wedding photography at dog rocks in Geelong

Shona + Jordan | Batesford Hotel Wedding

April 18, 2020

Weddings

A Story Of Light-Hearted Laughter + Love | Batesford Hotel

Everything started for Shona and Jordan with church and coffee… a few short years later, they were married in a low key Batesford Hotel Wedding.

Shona and just moved to Melbourne and decided to go to Bridge Church one Sunday afternoon. Pastor Shaphan welcomed her with an offer of free coffee and took her over to the line – where an unsuspecting Jordan was waiting. With a twinkle in his eye, the Pastor introduced them and they’ve been inseparable ever since!

The proposal…

As a photographer, I’ve heard a lot of proposal stories but this one is like something out of a movie – well, a musical maybe! Back in May, Shona and Jordan had to spend a few months apart while she did her farm work. During that time, Jordan wrote a song about proposing, ending with the line ‘as I’m down on one knee.’

Now, fast forward. As a musician (and generally funny guy), Jordan booked the Prince Bandroom in St Kilda for a gig in a few months time. A friend of Shona’s was in on the plan and convinced her to get her hair done beforehand. The gig was amazing. Then, he started playing that song. The song ended with him down on one knee, ring out, with Shona in tears. Happy tears of course!

I am so glad our day was very obviously a day that celebrated us completely…that is the greatest gift you can ask for on your wedding day.

The preparation…

Jordan and Shona knew they wanted to get married a while before the proposal, but couldn’t decide what kind of ceremony they wanted- or if they even wanted one! The most important thing for both of them was that the day was chilled and fun. In the end, they decided to go for a simple, laid back ceremony. No vision boards, no bridezilla, just good vibes and fun! 

The ceremony…

The ceremony was simple and low-key, but perfectly sentimental in the details. They chose to have a low key wedding at the Batesford Hotel (since Jordan knows the owner) and Pastor Shaphan who’d originally introduced them flew in from Perth to marry them. Shona’s whole family flew in from the UK for the wedding and Christmas, and Jordan’s brother (another musician) sang and played while Shona walked down the aisle. The week before the wedding, Victoria had a serious heatwave with temperatures in the 40s. Luckily, things cooled down for the day and the light cloud coverage provided a stunning golden hour to shoot in.

The details…

The colours scheme was based around Shona’s dad’s kilt colours (green, yellow, and pink), with some greenery and wood mixed in. They even used that same tartan to edge Christmas crackers. Shona got cute wooden Australian animals (which were actually Christmas tree decorations) from Kmart and stamped people’s names onto them as combined favours and seating plans. Shona and Jordan were pretty blasé about the flowers, but Rachelle from Posie Palace pulled together the perfect flowers: simple, elegant, and incredibly vibrant.

Vendors who made this day possible:

Venue: Batesford Hotel| Florist: The Posie Place | Dress: Embrace Bridal | Hair/Makeup: Khol Studios | Band: Tom & Tayla | Ring: Janai Jewellery


I'm Sonya and I'm so happy you're here. This blog is a journal about real weddings, real couples, editorials and all about my travels, fashion, and style. Stay a while and say hello!

sonya the

About the Writer