Here at Fashion Journal, we make no secret of our love of weddings. We’re suckers for a bit of romance and have a soft spot for weddings that do things differently, whether it’s a Las Vegas elopement, a tropical getaway or a Town Hall celebration.
Claudia Howcraft and Ted Mitchell’s love story dates back over 10 years. The pair first met while Claudia was on a camp, training to become a lifesaver at Portsea Surf Life Saving Club. Ted was on kitchen duty and Claudia remembers her mum handing him a collection of pre-made meals because she’s anaphylactic. Ted affectionately nicknamed her ‘Allergykid’ and they had their first kiss.
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Given so much of their relationship took place by the beach, it only made sense that Ted proposed on the sand before one of their regular morning swims. Armed with a guitar, he sang Claudia a song, asking her to marry him. “He [also] wrote about how he’d asked my dad, mum, brothers, Murph (my late dog) and my granny for my hand in marriage,” she remembers.
The couple knew from the start they wanted to get married at the very spot they first met: The Portsea Surf Life Saving Club. Their ceremony took place overlooking the Bass Strait, featuring club rules like ‘kiss between the flags’ and a variety of other personal touches. The bride arrived in her grandfather’s moke, her brothers performed live music and general store-style ice-creams and icy-poles for dessert.
Fashion Journal: Hi Claudia! How did you meet Ted and how did the proposal happen?
Claudia: Ted and I met in 2009 on Bronze Camp at the Portsea Surf Club. Ted was on kitchen duty and I was a ‘bronzie’ learning how to become a lifesaver. I remember my mum dropping me off and handing Ted an esky full of meals because I’m anaphylactic to a few foods. When she passed it over she said, “Just try not to kill my daughter”. Ted then named me ‘Allergykid’ and would heat up my bolognese sauce in the microwave for me… the name has stuck ever since and we’ve been together for 10 years.
The day he proposed, he surprised me on our favourite beach when we were going for a morning swim. He’d set up a spot on the beach before we got there with a guitar, and he sang a song he’d written for me with the big question woven into the lyrics. It was very romantic and made me cry. In his song, he wrote about how he’d asked my dad, mum, brothers, Murph (my late dog) and my granny for my hand in marriage.
Did you have a theme for your wedding?
Absolutely! As a creative, my friends and colleagues know me as the person who is always pushing for a ‘big idea’ or a theme that all the little intricacies can stem from. Whatever it sounds, looks, tastes and feels like should all link back to one idea. What came to mind at first was a graphic symbol – a half sun and half disco ball – and from that, ‘Claudia and Ted’s Beach Club Wedding’ was born.
It’s almost like the weather was informed of the brief too. A perfect northerly wind meant the swell was peak surfing conditions and dolphins jumped out of the water as the guests were arriving. I laugh picturing myself with a Monica Geller-style headset saying, “Cue the dolphins”. The sun that beamed down on our guests created this beautiful, radiant energy. It felt like the perfect beach day. It’s a rare thing to get perfect conditions on that particular beach, so it added to the beauty of it all.
I also created a visual identity, reminiscent of the classic surf club colours and symbols, and there were ‘club rules’ like kiss between the flags, staying hydrated and no standing – only dancing. I branded T-shirts for the staff and had beach flags, stubby holders and shot glasses. We decorated only what was necessary as the venue spoke for itself. We just added surf boards, umbrellas, buckets of lemons, collected roadside fennel to weave in throughout the venue and had a wishing shell, rather than a wishing well.
What venue did you choose for your wedding?
How could we not tie the knot where first met: The Portsea Surf Club? We formed so many memories there over the years. There are deep family roots there – my grandpa’s name is displayed in the hall of fame and it’s where I had my first kiss (which happened to be with Ted).
Was it a big or intimate wedding?
The guest list was a little over 200. We both have big, larger-than-life families who know how to party. Our families are usually last seen on the dancefloor, or deep in conversion and making new friends, so it was incredible to blend both of them together with our friends, too. Age certainly didn’t matter.
Where was your outfit from and what was the process of sourcing?
My outfit was from Jacquemus. I am obsessed with their creative – what I would give to be in that team! At Mecca, I fell in love with visual merchandising and when I was in Paris for the Olympics last year (Ted’s sister rowed for Australia!), I constantly wanted to go look at their window displays. I had the dress in the back of my mind but knew it was an old season piece and they probably wouldn’t have it in store anymore.
