Rob + Jette
Wedding Date: 16th November 2019
Venue: Casa Mio Surf Hacienda & The Med, Crescent Head
When we think back on Rob & Jette, we still feel the calming sensation brought about by the peaceful spirit of their connection to one another. A smile pops up on our faces as we recall how beautiful, down-to-earth and lovely they both were to work with.
Rob & Jette have family here in Crescent Head, so their connection to the Mid North Coast is strong. They came to us with a vision for the look and feel of their wedding but they were stumped on a ceremony venue.
On consultation day, we learned they were in search of a location that would be both private and align with their theme, Palm Springs Luxe. Ali and I agreed that Casa Mio Surf Hacienda would be a perfect ceremony venue for the couple. We immediately phoned the owners, Ali and Vaughan, to see if we could do a walk through. In a stroke of luck, we were able to take Rob and Jette, along with her mum and dad, out there that same day.
Surprisingly enough, Jette’s dad had worked on the original building of Casa Mio - talk about fate!
A little bit of romance
Six years ago, the couple were introduced by a mutual friend just as Jette was finishing uni and Rob had just started working. Jette says it didn’t take long to realise their relationship was something special. They built a strong bond through their shared love of music, books and good food!
The two were engaged in Tasmania while staying at what Jette recalls as “probably the most romantic location in Australia, Pumphouse Point”.
Jette was surprised by the proposal but almost more surprised at herself for not knowing it was ahead. “I’m not sure how I didn’t see it coming! What else would we be doing there? Jette recalled upon reflecting on their beautiful holiday-turned-engagement.
We hiked from Pumphouse Point up to a place called Shadow Lake. There, over a freezing picnic lunch, Rob got down on one knee!”
And that mutual friend who introduced the couple? They, of course, MC’d the wedding.
Private venue to fit a theme — but make it surprising
Jette and Rob called their wedding theme “Palm Springs meets Positano and with Lords of Dogtown vibes, for good measure.”
They wanted the entire experience to have a small town feel and to treat their guests to a relaxing beach weekend.
For Jette, there really is no place like home. She grew up in Port Macquarie and spent her holidays at Point Plomer surfing. With her Dad now living in Crescent Head, she says that “it was really a no brainer” to have their wedding locally.
The couple loved the idea of a beach wedding ceremony but it just wasn’t private enough for them. We came up with a few alternative ideas but none felt quite right. Until, the idea came.
Our first meeting with Jette was not long after Ali & Vaugan’s wedding at Casa Mio Surf Hacienda, so the venue was fresh in our minds and the connection between that particular venue and what Rob and Jette had been searching for snapped into focus. We were able to take them out there for a site visit that same day.
When we arrived at the venue, Jette’s dad realised his friend had built the original house. On top of that, he’d done all the electrical wiring. It felt like fate.
Jette recalls that it wasn’t just that feeling of fate that helped them make the decision, “Vaughan and Ali were so sweet and the place had just the absolute best vibe. And ooh, that tree!”
For their reception, the couple landed on the recently renovated motel The Med. The couple found it refreshing, chic, and felt as though the location really aligned with their specific theme and vibe.
Jette recalls they “loved the styling at The Med as well as the fact that we could fit 140 people in the carpark. The venue really ticked all the boxes for us.”
Family plays a big part in this love affair
“We kept [the ceremony] simple because we had this massive, magical tree to stand under. My dad made our arbour with my Pa, they milled the timber from dad’s property and made it together, so special! I’d always wanted two peaks sort of coming together and the sharpness of it really sat nicely with how organic everything else was.
Another favourite detail were the white rocks that lined the aisle. My dad collected them from one of our favourite surf spots and my Pa painted each one lovingly by hand. We are using them with our table decorations to make a cactus garden.”
“[Our whole wedding] was a real family affair, my sister just became a celebrant (Heart & Earth Ceremonies), so she married us. My dads wife did an acknowledgment to country and our mums both did readings. Rob’s brother Nick (who is an opera singer) and his partner Sofia played two songs ‘Real Love’ (By the Beatles but channelling the Regina Spektor cover) and ‘You Send Me’ by Sam Cook. They had the audience clicking, clapping and dancing. It was total magic. I had kept it together till then, once they started singing, I was bawling.
Post ceremony we had a massive grazing table and oyster bar organised by my mum and her awesome book club friends. It was a hit!” - Jette
The reception held at The Med was set up in the courtyard and included three long tables, festoon lights and a DJ booth.
One of our specialties at Salt & Wildflowers is table styling. For this occasion, we styled the tables with potted succulents and cacti, which were kindly provided by the a friend of the couple who happened to be a landscaper. We coupled those with a few stems of flowers that matched Jette’s bouquet to tie everything together while still keeping the set up sweet and simple.
Fortunately, The Med was already styled to suit their wedding theme, so the remaining decor used for the evening was already there.
Jette recalls one of her favourite details of the day being the white stubby holders that they shared with guests as party favours. They were functional of course but also featured custom line drawn artwork by their super talented friend Jason - @eat.jay.sanchez .
No detail was overlooked and Jette is so grateful to her new mum-in-law for the time and effort she put into the night.
Jette was blown away by the little details she thought of, “Rob’s Mum went to town with comfort baskets in the bathrooms, they had everything you could need and more — tic-tacs, dry shampoo, deodorant, band aids and even a small sewing kit, which came in handy when we realised Rob’s brother had forgotten to hem his suit pants!”
All things Bridal
Bride’s dress: Zowie Dress by Rachel Gilbert
Jette was lucky enough to have a little help from a friend on this gorgeous find.
