Inside the lakeside wedding of Melbourne musician Jiordy and local artist, Lochlan Sutherland

“We wanted something that felt quaint and effortless, charming and quiet.”

Lochlan and I met about 10 years ago. We were friends for a really long time before getting together, but once we confessed our feelings, everything happened very fast. There was no such thing as playing it cool. We told each other we loved each other on date two and I think I moved into his house after a week – we were very smitten (still are!).

How did the proposal happen?

We have a cabin in Jan Juc and we were down for the weekend, it’s one of our favourite places and so sentimental to me. He was insistent on waking up before the sunrise because there was something we just had to do – a surprise! We love to do things like that for each other, so I wasn’t quite suspicious.

That was until I noticed him taking deep breaths in the kitchen while I was getting ready (he has asthma so if he gets stressed, he really can’t hide it). We left in the car and once he started running over speed bumps and blatantly ignoring traffic lights I kind of had a feeling.

We walked down to the Jan Juc beach and he got down on one knee as the sun was coming up. It was beautiful. The ring box got stuck in his back pocket – very funny and classic us. We had champagne, laughed and cried for a long while. I didn’t know it at the time but our friend was up on the cliff taking photos that we will cherish forever.

What venue did you choose for your wedding, and why?

When we were looking at venues, we wanted something that felt quaint and effortless, charming and quiet. We love spending time in Daylesford so were drawn to that location. When we got to the Lake House we knew we had found it.

The trees were magic, they had the perfect room overlooking the lake for our small dinner, cobblestones and lavender, and delicious food. We only booked it seven months out and didn’t care too much about a specific date, so we also liked how they were available for a mid-week wedding in autumn.

How many guests did you have?

Lochlan and I have a darling little boy, Kit, so we have our hands full! When it came to deciding on what kind of wedding we wanted to have, we both liked the idea of something small and not too much fuss. We had 38 people at our sit-down wedding dinner. It was perfect for our little family of three.

Where was your outfit from, and what was the process of sourcing it like?

All the images I had saved and drawn inspiration from were vintage, bold dresses. I knew I wanted something that didn’t really look like a traditional wedding dress and I was also pretty relaxed and open to trying some different things.

I went to my dear friend Tash from Van Der Koij and she custom-made my puff sleeve moment. It was a really lovely process and she was so patient, considering my body changed so much in that year after giving birth.

Tash also made the bridesmaids’ dresses in the most beautiful blue. She is a wonder woman. My slingback periwinkle shoes were from Scanlan Theodore. The basket weave earrings from Constantina Vintage.

What about your husband’s outfit?

Lochlan got a custom suit made for himself and his groomsmen from Reigner Clothing. He found some amazing ’70s inspiration and went from there. The suit pant was slightly flared and the lining matched the bridesmaids’ dresses.

It was understated and simple, clean and classic. The fit was exactly what he had envisioned. Lochlan paired the suit with an open white collared shirt and his grandpa’s cufflinks.

In terms of beauty, tell us about the look you went for on the day, and what your inspiration for it was. Did you do your own hair/makeup or hire someone?

My inspiration for the day was very much a tousled, ‘by the lake’ kind of look. Fitting for our location! I kept my hair curly and natural and hired a super-talented friend, Paige Craig, for very simple and natural makeup. I never wear makeup/usually have a basic beauty routine and I just wanted to feel like myself for my wedding day – so minimal was the way to go for me.

Tell us about the styling.

In terms of styling, I did everything myself. I made the wedding arbours and boutonnieres out of dried flowers I had collected in the few months before the wedding and styled the long table the day before. I used different styles of vases, linen, fun candle holders and a lot of fresh flowers. We wrote individual letters to all guests and used those as the place cards, and made a chilli oil for the bonbonniere.

The day before the wedding, we went to a flower market in Ballarat to get everything needed. I made the bouquets in the morning while we were getting ready and added dried flowers in with them to match the boutonnieres. I’m a creative and crafty person, so I had an absolute ball doing all of this!

What did you do to celebrate after the wedding?

We stayed the night at the Lake House and spent a few days in Daylesford with our families before and after the wedding. On the Saturday following, we caught up with our close friends and had a wedding party at Franklins in Thornbury – we were asleep by 10.30pm on our wedding night, but the wedding party was more of a kick-off-the-boots kind of evening! We spent our honeymoon overseas and were lucky enough to go to Scotland and Italy for seven weeks with our son.

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

The Lake House team had the food covered using fresh, seasonal, farm-to-table produce. We only found out the menu a couple of weeks before the wedding which was exciting to look forward to. It was nice to not have to think about organising that side of things and not surprisingly, it was delicious! Our guests raved about it.

My friend with the voice of an angel, Lucas Miller, sang us down the aisle with his guitar and stuck around ’til 8pm playing music while we ate. Our friends Jerome Williams and Ben McFadden (These Wild Eyes) were our photographer and videographer. It was so lovely seeing familiar faces and having vendors that were our buddies.