There aren’t many couples who decide flowers aren’t necessary because the architecture and lighting can do all the talking. But when your entire celebration takes place at Hobart’s MONA, it makes perfect sense. Jo-Anne and Matt turned the museum into the backdrop for a celebration filled with thoughtful details, from a ceremony in the Void to an after-party at Faro, dramatic fashion choices and a soundtrack that kept everyone guessing. Captured by photographer Jonathan Wherrett and cinematographer Light Noise Films, every frame feels as curated as the artworks surrounding it!

Jo-Anne and Matt met while swiping on Tinder – and it was a perfect match from the first message! “From match to first date in two days, where we had a beachside picnic in summer,” they explained. “Matt scored a jellyfish sting, and Jaggie offered up an old school remedy.”

Matt augmented the painting “The Universe” by Adelaide artist Dan Withey with a caption that read “Jowi – You are my universe, will you marry me?” “The painting features a large dark mass surrounded by shards of colour. In the centre is a small window of blue sky daytime relief, with a figurine looking out into the universe (or is the universe looking in on the figure!?),” the couple shared.

“Post anniversary dinner, a trail of Haighs love hearts led Jaggie to the wrapped painting… she was so excited to see the painting, thinking it was an anniversary gift, that she didn’t notice the caption until after having Matt hold the painting up in its potential wall space!”

Matt stunned in a smoking jacket from Gucci, a beautiful two-toned deep blue velvet jacket with a gold jacquard pattern. “Wrapped in teal‑blue jacquard velvet, I’m basically a Gucci‑clad invitation to make an entrance. The rich texture and sharp tailoring do all the heavy lifting, turning my formal look into a full‑blown power move. For evening wear or statement tailoring, I’m choosing drama – and this blazer delivers it effortlessly,” Matt described.

Jo wore the Darcy gown from Alca Line Bride, a soft, draped, feminine look. “The bodice was made from a lustrous silk layer and lined with a floral embroidered tulle to create a stunning shadowed pattern. Shadow and use of light would become a thematic element throughout the wedding.”

They had two bridesmaids and a best man in their wedding party. Roxy and Dianne wore a soft, finely pleated maxi with a gorgeous silver from SIMKHAI. They paired the dresses with a disco ball clutch to really tie it all together. Best man Will wore a classic black tuxedo.

The whole celebration took place at MONA in Hobart; the ceremony was held in the Void and the after-party at Faro. “Why Mona, why Faro? A memory we recalled when teasing out venues for our day was when we sat having a drink at the bar in Faro in the formative months of our relationship, and Jaggie suggested that it would be a great venue to host a party; wild we made that a reality. It’s a venue we love, featuring an artist we love, James Turrell, the key entrance being somewhat symbolic and the trapped piece of art potentially also being symbolic to marriage!”

Jonathan Wherrett was the perfect photographer to capture Jo-Anne and Matthew’s modern art wedding, with a refined, cinematic and deeply considered eye. “His portfolio is full of luminous tones, striking compositions, and images that feel both artful and honest. What first drew us in was his use of light – the way he shapes it to tell a story rather than simply document a moment. His photographs have a clarity and vibrancy that immediately stood out to us. In person, Jonathan is calm, grounding, and quietly confident, with a cheeky dark sense of humour that instantly put us at ease. For two very camera‑shy people, that combination was everything. He created space for us to just be ourselves, and the images reflect that; authentic, beautifully lit, and full of life,” Matt explains.

“Our wedding album feels less like a traditional set of wedding photos and more like a coffee‑table art book. It captures the atmosphere, the architecture, the light, and the energy of the day in a way that feels expansive rather than self‑focused. It’s a beautiful way to remember the wedding, especially because sometimes an album full of photos of just you can feel a bit… much. His approach gave us something far more meaningful.”

According to Matt and Jo, best friend and MC for the day Lewis summed up weddings perfectly. “He said, ‘You spend months planning the best party of your life… and then you’re not even at half of it.’ And honestly, he was right. While we were off having photos taken, our guests were being escorted from the MONA ferry to the Void by the in‑house jazz band, sipping curated welcome cocktails, a Greengage Gimlet and a Negroni, and enjoying canapés like a decadent oyster wheel and elevated spring rolls. We only got to enjoy the photos of all that deliciousness,” they shared.

“To make up for missing our own party, we hosted welcome drinks the day before at The Hanging Garden, followed by cheese and wine at sunset under Amarna by James Turrell. It felt like a little pre‑wedding festival. And of course, we weren’t done there. After the reception, we had an after-party at the MONA Pavilions with mini hot dogs and far too much booze. It was chaotic, hilarious, and exactly the kind of ending we wanted.”

