NMJ Lovers | Connie and Tom

Responsibility and consciousness are at the forefront of our focus, we spend a lot of time working with our clients around their unique queries and preferences when it comes to designing and crafting their jewellery pieces. Seeing their conscious journeys evolve to include considered choices for their wedding day is inspiring.

After feeling guilty about the potential waste involved with planning a wedding, Connie knew that she wanted to do all that she could to make her special day as sustainable as possible. From sourcing compostable menus, to growing her bridal florals in her own garden, Connie gave life to all of her décor with the intention for it to be reused and recycled. Connie and Tom’s love has grown over thirteen years, and we loved sharing in the thoughtful and considered story of their wedding day.

 

Wedding Date: 19 March 2022

Location: Country Victoria

Dress: Anna Campbell Amelie + AJE (for my first dance)

Photographer: Daniel Milligan

Florals: Home grown and arranged by Elsa & Gray

Let's go back to the beginning, how did you two meet?  

We met towards the end of high school more than a decade ago, but it wasn’t until uni that we started dating. We met through mutual friends at the time. So it feels like we’ve grown up together, and gone through so many different life experiences together.

 

Tom, tell us about the moment you realised Connie was the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with... 

I knew Connie was the one just one month after our relationship began :) That’s when I said I love you for the first time. It’s been more than 13 years since then!

 

Where and when did you get married - tell us a little about your day? 

We got married on 19th March 2022, in a small gathering with our closest people. There were a few pandemic issues that were at play at the time so the lead up was a little stressful, but when the day came, everything fell magically into place. The weather was forecast to rain, but ended up being the most stunning, sunny day. We had our ceremony outdoors by a lake, surrounded by nature, followed by our reception dinner at night! 

What was the highlight?

The highlight would definitely have been being able to spend the day with our nearest and dearest, and just enjoying the fleeting, little moments of the day. 

We loved having a first look before the ceremony, we felt like it was such a special, intimate moment to enjoy before the formalities. We also loved doing our first dance, it was the first time we’ve ever learnt a dance together so it was a fun challenge practising it over the weeks leading up to it! A dear family friend choreographed it for us.

 

From your homegrown florals to the compostable menus, what inspired you to add all these beautiful yet sustainable touches and were there any others that you loved?

I have always loved the idea of a beautiful wedding but there was always a little feeling inside of me that felt bad about the waste that came with event decor. So when it came to planning these aspects of the day, I tried my best to use low-waste materials. We already had plenty of flowers growing in the garden so I asked my florist, Elsa and Gray, if she could use them within the table decor. Chloe has similar values to us and was more than happy to have this arranged. She also doesn’t work with foam, and I returned bits and pieces that she used in our arbour installation back to her so they could be reused again. 

Many of our guests stayed overnight and joined us for breakfast. Before breakfast, a few friends and I woke up to turn our reception decor into little bouquets to gift to the guests to take home. This gave the wedding flowers yet another life. With the menus, they were all printed in simple black ink and paper stock that was compostable and went straight into our compost bin the week after our wedding. 

Our bonbonierres were handmade seed packets by a dear friend @plannedbyjysla - they were made with paper and filled with seeds saved from our garden. So were completely compostable if our guests didn’t take them/use them. Though almost all of them were taken home! Most of our other decor was on-sold to other couples so that they could also be given another life - though I kept a few candle holders and vases to use at home and as a reminder of our special day. 

What tips can you give future brides, so that they can try to make their special day a little bit more sustainable?

When it comes to items that are only going to be used for one day, I think it’s good to think about how it can be disposed of thoughtfully or how its life can be extended on. That way you can make more conscious choices in the items you use for your wedding to help minimise waste where possible! 

 

Lastly, aside from eternal love what do your NMJ pieces mean to you both?

We loved NMJ for their beautiful, unique designs. I first fell in love in the brand in the early days and just loved their delicate designs. We had a bespoke design for our engagement ring which we love, and picked our rings from the existing collections for our wedding bands. We actually did our whole wedding bands appointments virtually with the team as it was during lockdown and the NMJ team made it so easy to do. We love that the brand is a local, small business and love supporting the talent and work of the team at NMJ!