A gorgeous wedding celebration carried into the next morning. These two have us falling in love all over again. Raw and romantic, we love every detail from Jenn + Ryley’s wedding, captured by Gui Jorge Photography. Keep reading for Jenn + Ryley’s love story and don’t miss Muse Photography’s stunning photos of the morning following their wedding.
Tell us about your proposal. Wow, the best day of my life. I think I loved this day so much because it was so unexpected and it was something that was on the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember. He woke me up at 5:30am when we were on holiday in South Africa. I remember being slightly annoyed at his alarm clock going off so early and asked him why on earth has he set an alarm that early when we are on holidays! He smiled and said he has a surprise for me because I always book our holidays and have surprises for him, so he wanted to do something for me! Immediately I wasn’t annoyed anymore! I jumped up and started asking a million questions! He wouldn’t tell me anything. We climbed into the car and he started driving - he wouldn’t let me see his GPS in case I guessed where we were heading too. As soon as he took one specific turn I said, ‘A Spa Day!” He knows how much I love spa days and when he turned off to the vineyard countryside, I just knew this was what we were going to do. As we were driving, I pointed out a little shop on the side of the road and said they have lovely cheese and meats there and we should do a tasting one day. He put on his indicator and said “Okay, lets go now”. I was SO CONFUSED! I kept saying no no no, just keep driving to the Spa, don’t turn off on to dirt roads at 6:30am in the morning in some deserted location! This is South Africa after all! You cant just pull off anywhere you want. He insisted. I started explaining that the place wont even be open yet, but he ignored me and parked the car. He climbed out and said “we are here” with a big smile across his face. I was even more confused. We climbed out the car - it was still pitch black outside - and we started walking towards two other men standing near their bakkie (what you Australians call “Utes). The three of them all smiled at me and Ry laughed and said “She still has no idea what we are doing here”. I giggled to be polite, but in all honestly my brain was working over time to try and figure out what we were going to do and why we were talking to these strange men. Ry hugged me and pointed at the branding on the car door. It said “Life Ballooning” and had a picture of a HOT AIR BALLOON!!! I gasped! No WAY!!! I hugged him and everyone laughed at me and off we went to the location where we were going to set up from. The lovely gentleman made us coffee and we sipped on that whilst they set up this amazing balloon. Soon we were in it and off the ground and soaring in the air. It was breathtaking. Ry knew this was something I had always wanted to do! We flew gently through the air, taking it all in and just as the sun started to peer above the mountains in the distant, Ry hugged me tighter and asked if I was happy. “Its perfect” I whispered to him. “Can I make it more perfect” he said and spun me slowly around. There he was, on one knee, holding a box towards me and he said “Jennifer Arlow, will you grow old with me?”
How did you know your partner was the one? When we had our very first kiss in Croatia, I experienced this beautiful magical moment. It was as if I had known this man in a past life or something! We were lying in bed one evening and I looked over at him and I knew that this was the man that I would make my life memories with.
What do you love most about your partner? I love his kind heart and his ability to always see the positive out of every situation. He is the most genuine person I know and not a day has gone by that he hasn’t made me belly laugh like a child! I love how witty he is and I love how much he loves me and puts extra effort in to make me feel on top of this World.
What was your favourite part of the wedding day? I CANNOT choose just one favourite part of my day! It was all so magical and surreal and I just want to relive it now! I must say, there was one moment that does stand out to me above the rest and that was when beautiful Jules our Celebrant finally pronounced Ry and I as “Husband and Wife”. It was as if it only just hit me then that I am now married to my best friend and that we are at OUR wedding! As soon as she pronounced that, I buckled and burst into tears and hung onto Ry’s neck as he held me up and kissed me! It was beautiful and definitely an incredibly special part of our magical day!
Describe your wedding theme/style. It started off with a BANG being a surprise wedding! We just wanted a super relaxed, magical outdoor wedding where we could dance the night away under the trees and stars. It was a beautiful day and evening. We had a little caravan bar serving yummy cocktails all night and a yummy food truck to keep our friends and family satisfied. There were no set tables and chairs, as we wanted everyone to move around and interact with each other and share in the love. And they did! We received such beautiful messages the next few days on how this wedding was unlike anything else and there was just so much love and laughter in the air!
What is marriage to you? To me marriage is true, honest, love. It’s about coming to a beautiful compromise and choosing to not live your own life but to instead share every moment of your journey with your best friend. Marriage is work, but it is the best job in the World. It is about putting your life in the hands of your significant other and trusting that they will always look after your heart and soul. Marriage is about being a strong team. Conquering life together and cheering each other on. Marriage is one of the most beautiful journey’s of life and that’s how I choose to see it.
