Lennox Gown – Joanne & Luke
COUPLE’S NAMES
Luke & Joanne Terpstra
WEDDING DATE
1 February 2020
LOCATION
Our wedding ceremony took place in Perth, Western Australia in our church that was filled with beautiful summer sunshine. Our reception was held at the Naked Apple Cider House under tall gum trees and twinkling fairy lights. We chose our church for the ceremony as firstly our Christian faith is an integral part of who we are, as well as it being a large enough space to accommodate so many of our loved ones. The Naked Apple Cider House was the first and only venue we looked at and we instantly fell in love with space, the people, the food, and their incredible ciders.
GUEST TOTAL
Around 300 for the ceremony and 120 for the reception.
PHOTOGRAPHER
We chose Ashleigh from Ashalola Photography. I was recommended Ash by one of my friends who is another great photographer, and as soon as I met her, I knew why. Firstly, she is an absolute joy to be around with the most welcoming smile and such a warm and kind personality. From looking at her previous work and hearing Ash speak she clearly has a gift, but more importantly, a passion for photography so we had full confidence in her capturing our most special moments. Throughout the whole planning stage and on the day, Ash was beyond accommodating and so easy to work with. My husband and I love real candid photography and emphasised our desire to have the people at our wedding and the raw moments of the day captured, which is exactly what she did. The photos we keep coming back to and feeling the most connected to are those of our family and friends as we felt the most special part of the day (second to us getting married) was who we got to share it with. I honestly could not recommend Ash more, and I cannot wait to see the amazing things she does in the future.
BRIDE’S DRESS
I wore the LENNOX gown from Temple by Bo & Luca. I instantly fell in love with the simplicity, elegance and romance of this gown. I ordered it online without trying it on, but knew the style and cut was the perfect suit for my shape and personality. I was definitely nervous as I tried it on for the first time with eight weeks to spare until the wedding, but as soon as the delicate strings were tied, I was in love. The semi-fitted bodice and sleeves with a gorgeous intricate beaded design was unlike anything I had worn before, perfectly balanced with the empire waist and silky drop of the skirt to make it a feminine and elegant dream. I felt special and beautiful yet still irrevocably me and insanely comfortable, and I don’t think I could ask for much more than that.
BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES
The bridesmaid dresses were by far the hardest decision for me, as I wanted all five women to love them and feel comfortable and beautiful. We eventually found these stunning linen, A frame dresses in a small boutique by the brand Label of Love. To add some more shape to them we took in the waist slightly and added a zip.
ENGAGEMENT STORY
I had been camping with Luke and his family at Ningaloo Station in Northern Western Australia. One evening he asked me to go for a drive up the range to have ‘happy hour’ before dinner. While I was on the hunt for a flat rock to sit on, he procured a cheese board and some drinks. Before we sat down to eat, he said there was one thing he had to do first and then got down on one knee (as smoothly as possible when on a rocky range) and asked me to marry him. We then watched the most perfect sunset with the added bonus of a few whales breaching on the horizon. We celebrated back on the beach with some champagne and chocolate around the campfire with family.
WEDDING THEME
My husband and I were not very specific on the theme of the wedding, however, our love for Australia and the outdoors was reflected in a lot of the decisions we made.
WEDDING RINGS
SS Impressions designed my solitaire oval moissanite engagement ring, which sits beneath a herringbone band. Luke has a black tungsten band from Black Box Jewellers.
FLOWERS & BOUQUETS
We used Australian natives and foliage for the bouquets and décor. The Protea Farm in Western Australia’s South West region set us up with some stunning proteas, eucalyptus and gums in green, nude, pink and red tones. Some of my close friends and family members made the bouquets and decorated the church.
WEDDING CAKE
We had a three tiered cake with a chocolate base, white chocolate and milk chocolate swirl and a white chocolate and raspberry top layer with a rustic buttercream icing. The guys at Bake Boss Jandakot were so lovely and after they found out that Luke’s favourite dessert was anything lemon flavoured, they made a special lemon meringue pie just for the bridal party as a surprise.
WEDDING SONGS
I walked down the aisle to the song Girl in Calico by Tow’rs.
For the first half of the reception, we had our friend Pierson Snowsill who is a part of the James Morrison Jazz academy perform with several other musicians. Having live music gave people something to instantly talk about and allowed everyone to mingle and feel comfortable from the moment they arrived. It was so special to have these talented men to be a part of the day.
Between the live music and dancing, we had a playlist that was a bit indie with some old school jazz and blues in the mix.
Our friend Josh was our DJ for the dancing. Our first dance was to Everything Has Its Place by Young Mister. With just the fairy lights and some stars for lighting and epic tunes from Josh, almost everyone got onto the dance floor and stayed until the last song.
FOOD & DRINKS
We had an afternoon tea at the church following the ceremony and antipasto boards were set up at the start of the reception. We chose a canape style dinner to facilitate conversation and flow between the areas at our reception. The Naked Apple Cider House staff were fantastic and made sure that everyone got more than enough food.
We had an open bar with a selection of the Naked Apple ciders, bubbles, wines and craft beers.
By the end of the night, everyone was full and happy, and we had so many people say to us in the weeks after the wedding how much they loved the food and drinks.
HONEYMOON
We stayed in Kuta in Lombok for 5 days and Gili Air island for 6 days. We spent our time free diving, hiking, scootering to hidden beaches, showering under waterfalls and eating a lot of cheap and delicious food.
GIFTS REGISTRY
I made a spreadsheet with a rough guide of the things we needed for our new home and sent the link to those invited to our reception. We wanted to let people express their individual style in what they chose to give us so we kept it as a guide and not a strict registry. Neither my husband or I have lived out of home before, so we were incredibly blessed by how generous our friends and family were in helping to set up our new home.
MEMORABLE MOMENT
I will always remember dancing with my mum and dad and having an absolute laugh. My family are not big dancers, hence why seeing my parents dance to Beyoncé and being beside them with my new husband was a pretty joyous experience.
ADVICE FOR BRIDES-TO-BE
Enjoy the process as much as you can, don’t get swept up in the planning or stressed about all the smaller things that you probably won’t remember in a few months. The purpose of the day is for you to marry the person you love, focus on that and just enjoy the rest of the ride.
VENDORS & SUPPLIERS
Photographer: Ashalola Photography
Dress: Bo & Luca
Wedding Flowers: Yelverton Protea Farm
Venue: Naked Apple Cider House
Wedding Cake: Bake Boss Jandakot
Wedding Rings: SS Impressions