Real Wedding // Kellie & Jake’s Orchard Estate Wedding

Kellie & Jake’s love story begun many moons ago in high school, they gave it a shot but the time wasn’t right. Years later they ran into each other and since then, the rest has been history. They decided The Orchard Estate was the perfect venue for their wedding day, they were able to bring in their very own style with lots of pops of colour curating a modern yet romantic feel. We loved being a part of Kellie & Jake’s gorgeous day alongside an incredible team of suppliers. Read on to hear more about their magical love story and wedding day.

Tell us about your story, how did you meet and where did the proposal happen?
Jake and I met at some point in high school and ended up dating for a couple of months in year 11. It was nothing serious and we broke up before year 12 started. A few years later, I was at my friends 20th birthday party, and who should walk in (uninvited!)? Jake and I chatted for a bit that night, and I ended up schooling him in Pool. A couple of weeks later, we went to the movies and the rest is history!

Jake proposed in early 2019, the day after we’d got back from a three week trip to Canada and Mexico. We were super jet-lagged and I wasn’t feeling great, so we went for a nice walk in the sun and got a coffee. We were walking along our favourite stretch of the Main Yarra trail in Melbourne and he suggested we go down into this quiet little clearing. There was no one else around, the sun was out, and the river was idling by when he got down on one knee. It was a perfect proposal; just us surrounded by nature. 

What were the reasons for choosing The Orchard Estate as the venue for your special day? 
We visited a number of beautiful venues when we were choosing our wedding venue, but there was just something special about The Orchard Estate that we couldn’t go past. We loved the incredible view, the way we could create our own look and feel for our day, and the incredible feeling of being in the middle of the hinterland with all our loved ones. We also loved that there were a few great spaces to use throughout the day, so while we didn’t have to travel from location to location, there was still variety. 

What style were you striving for with your table settings, florals and reception? Was there a certain look or vibe that you wanted to create? 
We didn’t have a particular theme in mind, we just picked what we loved. We wanted it to feel modern but romantic and really reflect our style. We really took the time to choose vendors who were aligned with our vision, and they all exceeded our expectations!

Were there any vendors that you particularly loved working with and why?
All of our vendors were amazing – they all dealt with our three date changes with such flexibility and professionalism, and in the middle of Melbourne’s snap lockdown the week before our wedding, we were so thankful we had such great people around us helping create our dream day.

Wilderness Flowers did all the florals which were an absolute standout! Mikarla and the team were so great to work with, and they absolutely delivered the goods. We had so many compliments on our flowers throughout the day, and to us, flowers really make it a wedding, rather than just a big party. 

Cara from Modern Love Ceremonies officiated our ceremony, and we loved every second of working with her. We love her highly personalised, natural and intimate approach to weddings. She got down to the essence of us and conducted a ceremony that was so full of love and personal details. She was also great at keeping the crowd entertained when I was a bit late!

What were your favourite parts of the wedding planning process with Byron Bay Weddings?
Working with Byron Bay Weddings was a great experience. Maddie, our planner, had everything under control and was great at keeping our spirits up through some really difficult times. Despite it not being the happiest part of the process, we felt so supported and empowered to make the difficult decision to postpone, and then in the most stressful week before our wedding when we had to flee Melbourne to make it to our wedding, we had about 25 guests in lockdown in Melbourne until 2 days before the wedding. Byron Bay Weddings were so helpful, understanding and were willing to go out of their way to make our day wonderful. Thankfully, all the guests made it, but we are still so appreciative of the support we received that week before the wedding. 

Tell us what were the most important aspects of your wedding day and which moments really stood out to you?
After such a stressful lead-up, the most important aspect of our day was just to get married, and have all our loved ones there with us! For me, walking down the aisle with my Dad, with all our friends and family gathered in close and seeing Jake at the other end really stands out as a, “finally, we’re doing it” moment. Also, after 100mls of rain the day before in Byron and heavy clouds all day, just before we entered the reception, the clouds parted and the sun shone down on us. It really felt like karma had swung our way, and put us in an even better mood for the party to come. 

What would be your biggest advice to other couples currently planning their wedding?
If 2020 taught us anything, it’s pivot! It can be really disheartening to have your plans forced to change outside your control, and many times we thought, why us? For couples planning a wedding now, give yourself much more time than you think you need, just in case things aren’t straightforward. Also, trust your gut when it comes to vendors, colours, themes, etc. Choose what you love and make sure your vendor is on board with your vision. 

Kellie & Jake xo

Suppliers
Venue: The Orchard Estate // Celebrant: Modern Love Celebrant // Photographer: Allume Weddings // Florals: Wilderness Flowers // Musician: JANDA Events // Guest Favours: Hinterland Honey // Cake: Marina Machado Cakes // Catering: Fig Tree Catering // Lighting: Out of The Dark Event Lighting // Furniture & Styling: The Wedding Shed // Planning & Coordination: Byron Bay Weddings

Other Suppliers:
Signage: Paperlust // Stationery: PeterKin Paper // Bridal Jacket: Veronica Tucker // Shoes: Neous // Veil: Tania Marais // Ceremony Earrings: Holly Ryan // Reception Earrings: Jennifer Behr // Groom’s Suit: P Jackson // Grooms Shoes: David Jones // Groomsmen Suits/Shoes: Suit Supply // Bridesmaids Dresses: Bec and Bridge, Viktoria and Woods, Fame and Partners // Bridesmaids Shoes: Jo Mercer, Alias Mae // Bridesmaids Earrings: Reliquia // Bridal PJ’s: Piyama