The seasonal pop-up restaurant is here!  Book Now

Love Stories - Hannah and Hayden Love Stories - Hannah and Hayden Hannah and Hayden by @mitchpohl

Love Stories – Hannah and Hayden

Married in August 2023 at The Jackson Ranch by Bannisters, stylish bride and groom Hannah and Hayden share their love story and highlights from their winter wedding.

How did you meet?

We met at a café called the Burrow in West End Brisbane. A mutual friend of ours organised a lunch, and this is where we both first met and began to chat. We would have crossed paths so many times in our lives, both growing up in Canberra where we went to Brother and Sister schools, although one year apart. It just wasn’t meant to be back then.

Describe the proposal…

Hayden: Hannah and I were meant to travel to Sydney to see Hamilton, where I was going to propose, but COVID had closed the boarders, and that plan was gone. Hannah and I had booked the leave, so we (really Hannah) decided to take a holiday anyway. Hannah booked an AirBnB up in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland where we could have a fire, go horse riding and enjoy the scenery.

The night before we left, we were at a wedding and had a few drinks, and the next morning was a little slow. . . but we had things to do and places to be. My thought on this morning was “okay I need to hide this ring”. We can pack separate bags, I’ll hid the ring in there. But no, Hannah was insistent on taking one bag. So I packed the ring into my back pack.

Driving to the venue, Hannah was singing and being excited as she always is! I was quiet as I was starting to get nervous. When we got to the venue, I knew I couldn’t be awkward for too long, and had to get this burning ring out of my mind and into hers! I grabbed the ring from my bag and stuck it in my pocket and knew it was time. I walked to the door of the house, where Hannah was facing the other way filling out a Covid form holding onto Hugo. I had all the time in the world as Hannah had NO IDEA I WAS BEHIND HER. Eventually, Hannah swung around and saw me on one knee with the ring. We both just started crying, eventually all I said was “I really love you”, Hannah grabbed the ring and put it on her finger for our first kiss as an engaged couple. Finally, a couple minutes later Hannah said YES OF COURSE!

We laughed, cried again and just soaked in this magical time! We were so happy, my heart was so full again! We soaked in this new feeling in our relationship, and just couldn’t wait to tell all our friends!

How would you describe your wedding vibe?

Formal, yet not overbearing, a lot of black with a hint of color. We wanted a wedding where everyone could look great in the clothes, and feel comfortable whilst looking a million bucks.

Favourite 3 wedding moments?

First look, the ceremony in general, and being serenaded by the saxophone player (our DJ).

We’re so glad we had…

Our nearest and dearest stay onsite, and also that we got our own special moment with our first look prior to the ceremony. All the food and drinks we wanted. Also, swapping our bridal party/groomsmen to the other side of us so we could look at them during the ceremony. It was a great idea provided by our celebrant. 

 

Love Stories – Hannah and Hayden Love Stories – Hannah and Hayden
Love Stories – Hannah and Hayden Love Stories – Hannah and Hayden
Love Stories – Hannah and Hayden Love Stories – Hannah and Hayden
Images by @mitchpohl

What element did you spend most of your budget on?

Besides the venue in general, the food would have been the biggest element. We don’t regret a cent of this, because the food and drinks were INCREDIBLE!

Hardest factor when planning your wedding?

Being interstate was tough as we couldn’t just nip to the Ranch to have a look, and had to trust our gut or memory on some things. Saying this, we had people who could go in and check it out for us, and the JR Team was always available to help with any questions.

A little about your vendors…

All our vendors absolutely nailed their position! Ivy Lane and the flowers and set up was incredible, they did so much more than we could have imagined. Mitch Pohl’s photos were amazing, he always made us feel so comfortable around the camera, and got some incredible photos. Tall Shaun is just an absolute legend, and his music was incredible, DJ Callum really got the party going at the end of the night, and was incredible with the saxophone! Our Celebrant Sarah Marie was also incredible, she made us laugh and also made us the centre of attention for the ceremony.

Love Stories – Hannah and Hayden Love Stories – Hannah and Hayden
Image by @mitchpohl

Pulling the wedding vision together…

So many people contributed to helping our wedding day and worked so hard to being everything together. In general, everyone that helped from the JR team, to the vendors to family and friends all did such a great job, no-one said No, and people helped out with everything. Hannah and I worked great as a team to bring as many elements into our wedding as we could possibly wish for.

Words of wisdom…

Start planning earlier than you think and make this special day all about yourself as a married couple. Don’t try and cater for the individuals too much, as this is your day. Get the food you want to eat and the drinks you want to drink. Don’t be scared to ask for more, and if people offer help, say yes as it’ll make your planning and life so much easier!

Love Stories – Hannah and Hayden Love Stories – Hannah and Hayden

Explore Ranch Cabins…

Whether you’re planning exclusive hire or a secluded getaway, the Jackson Ranch is the perfect place…

@THEJACKSONRANCH_

stay connected with all the news from the ranch...

Subscribe 2

Name