IMO X WES

adelaide weddings images by jacob jennings photography

images by jacob jennings photography

Attending veterinary school together for 6 years, Imo had her eye on Wes since first year, but they didn’t start dating until 4th year university. "I had absolutely no idea Wes was about to propose - I was completely and utterly shocked. I’m so impressed he managed to pull it off without me even getting suspicious!"

the proposal...
We had planned a weekend away at my parents beach house in Victor Harbour. This is one thing we absolutely love to do on the weekends. As part of our usual routine, we love going for a walk up and around the bluff, to my favourite beach, Petrel Cove. The whole day, Wes had been antsy, but I somehow didn’t pick up on it. He even suggested I wash my hair, which was so out of character!

Around 4pm, I suggested we go for a walk. He said he wasn’t quite ready to, and so I put on my pyjamas, pulled an ice cream out of the freezer, and set up for the evening on the couch. 15 minutes later it’s raining, and Wes suggests we go for our walk. I was annoyed as I’d just become comfortable, but naturally love walking to my favourite beach, and so conceded and made the short drive to Petrel Cove. We parked at the top of the cliff, and I proceeded to walk to the right hand side to meet the beginning of our usual trail. Wes suggested I walk forward briefly and overlook the beach (which sits at the base of the cliff). Honestly how I didn’t realise something was unusual by now is a mystery to me. I overlooked the cliff onto the beach, and there was ‘Imo will you marry me’ written in the sand, along with both of our families and my best friend. I turned around, and Wes was down on one knee with a ring. He was laughing and crying simultaneously, and was so caught up in the moment he actually didn’t even ask me to marry him, I just said yes! It was an overcast day, but once we made our way down the stairs on to the beach to meet our families, the sun came out, and a pod of dolphins swam past. It was pure magic! Now my favourite beach is immortalised forever.

venue.

The winning factor was the absolutely gorgeous magical garden vibe. The vintage/old style shed, barrels and stain glass windows set amongst a blooming garden of phenomenal florals. It was the closest thing we could possible find to magic.

theme.

We were very loose with the theme, and just let the day take shape naturally. We wanted our theme to complement the garden, and so incorporated lots of cottage florals, and aimed to keep the set up and furniture as simple as possible. We wanted the overall vibe to be light, fun, magical and warm.

most faaaaave moment...

This is such a tricky one to pick, because every hour was magical in its own right. My favourite moment (Imogen) has to be walking down the aisle. I have never felt such pure, undiluted joy. To see everyone most important to us in the one place, and ultimately, Wes at the end of the aisle, was a moment I will truly replay for the rest of my life.

Our sunset photos at Pt Willunga cliffs were also a close contender. We had a moment where we both sat side by side at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. The moon had risen, the sun below the horizon, evening stars beginning to shed light. Salt filled our nostrils, and the light evening breeze encircled us both. I can remember every detail of that moment, it was again (and I know I’ve used this phrase way too much), pure magic.

faaaave wedding detail...

Again so so hard to pick! The natural leaf filled alcove that was our ceremony location within the garden was also a detail we instantly fell in love with. We felt like we were encased by nature!

The ice cream stand after dinner service was also an absolute hit, and was such a joyful small detail that made a big impact!

dress/suit shopping experience.

Wedding dress: I found this process so enjoyable, and wish I could go back and do it again! The team at Adelaide Bridal Collective were amazing, patient and so helpful throughout the entire process.

Suit shopping: We came across the exact colour we’d been looking for, and knew once we saw it there would be no alternative. An experience we shared together. Again enjoyable, and something we loved sharing.

what does marriage mean to you?

Marriage to us means sharing a lifetime of laughter, happiness, adventure and connection. It means encouraging each other to aim for the stars, and grounding each other when life presents challenges. Ultimately to us it’s spending the rest of our lives with our best friend and soulmate.

Classic story you want to share...

Our first words to each other (at Grill’d burger bar):

Imogen: Hi, what can I get for you?

Wesley: A crispy bacon and cheese please.

Who knew a burger order would lead to a lifetime of love!

advice.

The best piece of advice we received was that no matter what, ensuring we took 15 minutes on our wedding night to spend just be with each other. The night passes in such a fast blur, and to take the time to just be with each other, absorbing all the love, was memorable in itself.

Wedding songs…

After our post-ceremony photos, we entered the ceremony to the opening guitar sequence of ‘Joker and the Thief’ by Wolfmother. Definitely a hit. The band, The Baker Boys, was phenomenal, and having a live band was the best decision we could have possibly made! The saxophone was an absolute hit!

VENDOR LOVE:

All of our vendors were simply amazing, and so seamlessly worked together to create such a magical evening.

Jacob, our photographer, was just incredible. Being incredibly awkward humans in front of a camera, we were unsure how the portrait process would run. However, we felt like we were with a friend we’d known for years, and spent more time laughing than posing for photos. We still go through our photos at least once a fortnight, over half a year later.

Our venue was straight out of a dream, and Janet the venue owner, and Melissa the venue manager from Venyu, were incredibly amazing to deal with. The moment we stepped foot onto the property when searching, we were swept up in the magical vibe, and knew there was no comparison.

The Baker Boys absolutely set the mood for the entire reception, and I still have people to this day mentioning how amazing the band was!

Gabrielle from She Runs Wild Flowers constructed the most glorious bouquets to complement the wildflower garden, and even pinned some gorgeous single florals for my hair! Dax from Tasty Bakes and Wedding Cakes then seamlessly worked florals into our cake design, and created a beautiful simple cake adorned with pressed flowers.