Blind date leads to Jess and Nathan’s French provincial wedding

Blind dates may be daunting but according to Adelaide couple Jess and Nathan, they pay off.

Jessica Holtham and her groom, Adelaide Crows’ Nathan van Berlo, were set up by a mutual friend just over four years ago. “It was love at first sight,” according to the bride. The matchmaker responsible for setting up the couple, bridesmaid Sophie, would later be invited to fill a special role at their wedding. “Instead of having the celebrant tell the story of how we met, we had our cupid, Sophie,” describes Jessica.

Their ceremony at the Orangerie at Kingsbrook Estate in Currency Creek, South Australia, was followed by a reception in a marquee at the same location on October 24, 2015. “We loved how it was all in the one spot … guests walked from the Orangerie through the vineyards to the lawns of marquee where they had pre-dinner drinks,” recalls Jessica.

And Jessica got quite creative with her decorating at their French provincial wedding reception, hiring all her odds and ends from event stylists, Old Refinery. Vintage lawn games, blankets, illuminated love letters, frames, vintage vases and a letter box were accompanied by her handmade photo board and love story in a frame.

Jessica’s hot tip for a getting the wedding you visualise is mood boards. “Create mood boards in order of how the wedding will flow,” she says. “This really helped me with making my ideas come together and then showing to my suppliers of what I wanted.”

Photos courtesy of Meg Hansen Photography.

Nathan and his team were dressed in smart navy suits by Joseph Uzumcu.

Adelaide Crows’ chaplain Mark Purser married the pair in the venue’s Orangerie, draped in lush green foliage.

Jessica wore a breathtaking Pallas Couture gown; a structured, figure-hugging design fanning out into soft tulle and a long train.

The estate made for beautiful sun-drenched photographs by Meg Hansen.

https://vimeo.com/158300230 

Video by Media Cam Productions.