“I was having breakfast with a girlfriend who was also getting married this year and she was showing me the sneaky photos she’d taken while dress shopping the day before. She’d brought another dress from Rachel Gilbert but had tried this one on. When I saw it in the picture, I thought – Yes! I went to the store right after breakfast and bought it. It was the last one!” - Jette
Bride’s shoes: Senso
Bride’s hair accessories/veil: This one has a special story…
“The veil originally belonged to one of my bridesmaids and best friends, Rose. It’s now in my care till the next girl in our gang walks down the aisle. Sisterhood of the travelling veil! Who knows where it will go next.” - Jette
Bride’s jewellery: Earrings by Dinosaur Designs
Photographer: Keegan Cronin @keegancronin
Jette was beyond impressed by Keegan’s work, “Keegan is a total artist. He captured the dreamiest shots of our day. He is also one of the kindest and most thoughtful people we’ve ever met. Based on the Central Coast, he drove up to the Crescent area a week early to make sure he wouldn’t get caught with roads closed due to bushfires. Talk about going above and beyond!”
Groom’s outfit: Suit and tie by Paul Smith and shoes by Church’s
Bridesmaid dresses: @Zimmerman
This was a challenge for Jette, “With not one of my bridesmaids living in the same city as me it was a miracle how well the outfits came together. My bridesmaids and I got together to go shopping for bridesmaid dresses but in the excitement of catching up we got waylaid having wines at the pub instead!
When we realised that the shops were closing, we raced into Zimmerman and tried on these beautiful floral prints. It might have been the wine but I knew that they were perfect. We didn’t try anything else!”
Bridesmaid accessories: Earrings by Peggy and Twig
Hair: Emma from Plum Studio, Port Macquarie @plumstudio_
Jette has a history with Emma, “She has done my hair on and off for years and she is the sweetest person, it’s so great to get ready with someone you know and love!”
Make up: Jess at Adore Beauty Therapy, Port Macquarie @adorebeautytherapy
Jess was recommended to Jette by Emma, and she lived up to the hype, “Jess did a stunning job on 4 bridesmaids, the mother of the bride and bride herself in no time at all!”
Cake: Trish from Jackson’s Designer Cakes in Kempsey
The couple originally thought that Rob’s Nan wouldn’t be well enough to come to the wedding. She had wanted to gift them a cake so she could still feel as though she was a part of the day. Because it was so special to them, they decided to have the cake as part of the ceremony portion of the day. Straight after the couple walked down the aisle, they had cake and champagne! Trish nailed it with a classic vanilla butter cake. The whole masterpiece was polished off the next day at brunch!
Florist: Leanne at Ellerslie Flowers @ellerslieflowers
“Leanne was so AMAZING. Many of her suppliers were affected by bush fires the week of our wedding but she managed to get the most incredible flowers and keep them fresh despite some truly horrendous conditions. Salt and Wildflowers connected me to her. With Bridesmaids in floral print I didn’t want to overpower it with too much colour so kept the bridesmaid palette clean and opted for colours in my own bouquet that riffed off the bridesmaid dresses. Roses, Gum, Paper Daisies and Flannel Flowers, they lasted all day and looked so good.
At the reception Leanne supplied loose flowers that the Salt and Wildflower girls styled to perfection along our tables. These were complimented by the most insane arrangements of Cactus and Succulents by our friend James who is a landscaper.”
Entertainment:
“We totally stitched up our friend Angus who DJ’d from about 2 pm until 2 am at both the ceremony and reception. He absolutely killed it! The dance floor went off till the venue had to cut the power due to noise complaints! We then kicked on at the afterparty with Angus still at the helm! What a good friend!”
Stationary: Emma May Studio @emmamaystudio
I would Emma May on Instagram and just loved her stuff. We reached out with the idea to make the invite look like a ‘Palm Springs’ postcard and she immediately got it. So pleased with how all the graphics looked. Emma was such a delight to work with. She did the invites, menus, seating chart, welcome sign – everything!
Wedding Rings: Molten Store, @moltenstore
This was another story of another supplier just going above to make our experience so special.
Jette shared that “Lucy at Molten Store uses all recycled materials and [she] sent them an old diamond ring that belonged to a great aunt. They repurposed the diamonds into my wedding band. Rob had a simple gold band. When my ring first arrived it was way too big. I think I’d given them Rob’s size instead of mine but Lucy had it resized in two days so it was ready in time!”
Celebrant:
“My sister Arly became a celebrant earlier this year. It was so incredible to be married by someone you love and who knows you both so well. She kept it sincere but fun and personal without revealing too many incriminating details. We were so blown away by the way she weaved together our love story and the ceremony. It was perfection.”
Catering:
The reception dinner was done by the team at The Med. The couple wanted a family style meal, served along our long tables so guests could dig in, feel relaxed and eat as much or as little as they liked. Jette and the guests were really happy with the way it all worked out, “We had salads, whole roast chickens, baked salmon, risotto and tiramisu – real crowd pleasing classics! Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal and there was plenty to go around.”
First Dance: Moon River – covered by Frank Ocean
“It’s such a beautiful song loved by our grandparents and parents — but given an update by Frank Ocean. It’s bloody romantic!”
What was your favorite moment of the day and why?
“There were so many favourite moments but the ceremony was definitely the highlight. We were in a love bubble and I never wanted to leave.”
Anything else?
When we asked Jette for tips for anyone else planning a wedding or special event she had one last comment.
”The photo both was such a hit with all of our guests, young and old! I highly recommend the team at @inthebooth if you’re looking for a fun activity that will help the night live on through photos.”