“Maria at the High Street store helped me and she was amazing! There are so many stunning dresses at RC however Maria really helped in narrowing it down to find a style that suited my shape. As soon as I put “the dress” on, she knew it was the one too. She knew what worked and was so wonderful in adding on the final touches like the long veil to compliment the dress.” #RCREALBRIDE JESSICA RC – How did you meet Jarrod? Jarrod and I met at the Notting Hill Hotel in May 2013. It was for a mutual friends birthday, we got chatting and hit it off immediately. It turned out that we had been at some of the same parties before but had never actually met so I guess it all came down to timing! RC – How did Jarrod propose? We went to Hawaii in July last year and originally Jarrod had planned to propose on the night we got back. He had organised with our good friend Laura to go to our house and arrange to set things up for the proposal however our flight was delayed by 6 hours so he had to call and tell Laura to cancel it. A couple of weeks after we returned, he took me out for dinner and while we were out, organised for our house to be set up with flowers, candles, a bottle of champagne and the ring sitting there. As I walked in, “I’m Kissing you” by Des’ree starting playing and I turned around to see Jarrod on one knee holding the ring! RC – Is there a particular reason as to why you chose your venue? We have always loved Mornington Peninsula and particularly Red Hill, so we decided to go down and visit a few locations. We were actually trying to find a different venue but missed the turn off and pulled into Tucks Ridge by mistake. We saw the incredible view so popped in and had a chat to the manager Matt who was instantly accommodating. We fell in love with the space, the views and just the general feel of the venue and knew instantly it was the one. We wanted a relaxed and intimate wedding and Tucks Ridge couldn’t have been more perfect. RC – Your favourite part of the wedding? I’d have to say the ceremony was my favourite part of the wedding. I wasn’t really nervous before walking down the aisle, I was just excited to get to the front and see Jarrod. Having my Dad walk me down the aisle was a special moment too. Our minister Alan was so incredible and put together a really beautiful and meaningful ceremony that had us in tears and laughter the whole way through. We also had an absolute ball on the dance floor throughout the night so that was definitely a highlight! RC – How did the dress make you feel? I knew instantly when I tried my dress on that it was the one. As soon as I tried it on, I felt beautiful and knew it was the perfect dress for me. There is a timelessness about the style and shape which I loved. RC – How was your bridal shopping experience? Maria at the High Street store helped me and she was amazing! There are so many stunning dresses at RC however Maria really helped in narrowing it down to find a style that suited my shape. As soon as I put “the dress” on, she knew it was the one too. She knew what worked and was so wonderful in adding on the final touches like the long veil to compliment the dress. RC – Tips for brides-to-be! I would say to not get overwhelmed by trying to organise too many things at once. There is so much to think about and can get very full on especially getting down to the tiny details at the end. Buy a planner or write a list of everything that needs to be organised and bit by bit work your way through the list. I would also say to trust your instincts when deciding on which vendors to work with. There are so many fabulously talented people out there that it can be a bit overwhelming trying to make a decision. However, spend the time to do the research and find vendors that fit into your style. -Vendors- Photography – Perla Photography Venue: Tucks Ridge Flowers and styling: Naomi Rose Floral Design Makeup: Makeup with Me Signage: Willow and Ink Design Cake: Two Rams Melbourne