, sparking after first crossing paths during hospital rotation as final year medical students. “We were attending different medical schools at the time, but were assigned to work together on a joint project in the hospital. Within thirty minutes of our meeting, we fell out spectacularly and proceeded to complain about each other to anyone who would listen. Shortly after, one of us suffered an injury, which made us put our differences on pause as we continued to work together during a period of uncertainty. It then took us another two months to admit we liked each other!”

When Ola jokingly said that anything less than writing in the sky for their proposal, and she would say no, Jed took that literally! “I found a stunt pilot locally who offered to perform some acrobatics and draw a love heart in the sky with smoke. I was very lucky because this isn’t something that he had done before. I got down on one knee, and thankfully, she said yes as I had all of her friends and family waiting at home to surprise her! Amazingly, our local newspaper covered the story, and you can read about it here.“Jed shared.

To bring together Jed’s look for this intimate wedding, he and Ola enlisted the help of two Canberra-based tailors: Roger Bartholomew and Blades. “They were so professional, knowledgeable and worked very quickly to turn the suits around in time. We could not recommend them highly enough,” Ola explained.

“Jed’s grandfather had a collection of Citizen watches, and he wore an engraved blue and silver Citizen watch to match his suit for the Wollongong wedding, which he will cherish forever.”

As Ola and Jed had a bigger wedding planned with all of their friends and family back in the UK, they only had their celebrant and two witnesses (Eleanor and Mo) in attendance for this day. “Both our witnesses were close friends from university in the UK, who are based in Melbourne now. They flew over to support us on the big day. We are so grateful for their help and support. They held the ship together as we had tried to make sure everything went smoothly,” Ola shared.

Ola’s incredible halter-neck gown was custom-made by the ever-talented Lilli Marcs! “Lilli was incredibly accommodating throughout the whole process and paid attention to every detail. She even helped me choose my shoes and accessories. Her shop in Paddington is wonderful, and we still visit her every time we are in Sydney,” she explained.

“I was incredibly happy with my hair on the day, which was done by Christine Azzopardi. My initial hairdresser cancelled one week before the wedding, and Christine was happy to help me at the last minute. I was very grateful, as my hair has never looked so good!”

Ruby Oak Floristry in Wollongong did a beautiful job of bringing Ola’s floral dreams to life. Creating a stunning white and sage bouquet that complemented the simple, intimate vibe of the day.

She walked towards the rotunda in the gardens to Canon in D by Pachelbel. “Although it was winter, the day was wonderfully warm and sunny. As we faced each other exchanging our vows, the ceiling of the rotunda, our flowers, and all of us inside were lit up by dancing rays of sunshine reflected off the water. It was a truly tranquil and magical moment.”

Opting for a small secular ceremony, this was just a taster of what was to come in their big church wedding held only weeks later. Their celebrant, Elvi Dent, prepared the perfect personalised ceremony that reflected Ola and Jed’s story. “She focused on how we met and how we planned to share the rest of our lives together. We were so touched. We exchanged vows in front of our friends in the most amazing setting. We both also accidentally said “I do” early three times!”

Of all the intimate shots captured throughout their ceremony, Ola and Jed’s favourite have to be the ones of them in their post-ceremony bliss. “There is a photo of us laughing and crying while we sign our marriage license, which we will cherish forever!”

Dejana Cubrilovic was the superstar photographer behind Jed & Ola’s intimate wedding. “We included her in the wedding party when we talked about the ceremony because she went above and beyond to make our day extra special. As well as capturing the feeling and emotions of the ceremony, she also spent hours walking around the botanical gardens with us and capturing those moments. She took some amazing photos, which we will forever share with our nearest and dearest.”

A piece of advice Jed and Ola wanted to share with couples planning their own special days is this: “Depending on your circumstances, planning a wedding can get incredibly stressful. You can’t control all the small things, and sometimes even the big things will go wrong. Try your best not to get too attached to the idea that things will go as planned. It will be a pleasant surprise if they do!”

Congratulations, Jed and Ola, may your next celebration be as full of heart (and laughter) as this one! And thanks to Dejana Cubrilovic for sharing these moments with us.