Jayden & Tayler | Real Weddings

The Details

Bride: Tayler Smith-Frowd, Marketing
Groom: Jayden Defina, Marketing
Wedding Date: March 12, 2022
Number of guests: 165

How did you and your partner meet?

We have known each other since we were seven years old! Tayler and I were best friends in high school, and then it’s just been us ever since! We’ve done everything together, from high school to buying a home.

How did he propose?

On our 6th anniversary as a couple, I told Tayler that we would go for drinks and dinner in the City. Little did she know that I had booked a room at the Langham with a balcony overlooking the city. I had it organized with flowers and a photographer waiting for us. I had also secretly organized to get my and Tayler’s parents in the city without them knowing it was for the engagement; we all had drinks to celebrate.

Length of Engagement?

1 year and 3 months

What do you love most about your partner?

Jayden: She goes out of her way to make everyone happy, even if it’s not to her benefit – a very loving person.

Tayler: I can trust and rely on him with anything and everything, and he’s so selfless!

How would you describe your wedding in one or two words?

A day just for us

Tell us about your wedding gown and how you chose it:

My dress was custom-made by Sam at Oglia-Loro Couture in South Yarra Melbourne. I’ve always loved his designs and knew I wanted my gown specifically designed by him.

There were many conversations with Sam in relation to style and fabric, given our ceremony was at St Patrick’s Cathedral, we felt it demanded grandeur but given we got married in March and was likely to be hot, I didn’t want anything heavy that would way me down. In the end, we chose a gown that was personalized to the day we wanted to have.

My dress was a combination of 2-tone Italian tulle, lined with beautiful nude silk fabric. It was feather-light, and beautifully designed, the inner corset was structured and cinched to emphasize my waistline, and the tulle was carefully pleated to give a layered look with a dramatic split to give it a modern feel. We also kept in line with the tradition of wearing a full skirt with a beautiful long train.

What sort of style did you envision for your wedding day?

We wanted a modern and luxe wedding. Everything was based around Gold, Black, White, and pale pink and we used a lot of modern furnishings. AMICA event hire provided the flowers, bridal table, chairs, cutlery, and table settings that gave us this look and feel.

How did you come to choose the location and venue?

Funnily enough, a year before I proposed we had dinner directly beneath the venue in Southbank and both said “how nice would this view be for a wedding”. Little did we know that upstairs was an actual wedding venue with that view! We explored some other options but nothing could beat that view and location.

Can you describe what type of ceremony you had and how you were able to personalize it? (i.e. any readings, vows, symbolic gestures, wedding party, how you entered the wedding ceremony, or any other special touches).

We had a short mass at St.Patrick’s cathedral and we were able to personalize the songs that were played on entry and exit. We also splashed out and organized for the bells to be rung as we left the ceremony.

Tell us about the style of invitations you chose and what you love most about it:

We went modern and luxurious! We wanted something with a wow factor so we had a blush pink chrome reflective mirrored invitation! All of our guests were stunned before the day even came about! We just loved how we had a vision and Giant were able to make that happen at a really fair price!

Describe the cake (including the flavors) and cake topper:

We had a white elegant cake that was subtle in terms of decoration. It was a choc-marble mud cake draped with white fondant folds. We also had our fresh flowers placed on the cake.

What flowers did you use in the bouquet and at the venue?

At the venue for our bridal table and table settings, we had AMICA event hire. They were the most realistic synthetic flowers we had seen and it allowed us to get our color palette exactly how we wanted it to. Our bouquets, corsages, and men’s pins were from Station Place florist and they were simply blush-white and pink roses and orchards for the bridal bouquet.

How did you choose your table décor?

We wanted our guests to be able to see and speak with each other from across the table so we opted for raised flower centerpieces this also added a big wow factor when guests entered the venue. Then when it came to cutlery and crockery we wanted to amp up our color palette with gold chrome cutlery and clear charger plates. This was matched with our white and gold chrome chairs. We opted to have consistency from the bridal table to the guest table and the entry decorations – gold chrome, blush pink florals, and monochrome backgrounds.

What was the menu for the reception?

Canapes: Asparagus & Pecorino Arrancini, Spiced Lamb Fattaya, Tempura Tiger Prawns
Cheese and Antipasto Platter
Entrée: Four Cheese Tortellini
Main: Black Angus eye fillet, Chicken Breast
Deserts: Ruby Chocolate Mousse, Mango Brulee, Hazelnut Praline tart, Wedding Cake

What were your favorite moments from the day?

• Seeing Tayler come down the aisle and realizing that this was the big moment
• The overwhelming feeling of seeing everybody we love in the same room
• Walking in to see our reception decorated immaculately and our vision in real life
• The big party towards the end of the night

Name your wedding soundtrack (aisle entrance & exit, reception entry, first dance songs):

Party Vibes!
Entry Songs from groomsmen and bridesmaids – All of the Lights by Kanye West
Our entry song is the theme song to Friends TV show because it’s Tayler’s Favourite TV show
During the meals we had wedding classics like Valerie and If I ain’t got you
Then when it was dance time we had everything from September to Back Street Boys and Avicii
First dance song: You and Me – Lighthouse

Any DIY décor elements?

We had the opportunity to style the whole venue completely from scratch so it was our vision but our suppliers made it all happen. The only DIY thing was our Wedding favors which we purchased individually and tied a greeting card to.

Any sentimental personal touches?

Our entry song was the theme to Friends because everybody knows it’s Tayler’s favorite show. The wedding date is right in the middle of our birthdays and it also happens to be the day we celebrate our uncle & grandfather’s birthday on each side! The venue is directly below where I proposed to Tayler so it felt like a full circle.

A couple of years ago, Tayler’s grandfather passed on the same day, and to our family, especially her Nanna, it felt like a nice way to remember and honor him.

What was the biggest splurge of the day?

It’s a tie between the Venue and the photographer! Metropolis has the best view and the best service in the CBD by a long mile and Yervant is an absolute master at photography.

How did you save on costs?

Research, research, research! Always look at more than one supplier and find the best value for what you are getting. Some things you know you have to splurge for because it’s important for your day – don’t compromise on those things!

In hindsight, anything you would have done differently?

Nothing, it was a perfect day!

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

We spent a week in Dubai and another week in the Maldives. Beautiful sun and cocktail-filled holiday after a massive day.

 Any tips that you can give to future brides?

• Double and triple-check all your appointments and conversations with suppliers – you’ll have a million things happening at once so just always check twice at least.
• Book your reception ASAP – With delays and reschedules it’s always going to be tough to get the venue you want on the day that you’d like
• Don’t compromise on the things that will make your day
• Your bridesmaids and groomsmen will help you more than you think so be thankful

If you could sum up your wedding in one sentence, how would you describe it?

Every single moment, planned or unplanned, was beautiful for us and our family.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks to everyone who helped make our day the best day we could have asked for.

~

The Team

Wedding Invitations: Giant Invitations
Dress & Veil: Oglia Loro Couture
Makeup: Sabilla Sutarno makeup
Hair: Salon 21
Accessories: Stephanie Browne jewelry
Bridesmaids Dresses: Barianno
Groom’s Suit: Formal Red
Groomsmen Suit: Formal Red
Cake: Pastel & Bloom
Food: Metropolis Events
Flowers: AMICA Event Hire
Photographer: Yervant Photography
Ceremony Venue: St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Reception Venue: Metropolis Events
Entertainment: Maya Vice + Tim the DJ Sax + Mike Snell
Celebrant: FR. Alex Chow
Transport: The Limo Company
Wedding Favours: Freixnet Rose
Any Other Vendors: Melbourne Chandelier Company