Real Wedding Story: Q&A With Ever After Bride Jessica Holsman

How would you describe the wedding style you chose? 

Being situated in the Yarra Valley amongst the wineries and rolling hills, we wanted the style of our wedding to complement the beautiful backdrop of the venue. We went for quite a relaxed and somewhat boho-chíc vibe, with bridesmaids wearing long flowing dresses and groomsmen forgoing the formal ties and bow ties.

Tell us a about the format of the day starting with the ceremony: 

We always liked the idea of an outdoor ceremony and the view from the lawn at Zonzo Estate was too beautiful not to be married outside! It was such a magical moment to be situated under the large wedding canopy decorated with native Australian flowers and foliage and surrounded by our closest family and friends. The ceremony began at 4.30pm and the bridal party arrived in style in 2 kombi vans. We wanted it to be really fun and something quite different to the traditional limousine arrival many people are used to. The vans also made for some amazing photos post ceremony and even captured our ride to the ceremony on video which was fun to look back on.

and the reception? 

The reception took place in the main dining hall and we had two long tables for guests to be seated around. One of the main reasons we chose to have our reception at Zonzo Estate – apart from the beautiful scenery! – was the incredible food and the way they organised a shared Italian feast. Food was placed down the middle of the long table for guests to share and it added a really relaxed, warm and intimate feel to the night. The flowers were lush and full of native Australian blooms and foliage, with large hanging installations decorating the ceiling and smaller jars scattered down the tables. Once main course was cleared we surprised guests with dessert and music playing in the barn adjacent to the dining room. Guests poured in to find a DJ, singer and saxophone player, as well as lots of delicious treats to eat!

Where was your honeymoon destination?

We decided to have a mini-moon following the wedding and stayed for three nights at one of the most beautiful, serene and relaxing places I’ve been to in Victoria, called Botanica Editions. It was a little house situated amongst a large garden with a running creek and we woke up each morning to the sound of birds chirping and squawking. It was the perfect way to unwind and take in what was a very big day! A couple of weeks later we went on our honeymoon to one of our favourite places – Byron Bay. We wanted to avoid the hassles of overseas travel since we have travelled a lot together already and wanted our honeymoon to be an opportunity to fully relax and enjoy some quality time, free of any distractions from work. Daily swims in the ocean, great food, sunshine and lots of long walks – it was just what we needed!