Emily: I grew up in the country, then moved to the city to complete a Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery degree at James Cook University, while Nathan grew up in big capital cities and moved to a smaller coastal one…
We met at our local church, where we were both part of the music team – I sing and play piano and Nathan, who’s a music teacher, sings and plays drums, bass and guitar. We’re both passionate about young people and also served a great deal in our youth ministry, which meant we saw each other on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. A friendship developed and grew from there.
Nathan proposed on our one-year anniversary. I was in Atherton on a midwifery placement and he came up to visit. We’d planned to celebrate our anniversary by going up to the Millaa Millaa Lookout to admire the beautiful misty scenery over a platter of delicious food, but while we were there, Nathan asked if we could take a photo, put his camera on video mode and got down on one knee.
The main theme of our wedding was floral. I wanted my bouquet and the other floral arrangements to be textural, so they included proteas, banksias, orchids, lilies, twigs, dried foliage and more. My bouquet was so heavy that whenever I wasn’t being photographed, I gave it to someone stronger to hold! I initially wanted to keep my dress and accessories very simple, but at the second store my mother and I visited, I tried on an embroidered lace two-piece and absolutely loved it – it was so different to anything else I’d seen. I ended up getting a 3m Juliet-cap veil custom- made with lace and beads to match. We chose classic black and white for Nathan and his groomsmen, and white for my bridesmaids, so the main colour on the day would be from the flowers. Both our extended families are Christian, so we wanted to share a worship moment with everyone at the ceremony and our grandparents to pray their blessing over us. Singing ‘What a Beautiful Name’ by Hillsong Worship together was truly magical and sentimental. Nathan and I complement each other perfectly, but more than that, we understand and don’t try to change each other.
The biggest things we’ve learned is to show each other grace, that sometimes sacrifices have to be made by putting the other person first, and to always find something to laugh about. Marriage is a team effort – it really does take two to tango. What this means to us is cheering each other on and being each other’s biggest fans, always being full of encouragement, and picking each other up when we’re down. When it comes to wedding planning, our advice is to try not to stress too much about the details – your wedding day doesn’t define your marriage. Involve your groom and enjoy the journey together – you only do it once.
Photography: CharLeigh Photography | Videography: JC Filmz | Bride’s gown: Ida Torez | Groom’s attire: Tarocash | Bride’s ring: Prouds The Jewellers | Groom’s ring: Kavalri | Bride’s earrings: Swarovski | Bride’s veil: Hester Jarvis at Ja Delle Designs | Bride’s shoes: Novo Shoes | Ceremony venue: St John’s Anglican Church | Reception venue: The Ville Resort Casino | Bridesmaids’ dresses: Forever New | Groomsmen’s attire: Connor | Flora: The Secret Garden | Makeup: Kirstin Martin | Cake: The Cheesecake Shop
