Jess + Matt

Marry Us Sally – NSW wedding celebrant-intimate-beach-Mystery-Bay-wedding-captured-by-kate — Captured By Kate

Dreamy Weddings on the beach during peak whale commuting time. One very chirpy guest approached me after the ceremony and shared the following, “…you were speaking off to the side, as Matt + Jess looked at each other, a whale slapped its tail in the background, right between their heads. I couldn’t believe it.” He then wished me well as I was lugging my speaker back to the car.

Whilst the weather was looking ominous, we didn’t get hit by any rain, it was a bit blowy and quite chilling. However, the elements did no impede the beauty of the ceremony. It was a Canopy dream’s affair, rugs and pillows was beautifully scattered, chairs were limited… a handful of guests remained standing close by.

Jess and Matt appreciated that people travelled for their day, many from a great distance, some from overseas and thanked them all for making their celebration possible. It was important for them to tie the knot in a location that was meaningful and felt like them. Feeling grounded with their feet in the sand and being able to look out to a horizon of blue and back to the green rolling hills was central to their vision.

When I began my role as Official Celebrant for Jess + Matt, naturally I asked a lot of questions about their love story.

It was 2012 on a freezing Autumn morning at 4:30am in the carpark of the University of Newcastle. Rowing was a long-held interest for Jess having rowed since school, Matt however, was looking to try a new social sport. Even though it was a large team, both Jess + Matt felt a mutual curiosity surface… Soon after, their rowing efforts expanded in to 6 days a week of intense training in anticipation of the University Games. This meant that Jess + Matt started seeing a lot more of each other. Matt claims he was still pretty ‘shithouse’ as a rower, but felt both in awe of and rather intimidated by Jess from the get go...

Jess + Matt skirted the idea of a relationship for what seemed like forever in that first year, particularly for their friends watching on.

It’s clear that Jess + Matt very much had their own beat and enjoyed developing their friendship first. It wasn’t until the week of their 21st’s, after Matt had felt the knowing eyes of all of Jess’s friends at her own birthday party that he recalls quite vividly. “…I remember sitting by the campfire when we shared our first kiss at my 21st…” and then undoubtedly to everyone’s impatient relief, they finally made it official.

Yes, this love story was a bit of a slow burn... their relationship continued to evolve with the same theme... Matt + Jess felt no urgency towards marriage. They did however share an urgency for adventure. Over the course of the last 10 years they’ve kept very busy making incredible memories together, some of them somewhat niaively questionable. Like getting woefully lost with no gear in some un-named mountain range in Bulgaria, learning to sail in Croatia with a crusty old pirate, meeting some interesting people in Phuket, enjoying some very tasty brownies in Amsterdam, dodging falling lava from spewing volcanos and making lifelong friends while volunteering overseas. They’ve done the long distance relationship, they’ve lived with both in-laws and survived, they’ve moved homes many times, they’ve bought their first home together, they’ve landed their dream jobs, survived a pandemic... and they’ve adopted a rescue hound, Pango... who is named after the village they live in in Vanuatu.

Jess and Matt have made it clear that their shared passion for adventure is only just beginning!

As far as highlights go? Well, its the day to day goodness for Jess + Matt. Through words and actions, they remind the other of how much they love them, like creating a cozy space for reading in the sun, walks on the beach and actively listening to stories of one’s day or entertaining ideas about the future, choc chip pancakes and cups of tea in bed on weekends, planning and executing date nights and lazy Sunday afternoons... Just to name a few.

When Jess + Matt were planning their day they envisioned an outdoor setting, close to the ocean (Mystery Bay Reserve, NSW South Coast), and a big party surrounded by their favourite people. The reception would take place at the Fig Tree Park venue (under a giant Fig Tree) just up the road from Mystery Bay reserve.