Real Wedding; Demi and Daniel @ The Cove
About You Two;
Now, How did you two meet?
We met 8 years ago on Tinder! I (Demi) was actually best friends with Daniel’s cousin all through school, so we knew of each other, but didn’t properly meet till we matched on Tinder.
Who popped the Question and how did it happen?
Daniel booked a tiny house in the Kangaroo Valley to celebrate our 6-year anniversary. When we arrived there was love heart shaped rose petals on the bed and Daniel set up candles all throughout the house. When it was time to give each other our anniversary cards, instead of a card Dan gave me a photo book he had made and at the end he knelt on one knee and popped the question – and obviously I said YES!
Why did you choose your venue and how was the venue choosing process?
Funnily enough we chose the first venue we visited! Our venue was called The Cove Jervis Bay and from the moment we visited we FELL IN LOVE! As a couple we often visited the Jervis Bay region on holiday and it became a very special place to us. When looking for venues we saw The Cove on instagram and knew we had to check it out! We booked a stay down the coast and brought our family along with us to visit and we all just knew it was the place for us!
Quick Fire Questions;
How many wedding guests did you have?
150
Sit down or Cocktail Style?
Sit down, buffet style! (Shoutout to Foodie Del Mar who were our INCREDIBLE caterers!)
What month?
December
Planning The Wedding;
Was planning the wedding stressful or did you enjoy the journey?
I’d say it was a mix of both! We did not have a wedding planner so we did all of the planning ourselves, which as you can imagine is very stressful (literally a full-time job). But we definitely did also enjoy the journey.
How involved were you both in the wedding planning, did one of you take more of the lead on certain aspects than others or were you both equally involved?
Demi definitely did most of the wedding planning, but Dan was very involved giving his input, helping us keep on track with the budget, calculating/organising the alcohol (a very important task) and managing a lot of the logistics that comes with a destination wedding.
What was the top couple of non-negotiables or important must-have’s at the wedding for you both?
We have a lot of family and close friends who were travelling from overseas to be with us, so a destination wedding that could accommodate all those people together in one place was a non-negotiable for us! Also, we wanted an epic party! Minimal formalities, no formal sit-down dinner and lots of dancing!
Tell us about your dress and that dress-finding process?
If anyone knows me, they know I have to research everything before I can commit! So, in true Demi-style I went to 10 bridal stores across Sydney, where I took photos of all the dresses I liked and then made a spreadsheet categorising the elements of each dress that I loved. I took this to a dress maker in South Africa whilst I was there on holiday in December the year before with all intentions to combine these elements and have my dress custom-made. I had booked an appointment at a dress store over there as a ‘just in case the dress-making fell through’, so decided to attend the appointment anyways. I went with one of my close friends who convinced me to try this boho-beachy dress that was hanging on the rack. It didn’t look like much on the rack, and was not something I would have picked myself, but it was the first dress I tried that day and I LOVED IT!
What sort of theme, vibe or style did you go for?
The style was a boho-beachy dress. It had a sweetheart neckline, lace, corset bodice with a chiffon and lace skirt and detachable sleeves.
On the Day;
How did you both feel wedding morning?
We both felt so calm and ready! We went down to the beach together in the morning, taking it all in (and a selfie of course).
What was the best part or moment of your day?
The best part of our day was our Jewish ‘veiling’ ceremony known as the Bedeken. This is where the bride and groom see each other for the first time and it was a super emotional and special moment for us!
Anything you would change about your wedding or anything that didn’t go to plan?
There weren’t any major things that didn’t go to plan, and really not much we would change about the day! We would have loved to re-join cocktail hour if we had the time.
Are there any rituals, sentiments or traditions you incorporated into the day?
We had a traditional orthodox Jewish wedding, which includes many traditional elements. The men all join together before the ceremony with the Rabbi for what is called a Tisch. They give blessings, and sign the Ketbuah (the Jewish marriage certificate). Then they walk across to the women who were also giving blessings and saying prayers and the bride and groom see each other for the first time. The groom confirms this is his bride and then lowers the veil over her face. During the ceremony the bride and groom stand under a 4-post canopy, symbolising the home they will build together. The groom gives the bride her wedding band and the bride circles the groom 7x times before a glass is smashed in memory of the destruction of the temple. We also dance a traditional horah which is one of the most fun (and wild!) parts of the day! Because in Jewish weddings we do not say typical wedding vows, I (Demi) organised a photo box for Daniel from NoteCube which his brother gave to him the morning of the wedding whilst the men were getting ready.
After the Wedding;
Describe newlywed life in a couple of words?
Honestly, the same as before but with more time and less money. We have been committed to each other for 8 years, and living together 4 years so not much in our day to day life has actually changed, except that our commitment is now official!
Best investment or money well spent on the wedding that you made?
Amelia from Wedding and Event Creators 100%! Planning a wedding without an event planner is one thing, but I could not have imagined running the day myself without an on the day coordinator! Amelia handled EVERYTHING which allowed me to be fully present in my day and not have to worry about a thing! She executed my vision so perfectly and I could not be more grateful to her (or recommend this service more!).
Budget-over, under or what you estimated?
We were over our original budget, but not by too much. Having never planned a wedding before I found it hard to set a budget at the start not knowing how much things cost. Also planning a wedding over 18-months meant the price of things increased over time. My biggest tip to couples planning a wedding is to research what you can first (ie. get some quotes) and then set your budget realistically.
Credits:
Coordination/Set Up; The Wedding and Event Creators
Celebrant; Rabbi on Demand
Venue; The Cove Jervis Bay
Florist; Taylor Made Bouquets
Photographer; Nadine Saacks Photography
Videographer; Xsight Video
Catering; Foodie del Mar
Bar Staff; EnvyHer Events
Cake; Kake and Kream
Entertainment; Hylton Chilchik Music
DJ; Sincopa
Makeup; Zoe Martin Makeup and Jorja Williams Makeup
Hair; Absolute Hair by Tia and Chloe Piche
Hire; South Coast Party Hire and BNT Events