Using a spotlight to announce their entrance into the Void, Jaggie walked into the ceremony with her dad on her arm. “It felt like he was the only person in the room, which helped me stay calm and made the moment incredibly romantic,” she shared.

“Roxy and Dianne walked down to Fourtet’s Two Thousand and Seventeen; the melody, mood and dramatic sound of this song were awesome in the Void. It was also a loooong walk, so we needed something which held attention. Jaggie is pure joy, fun, bashfully cheeky, and we successfully captured this, reduced the drama and made the mood more playful with her walking down the aisle to Fourtet’s Baby. Admittedly, it gets quite dancy, and it was a nice little throwback memory to some of our late-night dance floor antics whilst in quite a serious setting!”

Leading their ceremony was the talented Rachael Calvert, who delivered a poetic and beautifully brief proceeding. “It was exactly what we hoped for. There was a moment Rachael provided that required an oath from the guests and was a really fun way to engage everyone at our event… let’s face it, ceremonies can be dry and uninspired, and not something we were overly interested in having on our day. Dianne and Matt’s mate Ryan was given free rein in choice of readings; it was nice to have a surprise in something that had been largely personalised and curated,” they explained.

“Our vows were written by ourselves, collaboratively and intertwined, reflecting on some of our highlights and future commitments. Signing was performed using a Lamy 2000 to Sebastian Tellier’s La Ritournelle… we love the little details, and they matter.”

Even though Jo is a huge fan of flowers, Matt and Jo made a deliberate effort not to include any in their art wedding. “The Void is so visually powerful on its own; the lighting created a more dramatic, immersive feel than flowers ever could.”

Matt and Jaggie were endlessly grateful for all the vendors that brought their dream art wedding to life, and wanted to shout them out:
“At MONA, Shelley and Sara crafted an experience that felt effortless, intentional, and completely magical.

Rachael Calvert delivered a ceremony that was poetic, personal, and beautifully brief: exactly what we hoped for.

Bree from Light Noise Films told the story of the day with such energy and artistry.

And Jonathan’s photos… every frame is a piece of art.

We couldn’t have asked for a more extraordinary team,” they shared.

“Our favourite part of wedding planning was hands down, ‘having’ to pop over to Tassie to meet our vendors. Every catch‑up magically turned into a mini holiday – coffee, chats, a little wander, maybe a sneaky wine. Honestly, planning was just our excuse to keep going back. Any time in Tassie is a good time, and we fully leaned into that.”

The best piece of advice they have after all of their hard work? Don’t sweat the small stuff. “It’s cliché, but it’s true. We had a few hiccups on the day – the hairstylists getting Covid, Jo and her hairdresser Chris still laughing about that rogue poodle curl that needed a bit of a fingering, and the DJ pulling out last minute. But every “disaster” was totally salvageable, and honestly, it all just adds to the lustre and the story of the day. Things will go wrong, but they won’t ruin it. They’ll just become the bits you laugh about later.”

There were so many standout moments from their modern art wedding that Jo and Matt couldn’t narrow it down to just one. So, they made a list of the top five!

“1. There were so many standout moments from the day. Our first look in the MONA grounds was a favourite. It was calm, grounding, and completely ours before the whirlwind began.

2. Roger (Matt’s Dad) ringing the bell for the open bar was iconic – the kind of moment that instantly shifted the energy and told everyone it was time to celebrate.

3. Saying “I do” in front of our guests was surreal and emotional in the best way. After all the planning, that was the moment everything truly landed.

4. And of course, the venue, the food, and the wine – unforgettable.

5. Oh, and the late-night hot dogs. They hit!”

Another beautiful surprise moment from their day was a customary tradition that Matt had forgotten all about. “To our surprise, Matt’s dad re-wrote personalised lyrics to Beautiful Boy by Lennon and had the very talented Lewis perform it, a very special moment. Matt’s siblings all had this done, but Matt had forgotten it was his dad’s customary tradition at weddings to do this… another surprise!”

Their first dance ended up being accidentally iconic – and not in the way they had planned! “We chose ‘Get Down Saturday Night’ and loosely based our choreography on the famous Ex Machina scene – the one that breaks the tension with a perfectly timed, slightly unhinged dance moment. That was the whole point: short, sharp, one-minute, tension‑breaker energy,” they shared.

“But because we had a last‑minute DJ change, he accidentally played an extended remix… so our neat little one‑minute moment stretched into ten full minutes. Instead of breaking the tension, it slowly built into this surreal, drawn‑out loop we couldn’t escape. We just kept going, fully committed, because what else do you do when the song refuses to end? It wasn’t what we planned, but it became its own kind of iconic.”

Thanks to Jonathan Wherrett Photography for capturing and sharing these wonderful moments with us. And a huge congratulations to Jo and Matt on your incredible art wedding!