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A page dedicated to our closest and dearest friends (the "EJ Airways Hitch Crew") who made our special day a memorable one. Starting a new airline is no easy feat and without our dedicated crew we would not have made it so far. From the moment we agreed on ditching the instagramable traditional wedding and opt'ing for something that is truly unique to us and our love story, the EJ Airways crew were all in and all up for creating a brand from scratch.
A special credit to each and every single one of you:
Head of Operations and Australia's Best Bling Bearer: Maree
Wedding Assistant: Cressida
Head of Fleet Acquisition (sourcing airplanes): Inna
Creative direction and wedding planning support: Isabella and Wildflower Concepts
Maid of Honour and many other roles: Daisy
Man of Honour and #TeamBride coordinator: Dennis
Bridesmaid and Creative Designer: Anna
Best Man: Phillip
Groomsman and Sommelier: Willie
Groomsman: Steve
CIO and Virtual Ceremony Producer: Tampil and Pat
Head of Landing Celebrations: Ash
Head of Treasury: Lisa
Head of Freight (Hong Kong): Wendy
Plus the many suppliers whom many are also good friends from previous work projects that supported us before, during and after the day.
Special thanks to Ada's Patisserie for working with us to create the Dowry cake boxes. A traditional cake also know as the "Marry girl cake" ("嫁女餅") is a wedding gift which is originally from Guangdong. These are very hard to find now as most couples now opt for gift certifcates at their local Chinese bakery in lieu of traditional dowry cakes.
The giving of wedding cakes by the bridegroom shows that he is respectful and takes his vows seriously. The bridegroom sends marry girl cakes to the bride and her family after the engagement. The bride's family will then give them to their relatives to share the happiness and tell them that the wedding is approaching. The cakes are given in packs of four, six or eight pieces, because even numbers in general, and those numbers in particular, are deemed to be auspicious.
A collaborative and virtual effort by Daisy, Kim and Elisa, the Cheongsam worn by Elisa on the night was designed together with Daisy using traditional African Chitenge fabric from Zambia and raw Italian silk from Tessuti's.
Traditionally for tea ceremonies the bride should be wearing a two piece Qun Kwa (“裙褂"), modern brides now mostly opt for a Cheongsam also known as a Qi Pao which some consider impractical for a tea ceremonies given the bride needs to be bending to serve tea, making it extremely tight at the bottom. As a traditional Chinese dressmaker, Kim understood that Elisa didn't want to wear a Qun Kwa so he worked on altering the initial design to allow for an A-line fit and flare at the bottom half of the dress.
The dress was only finalised less than a week before the wedding allowing Daisy to land in Sydney and meet with the dressmaker to finalise the production of the dress.
Wendy jumped straight into the job to become our Head of Freight for EJ Airways in Hong Kong when it became apparent that Hong Kong border restrictions meant a lot of Elisa's friends and family would not be able to attend the wedding in Sydney.
Physical virtual invites were produced and each box is unique, filled with Aussie snacks that were hand picked for each guest to enjoy while they watched the ceremony virtually.
The final touch? In true spirit of providing an excellent customer experience for our EJ Airways virtual passengers they were hand delivered to each and every person in Hong Kong by Wendy.
A year in the making, with lockdowns and border closures during COVID but in the end it was all very much worth it. A huge thanks to the talented designer Jason Grech and his team Anie and Jaxon Grech. Also special thanks to the Man of Honour - Dennis, Andy, Steph and the Ellie and Eli for attending the fittings with Elisa in Melbourne. It's not easy to have two little ones patiently sitting through a dress fitting =)
Interesting fact about the dress... it features thousands of Swarovski crystals weighing over 10kgs. At the final fitting, Jason also gave Elisa proper runway training on how to walk with such a heavy dress on to ensure poise and posture was always perfect!
Credit to Fashion illustrator Eris Tran for sketching this picture.
The Inflight Wine Menu
A curated list of wines by Justin with the help of Willie.
Behind each wine is a story. Enjoy!
Justin.
The Welcome
Sparkling - Saint Hilaire, Blanquette de Limoux Brut, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
French sparkling wine = Champagne? Monks in Saint Hilaire created the world’s first sparkling wine in Limoux in 1531. We tested a selection of Australian, Italian and French sparkling wines before settling on this gem. Even if you aren’t a sparkling person, try it, you might change your mind.
White - 2021 The Doctors’ Riesling, Marlborough, New Zealand
I first visited Forrest in 2011, and along with their luscious botrytised riesling dessert wine, the memory of this drop has stayed with me for years. Riesling is a versatile grape with many interpretations. Dr John and Brigid Forrest developed the Doctors’ range of wines as a healthier alternative for no regrets the next morning. With a touch of sweetness, this is a great crisp wine to kick off on, and at 9%, a little friendlier to your body too.
Red - 2015 Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, Australia
An Aussie classic dating back to 1954, grown in the terra rossa soils of Australia’s capital of Cabernet Sauvignon, a.k.a. Coonawarra. 2015 is regarded as one of the best vintages over the last decade. With regular QF flights to Mt Gambier (MGB), it’s never been easier to visit one of my favourite Australian wine regions.
The Main Event
White - 2020 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
This was the wine that taught me the joys of food and wine pairing. On a visit to Queenstown in 2009, Fishbone paired Marlborough salmon and this Sauvignon Blanc, which kicked off my interest in wine. Sadly the restaurant closed last year just short of its 30th anniversary. Vegan friendly.
Red - 2018 Glaetzer Anaperenna, Barossa Valley, Australia
A fine vintage and the year Elisa and I met. Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz is such a classic Aussie blend and Ben Glaetzer’s example is one of my favourites. A decade or two will do this wine good, but in the meantime, let this breathe in the glass as long as you can hold off temptation; perhaps pour a glass upon seating and let it breathe. Vegan friendly.
The Toast
Champagne - Pol Roger Brut NV, Champagne, France
This side of Krug, my favourite Champagne for a special occasion.
The Finale
A selection of Australian and New Zealand dessert wines from our cellar
Enjoy!
“Penicillin cures, but wine makes people happy” - Alexander Fleming
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