
25 Mar REAL (RAD) WEDDING: Jess + Will
JESS + WILL’s REAL (RAD) WEDDING
This Northern NSW wedding was an epic amalgamation of family-friendly feels and banging beachfront house party.
Jess and Will’s wedding day at Babalou, set against the laid-back yet always ready to party Northern NSW coast, was the perfect celebration for two authentic humans looking to honour their nuptials with a heck of a good time. Their day ditched the conventional for a vibe that screamed beachy cool, effortlessly blending chill vibes with an epic party atmosphere. Babalou, situated atop the renowned Kingscliff Hotel, with its broad ocean views, set the stage for a celebration that was as much about soaking in the coastal elegance as it was about letting loose and making waves.
The bespoke ceremony, crafted by Janda Events’ own marriage celebrant extraordinaire Lei-Ahna Newell, cut through the usual wedding fluff to deliver something truly resonating. Lei set the tone from the opening minute and laid the perfect platform for the heart-lead party that would follow. Janda Events’ Gaz provided the live tunes from ceremony through to the First Dance, before the Janda Fam’s own DJ Jake completed the Celebrant + Soundtrack trio, tagging-in and taking the tempo up a notch or few!
All images: Nick Hargans Media




What was the vibe and style vision for your wedding day?
“Beachy, coastal, casual, chill”
Is there a highlight or standout memory/moment? Share your flashback feels:
“Our first dance. I loved our song choice (we slow danced to the same song when we were 11 and 12 years old at our school dance!). It was the thing i was most nervous about doing in front of everyone but i was so relaxed and enjoyed every second. I loved the music ALL night.”
If you had to boil your day down and describe it in one sentence, how would you?
“Perfectly suited to US.”
Did you do anything in particular to ensure your true personalities sone through?
“We sent a list of songs/playlists that we love and that we felt is our “vibe” of music for the day and night through to Janda Events for Gaz and DJ Jake. Our professional photos were taken down on the beach, barefoot in the sand. We are the complete opposite of Formal so it was important to Will to be able to have his shoes and socks off as soon as possible after the ceremony and it was important to me to be out of my long tight wedding gown and into a shorter, less restricting and more fun party dress for the reception!”
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently in your wedding planning?
“I know EVERYONE says this, but i wish i could go back and enjoy being in the moment more, especially at the beginning of our reception. Basically immediately after we made our entrance, everyone wanted to mingle and get photos that the first hour or two in the venue felt like a blur and that I didn’t get a second alone with Will or to enjoy our musician – then when all of the formalities were done and we could relax and have fun, it was almost over! If i could do-over, i would probably elope/have a private ceremony (with Lei of course) – then have a weekend away together to soak it all up – then when we returned, a big “party” with our friends and families (with Gaz & Jake for our music of course!!).”
What advice would you give to couples currently planning their wedding?
“Don’t lose sight of what the day is actually about! The wrong coloured napkins or flower placements don’t matter. It goes so qucikly, don’t waste your time doing things on the day because you feel like you “have to” or “should”.”
Is there a nug of advice you received that was absolute gold to you (or that you now wish you had listened to)?
“To change into something more comfortable for the reception! and get your photographer to whisk you away AFTER you’ve had a few drinks for a few more couples photos alone – they were way more relaxed and fun.”
How did having the Janda Fam involved contribute to making your day special?
“From the second i sent through an enquiry about being a part of our wedding, Lei and Jake’s communication was quick, perfect and showed genuine excitement and care for the specifics i was asking for. We had Gaz as our musician for the ceremony and beginning of our reception and LOVED his vibe, voice and every song he sang. He was perfectly suited to us! Lei was our celebrant and the speil she put together for our ceremony was perfect and was so personalised to us that we had multiple guests ask if she was a family friend of ours and couldn’t believe that we had only met her when we found her and Janda online 9 months prior. She has the most easy going, laid back and fun personality that we instantly felt comfortable and relaxed with her. DJ Jake took over the music from our first dance onwards and while my memory becomes a bit fuzzy from there on, i have way too many photos and videos of us and our guests having the best time on the dancefloor and lots of very passionate and loud singing haha! 10/10 for the whole Janda crew!!”
Is there a particular moment involving the Janda Fam that stood out to you?
“Gaz playing at “cocktail hour”/the beginning of our reception. I remember the sun was starting to go down, i could see the beach from our venue, i had a cocktail in hand and he was playing one of my favourite songs so perfectly. I wish i could go back to that moment and keep it on replay for a whole day.”
Apart from Janda Events which wedding vendor deserves a shoutout, and why?
“Lulu from The Message Co – I was lucky enough to win one of the audio guestbooks for our wedding at the wedding expo. She was amazing, so helpful, kind and accomodating. She delivered the phone to me and picked it up from the venue and sent out our guest messages to us with an extra special gift. It’s not often you come across such genuine people and such great customer service. And our photographer/videographer, Nick Hargans from Hargans Media – the most chilled guy, made us all feel comfortable, kept us on schedule, encouraged us to leave the reception and go out for more photos at sunset (best idea ever – some of my favourites were taken then!) and of course gave us the most AMAZING photos, videos and short reels of our day that we get to cherish forever. He exceeded all expectations.”


















































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