Inside slow fashion creator Catherine Jia’s low-waste, low-cost wedding

“Having a more low-key celebration takes so much pressure off – it allowed us to be fully present, soak in every moment and actually enjoy the day together.”

Here at Fashion Journal, we make no secret of our love of weddings. We’re suckers for a bit of romance and have a soft spot for weddings that do things differently, whether it’s a Las Vegas elopement, a tropical getaway or a Town Hall celebration.

Catherine Jia had custom-designed her own engagement ring, long before the proposal came. When she first started dating her now-husband, Mond, he said if they were still together when they were 27, he would propose. True to his word, Mond surprised Catherine with a sunset proposal six years later on the beach while on holiday in Koh Samui.

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Known on Instagram for her approach to slow and sustainable fashion, Catherine went into her wedding planning with a low-waste, cost-effective mindset. From the menu cards to the altar backdrop, the couple took a DIY approach to their wedding decor. They sourced secondhand items and found new pieces they could repurpose post-wedding. “My wedding dress was also made from deadstock fabric and we kept the ceremony and reception in the same place to minimise carbon emissions from travelling,” Catherine says.

The wedding was held at Camperdown Commons, an inner-city farm 10 minutes from the CBD. It was full of other considered touches, like flowers from a B-Corp certified florist and red pops of colour to honour their Chinese heritage. “Our vendors were extra special because many of them were people I’ve known for years, like my florist, or were connected to me through friends, like my dressmaker,” Catherine adds. “It made the whole experience feel so personal and meaningful.”

Fashion Journal: Hi Catherine! How did you and Mond meet and why did you decide to get married?

Catherine: We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party. The interesting thing is that we had this mutual friend for many years. If you look back at photos from high school, you can see both of us on either side of the photo, completely unaware of each other. It was almost like we didn’t meet each other until the time was right.

At this party, we randomly started talking to each other and realised we worked at lived in the same suburb. I asked if I could park my bicycle at Mond’s house when I went to work and ended up stopping there often for lunch. In our first year of dating, Mond mentioned that if we were still together at 27 (we met when we were turning 21 back in 2016, so six years later), he would propose to me and he kept his word.

I knew the proposal would come at some point, so I’d actually designed the engagement ring months before the engagement. I kept asking if the proposal would happen during our group trip to Thailand, but Mond said he was too scared of losing the ring while travelling. Right before we left for the airport, I checked the safe and saw the ring was still there. Mond knew I would check and waited till the last minute to grab it.

The night before the proposal, Mond told me there was a nice sunset spot on the other side of Koh Samui. The next day, I had a nap right before the planned engagement time, so Mond was stressed because he had booked a photographer who was already waiting. Once I woke up, we rode a motorbike about 30 minutes from the hotel to the spot, walked to the far end of the wharf jetty and that’s where Mond got down on one knee. It was an intimate proposal and our friends joined us to celebrate afterwards.

You mentioned you wanted a ‘low-cost, low-waste’ wedding. What inspired this and how did you navigate it?

We were never big dreamers when it came to having a wedding, so it didn’t feel right to spend a lot on just one day, especially when we’d rather put that money towards our mortgage, travelling and going out with friends. We also wanted to keep things as low-waste as possible, in line with the sustainable lifestyle we try to live.

We kept it intimate with just 44 guests, only inviting people who genuinely meant something to us and doing a lot of the wedding decor ourselves, like the menu cards and alter backdrop (so the fabric could be repurposed post-wedding). We found second-hand items from Facebook marketplace and chose vendors who shared our values. For example, our florist, Florada, is B-Corp certified and ethically sources flowers from Australia only. My wedding dress was also made from deadstock fabric and we kept the ceremony and reception in the same place to minimise carbon emissions from travelling.

Another way we kept costs down was by doing it without a wedding planner or stylist. I leveraged my background as an ex project manager to plan and style the entire day, with input from Mond. Some of our friends helped us in the morning set up the wedding decor, so shout out to them!

Did you have a theme or colour scheme?

We featured pops of red throughout the wedding, from my shoes and hair bow to the roses in my bouquet and little red bows on the menu cards. In Chinese culture, red symbolises joy and celebration, while white is traditionally associated with mourning funerals. As Australian-born Chinese, both my partner and I wanted to blend our cultural heritage with a western-style wedding and using red was a beautiful way to honour our roots.

What venue did you choose for your wedding?

