Enchanting Wedding at The Grounds of Alexandria

As we continue through the Joy Issue, Beth and Jeanne’s celebration brings exactly the kind of energy we love to see. The day began with the duo getting ready together before heading out for a playful pre-ceremony adventure through Sydney Park. What followed was a heartfelt ceremony, meaningful speeches, and a dance floor that quickly filled at The Grounds of Alexandria. Behind the lens, Fiona and Bobby documented it all with a candid approach.

Beth and Jeanne met in high school and started dating when they were in year nine. They’ve been together for the last 12 years, and now here we are sharing their enchanting wedding.

Jeanne proposed to Beth at the pier at the peak of the Ferris wheel in Luna Park. “It was made even more special by the fact that we also had our first date there, and it’s always been a special place to visit and just enjoy laughing, smiling and being together,” Beth shared.

To match the enchanting vibe of the day, Beth wore a dusky princess-style gown with floral embroidery and a dreamy skirt. She finished the look off with these rocking studded black platform heels “I fell in love with the delicate floral embroidery on the body, and floaty skirt – it made me feel like a fairy princess.”

Jeanne wore a gorgeous a-line strapless Lillian West number, complete with a sweetheart neckline and tulle skirt.

Their wedding party was made up of three bridesmaids each, all wearing soft pastel colours to match the enchanting, fairytale atmosphere of the day.

For this duo, the five things that made their day extra special included:

“1. Spending the morning getting ready with our bridesmaids and each other: it was such a lovely way to set the scene for the day and we all had so much fun getting glammed up together and just enjoying each other’s company.

2. The photography at Sydney Park: Fi and Bobby made the pre-wedding photography such a special part of the day – having fun playing games with our bridesmaids and just enjoying candid joy with each other, and for the couple photos, they prompted us to reflect on all the things we love about each other and our journey.

3. Hearing each other’s vows! The majority of the ceremony we had planned together and were both across everything; however, we kept our vows a surprise from each other until the day, so getting to hear each other’s and read our own vows was something we had both been excited for, and was such a beautiful and heartfelt moment on the day.

4. The speeches from my dad and Jeanne’s uncle, Tony, were so meaningful and dear to us, and they were a really special part of the day.

5. Tearing up the dance floor and having a blast with our family and friends – just letting loose and celebrating love!”

Flowers by Lovely Bridal Blooms were kept in the same soft pastel theme, bursting with purples and pinks. “They were arranged in scattered bud vases across the guest tables, interspersed with tea light candles. The bride’s table also included a centrepiece cloud of baby’s breath, and we each had a bouquet matching the same pastel colour palette.”

This pre-ceremony photoshoot was one of Beth and Jeanne’s favourite parts of the day, surrounded by their wedding party and the bubbling anticipation for what was about to come. “However, trekking through the park in our flowy dresses for photos, we realised as we started to make our way to the venue that in our many layers of tulle we had several bugs and crickets trapped – and we had a good laugh, and we both helped each other shake out our layers and free them on our way in. I also had a heart locket necklace I had been wearing as part of my jewellery. I’d worn it all day and in all the photographs; however, about 15 minutes before we went to walk down the aisle, the clasp snapped, and despite all the efforts of our bridesmaids, it couldn’t be put back together. Still, it just so happened that my little sister was wearing a nearly identical heart locket that was actually my mum’s, so she gave it to me to wear down the aisle instead. It was even more meaningful getting to wear that, and it turned a stressful moment into a special memory.”

Beth’s favourite moment captured from their enchanting wedding is this one of Jeanne and her wedding party laughing. “It’s just bursting with so much genuine love and joy. I also love all the dance floor photos – I think they really capture everyone just letting loose and having a blast celebrating together.”

Fiona and Bobby handled all things photography, and Jeanne and Beth absolutely loved every moment of their work. “They really went above and beyond to make the process fun and joyful (when photography for me and many others can often be a daunting part of the experience), and all the photography is absolutely stunning. We wanted our photos to feel genuine, warm, and candid, and Fi and Bobby captured that energy so beautifully. They created such a fun and comfortable environment, where no one felt awkward around the camera; they had prompts and games that made everything flow naturally and made it a really intimate but lighthearted experience,” Beth shared.

“They took such care to scout out the perfect locations ahead of time, we were going for enchanted forest vibes and all the little spots around the park they picked out felt like they were out of a fairytale, they matched the energy so well. They were also a massive help in the planning process, helping us with our timeline for the night and giving recommendations for other vendors. We could not be more stoked with how the final photos turned out – they are truly magical. Fi and Bobby took on board all our vision and inspiration and really captured the energy of the day so beautifully.”

The best part of planning this enchanting wedding? For Jeanne and Beth, it was spending that time together, collecting inspiration and creating the vision board. “We spent many nights snuggled up on the couch together, looking through styling guides and vision boards and imagining what we want the day to look and feel like. Seeing all of this come together on the day and seeing that all the planning paid off and we captured that magical, enchanted forest energy we were hoping to create was so special.”

The Grounds of Alexandria was the perfect venue for Jeanne and Beth’s enchanting wedding, with the Atrium room as their home base. “We loved the natural greenery and aesthetic of the space, and having a venue that handled a lot in-house was a great help in the planning process.”

Jeanne walked down the aisle first, with Beth following soon after, both of them walking alone. An acoustic cover of “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” recorded by their dear friend floated through the air as they entered. “The music for the ceremony was really important to both of us. We are both musicians ourselves, and it holds a special place for us, so having the music we walked down the aisle to recorded for us by someone who knew us and our journey and love for each other just filled the moment with so much more emotion. We were both already shedding tears by the time we made it down the aisle!”

Their celebrant, Jo Booth, did an incredible job of keeping the natural, joyful atmosphere they had hoped for. “We chose a very lighthearted but genuine style of ceremony, full of laughter as well as some tears, and our amazing celebrant did such a stellar job of creating that energy.”

If Beth had any advice she wished someone had shared with her when planning their wedding, it would be this: “Try not to get too caught up agonising over every little detail of the day: put time and attention into the things that matter to you, whether that be the music, the florals, your hair and makeup whatever is meaningful to you, but there are soooo many little choices and decisions that it’s easy to get caught up on. The napkins, the font on the menu, the seating plan, the entree options – its easy to feel like every little thing is so important at the time – but really the day goes so fast you barely notice half these things, and the parts that you remember will hopefully be the experiences and time spent in connection with your loved ones and your life partner – everything else is just a nice backdrop to that.”

Their first dance was to “Everywhere Everything” by Noah Kahan (incredible taste, might we say!). “Despite feeling incredibly out of place and a little uncoordinated in my heels, it was a magical experience slow dancing under the fairy lights, and it was a beautiful moment as our loved ones poured onto the dance floor to join us and kick off the party!”