However, the team were so friendly and we had the best experience with a staff member called Martin. He said the dress was no longer stocked but he went out and looked for it anyway, and sure enough one dress left in my size came out. I felt entirely myself wearing it and knew it was the perfect dress. I still wanted little Coastal touches throughout my outfit, so I had a custom shell anklet made by Threaded Studio and wore shoes that looked as though I was barefoot.
What about Ted’s outfit?
Ted’s outfit was from a mix of places, including Informale and Reiss. My good friend Em Nolan helped with his styling and complemented the outfit with her pocket square and her gorgeous new sunglasses in collaboration with Wink Optometrists. I felt pretty lucky walking towards him! He looked fantastic.
In terms of beauty, tell us about the look you went for on the day.
Martin from Jacquemus gave me five extra flowers from the dress that I wore in my hair. I don’t often wear makeup, except for big occasions. After working at Mecca for a while I’d fallen in love with particular products like the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless Filter and Kevin Aucoin’s Glass Glow, for a really dewy look.
I wanted to do my own makeup and hair for the wedding, but a few weeks out I made the decision to leave it to the professionals. I didn’t know how my makeup would look throughout the day or in photos, and I didn’t want to have to think about it. In Sorrento, there’s a place called Runway Room which does both hair and makeup, so it was a good option to get it done at the same time.
What kind of food and entertainment did you have on the day?
Instead of cakes or bouquet throws, we wanted to introduce new rituals and traditions that felt more aligned with who we are. We wanted our guests to feel entertained from the very beginning and we wanted that energy to continue throughout the ceremony. I came down the big ramp in my grandpa’s Moke with my dad, we had live music performed by my brothers, a funny speech by Ted’s sister, and a beautiful demonstration from my mum of something old, new, borrowed, blue – ending with her pointing out to the big blue bass straight.
We partnered with George Colombaris’ team at Hellenic House Project and they served up the most delicious menu with pulled pork tostadas and beef carpaccio dolmades. For the main course, we had a spit that rotated throughout the day with George’s signature souvlakis. As a late night snack, we had dim sims from Dimmieden and general store style ice-creams and icy-poles for dessert.
The whole day was matched with the music, which is how I built out the run sheet. It was full of songs that have been cemented into our relationship, and songs I knew would set different moments of the day and stir up emotion in our guests. Genres and eras narrated the day – think Bombay Bicycle Club, Black Eyed Peas, Blondie and Basement Jaxx. Sonder DJs were pivotal in bringing this vision to life.
We started out with an outdoor dancefloor on the deck and post-sunset we moved inside, which became a club style setting with lasers and smoke machines. This transition was announced after our bride and groom speech where everyone did a limoncello shot in unison. Then, we all congregated on the dancefloor under a disco ball doof stick… from that moment I didn’t stop dancing until the end of the night. Our wedding playlist is here!
Tell us about the photography. How did you capture the event?
We wanted a photographer whose approach was more contemporary in terms of using film, colour and framing and who could understand our creative brief — and us! I went with Thomasjpg. He shot Ted’s band a few years back and I knew he had a talent for capturing emotions and the little magic moments throughout a wedding day. Tom went above and beyond – even in the lead up to the special day, he went further than just his role as a photographer and it truly felt like a collaboration.
We also had With James who filmed an incredible video of the day and we had Thirtyfivemillion to shoot the dancefloor in a classic nightclub-style. Two of my best friends also captured funny interviews on their camcorders throughout the night, so we’re lucky to have that documented, too.
Did you do anything else to celebrate beyond the wedding?
Another highlight was the decision to rent a house with our closest mates for the weekend. The night before we had a beautiful cook up on the deck and there was something really special about waking up with our closest friends on our special day. We played our favourite music throughout the house during breakfast and while we got ready.
We all went back to the pad the night of the wedding, jumped in the pool, danced and plugged in the camcorder in to watch some of the funny footage captured throughout the night. We were there for a total of four nights so it was a great mix of downtime and absolute silliness.
Keep up with Claudia here.
This article Inside a surf club wedding with souvlakis, dolphins and a Jacquemus dress appeared first on Fashion Journal.
2025-04-09 10:29:00
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