We chose Camperdown Commons for both our ceremony and reception. Mond and I first visited this restaurant four years ago and we loved the food. We also fell in love with the vibe – it’s an inner-city farm that feels like you’re miles away from the hustle and bustle, even though it’s just a 10-minute drive from the CBD so it was convenient for everyone to get to. The fact that the farm is maintained by the community really resonated with us.

You said your dress was custom-made from deadstock material – can you tell me a little more about the design process?

About eight months before the wedding, I put out a call on my Instagram because I wanted to collaborate with a small, local designer. An acquaintance from work messaged me to say her sister in Melbourne custom-makes wedding dresses, so after trying on countless dresses and not finding the one, I reached out to Talia Rubinstein.

Since we were living in different cities, Talia and I kicked off the design process over WhatsApp and video calls, bouncing ideas back and forth until we landed on a two-piece concept: a corset and a long-train skirt for the ceremony that could be swapped out for a shorter skirt at the reception. Next came the hunt for deadstock fabric. This took us almost a month to find the right fabric. Once day, I visited The Remnant Warehouse, a local deadstock store and discovered a gorgeous crinkled chiffon fabric by Bec and Bridge. I sent a swatch to Talia and we both instantly fell in love.

The corset style wasn’t finalised until my first in-person fitting in Melbourne in December 2024, where we chose to have the fabric hand draped around the bodice and pleated to bring out the natural texture of the fabric. The whole process was collaborative and we had so much fun. Having Talia make the dress made it even more special – she’s incredibly talented and an all-around wonderful person.

What about Mond’s outfit?

Mond’s suit was custom-tailored by Sydney label, Belancē. He ordered a white tuxedo blazer paired with brown trousers.

In terms of beauty, tell us about the look you went for on the day.

I chose a natural makeup look to enhance my features and hired Jizelle for both hair and makeup. We went with a simple half-up, half-down hairstyle so I could easily clip on my bow veil.

What kind of food and entertainment did you have on the day? 

Between the ceremony and reception, Camperdown Commons served six delicious canapés, followed by a generous shared feast. We chose a communal dining style so our guests could connect, chat and pass plates around. This was a lot more fun than individual servings. The menu featured creamy burrata with focaccia, mushroom croquette, roasted lamb shoulder, spatchcock, gnocchi and a beetroot salad. Everyone was so full and happy, we skipped a separate dessert and went straight to the cake.

For the entertainment, we kept things simple and fun. We played a wedding game with our guests during the reception called “How Well Do You Know the Couple?” and handed out little gifts. It made everything feel warm, relaxed and really us. We also had a vintage photo booth for that nostalgic touch and it was such a hit! It made for a fun little activity and the best part was getting to keep all the photo strips as memories.

What about the cake?

The cake… I waited an entire year for Tia Molinaro to return from maternity leave – it was literally marked in my calendar. The moment it hit January 6 2025, I emailed her. Tia creates the most stunning sculptural cakes, thoughtfully adorned with florals that tie in perfectly with your wedding bouquet. We chose a three-tier classic vanilla cake with a frosted jam filling and honestly, it’s the most delicious cake we’ve ever had.

What did you do to celebrate after the ceremony?

We headed to the Glebe Hotel to catch up with friends, then returned to our hotel with them to keep the celebration going. It was such a lovely, low-key wedding after party!

Tell us about the photography. How did you capture the event?

Mond chose our photographer, Kevin from Two Similar Eyes. He wasn’t into the typical posed wedding shots and was really drawn to Kevin’s documentary-style approach. Our friends and family aren’t big on posing for photos either, so we wanted someone who could capture the day as it naturally unfolded. Kevin’s approach is to blend into the background and quietly document real, candid moments.

What other low-waste, low-cost touches did you have?

Instead of hiring a videographer, which can get pretty expensive, I asked my friend Gabby to help out. She’s a content creator I’ve worked with through Reunion, a buy/sell/trade store in Newtown and she gets my style. On the day, she followed me around with my phone and captured the most amazing content. I feel so lucky to have had her there, she knew exactly what to film and I haven’t stopped sharing the footage on my socials since.

How do you feel now, looking back on the wedding?

This wedding honestly felt perfect. We weren’t stressed at all in the lead-up and I truly think it’s because we kept it small and intimate. Having a more low-key celebration takes so much pressure off – it allowed us to be fully present, soak in every moment and actually enjoy the day together. At some weddings with big guest lists, the couple barely gets a chance to talk to everyone. But with ours, we had the space to connect with each and every guest, which made it all the more special.

Our vendors were extra special because many of them were people I’ve known for years, like my florist, or were connected to me through friends, like my dressmaker. It made the whole experience feel so personal and meaningful.

Keep up with Catherine here.