SUSAN X JACHIN

images by will & tayla photography sydney weddings

images by will & tayla photography
wedding date 12 june 2022
180 wedding guests

Together for 3 years and exactly 8 months, Jachin and Susan met in 2017 at uni after and awkward ice-breaker in the their first ever uni class. Eventually, Susan added Jachin on facebook, and he messaged Susan about how he was surprised she was able to spell his name. We haven’t stopped talking since.

the proposal.

Jachin secretly organised a couple of my work friends to invite me on a Galentines day boat party from the Star casino. They convinced me to get all dolled up, got all the way to where the party was supposed to be, only to find Jachin dressed to the nines, waiting for me at Darling Island Wharf. He led me towards the water which had a perfect view of the pier where we used to study during our uni breaks. He proposed amongst a beautiful floral set up as our friends watched on and captured the moment, then we just absorbed all the joy and excitement in a candle-lit tent that had been set up for us with champagne and charcuterie.

venue. We were looking for somewhere local and convenient to our family with kids and elderly relatives, but somewhere that nobody in our families had gotten married before. We checked out quite a few places from rustic to formal and struggled to settle on just one. When we visited Novella on the Park, they were very helpful and welcoming, and we were absolutely blown away with how classically beautiful yet entirely modern it was. The space was large, flexible and as it’s a fairly new venue, everything from the foyer to the chairs was in great shape and looked stunning.

theme. We have both always wanted something modern yet timeless which reflects who we are as a couple. We didn’t want to go crazy with colours and trending novelties - we wanted to be able to look back at the photos in 20 years and not feel any regrets about the aesthetic choices of the day. Our sage/green accent colour was popular at time of the wedding but its also made its way into our home décor choices too, so we felt complete confidence in our neutral and natural colour scheme overall.

fave moments. Having the two songs of my (Susan’s) dreams play as we entered and exited the chapel. Anastasia and The Parent Trap films both came out around the time I was born so I grew up watching them and always dreamed of having them in my wedding somehow. We had a piano arrangement of ‘At the Beginning’ from Anastasia play as my bridesmaids and myself entered. As we finished signing the registry, were announced as a couple, had our first kiss and exited the chapel, ‘This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)’ by Natalie King Cole played in perfect time to cap off our ceremony like it ended in The Parent Trap. It was so surreal and added to the magic and anticipation of the day.

fave details. At the last minute, we decided to add a ‘Better Together’ neon sign in the gazebo at the reception. It reflects our song, ‘Good Together’ by Honne, which sums us up perfectly. The sign looked so amazing in photos, working as a cool photo op and adding a glow from behind all of our group photos. It stood out brilliantly in the darkness and almost looked like it was just floating out there. Nobody really knows that Good Together is our song, so the Better Together was just a perfect little nod to that that will always be so special to us, and we’re so happy we decided to add it in.

suit & dress shopping.

My dress shopping experience was great overall, but it didn’t start that way. I thought I knew what I wanted and went to a reputable dressmaker who was quite rude and very pushy and made the whole experience very uncomfortable for me – and that was only a consultation! But whilst I was there, I saw a dress that was the complete opposite of what I thought I wanted and would suit me, but I fell in love with the style. I ended up contacting one of the very first bridal shops I had seen, even before the negative experience, and they were so wonderful. They worked with me and my budget and made the whole experience so stress free and relaxing.

Jachin’s suit shopping experience was slightly trickier as he wanted a green suit. He spent a lot of time researching, looking at reference images and browsing online to get an idea of what he was interested in. He considered getting a tailor made suit but ended up finding his perfect match in a retail store! It was a classic, timeless style that he felt really comfortable and confident in. He even found ties and pocket squares for himself and his groomsmen too, though their suits were from a different store. Overall, he found it to be more fun than expected.

what does marriage mean to you? To us, marriage is getting to do life and building a future with your best friend for a lifetime of enjoyment and commitment. It’s the opportunity to create precious memories throughout all of the routines, milestones, euphoric highs and even devastating lows with someone who will always be there to love, support and comfort you.

The day went off without a hitch (though we were tragically down a bridesmaid due to her catching COVID a few days before the wedding). A memorable and completely unplanned moment was after we finished taking photos on the way to the reception when a groomsman decided he needed the bathroom right then and there. We pulled the limo into a 7-Eleven and some of the bridal party got out and had an impromptu photo shoot, and we also got Krispy Kreme’s for the drive.

advice. Plan your wedding for you and your partner’s tastes, no matter how old-school or unconventional it may see. For your guests, it will ultimately be just another wedding they’ve attended. But for you, it will be something you look back on for the rest of your life, so you might as well make it something special that will bring back fond memories and thoughts of ‘I’m glad we did that’. It’s much better than looking back and thinking, ‘I wish we got married in another location’, or, ‘I wish we did with the crazy colour scheme and weren’t so concerned with what our guests would think if we did‘.

wedding songs. Aisle – Piano arrangement of ‘At the Beginning’ by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis Recessional – This will be (An Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole First dance – You’re still the one by Shania Twain

above & beyond vendors Our wedding photographers Will & Tayla did the absolute most and were able to give us so many photos the very same night. They were able to make everyone feel so comfortable and hyped us all up the whole entire day, and were able to capture the quiet, special moments in such a beautiful way.