Real Wedding: Ashleigh & Darren – Photography by Free the Bird

We met where all good relationships are made — in the office. We worked in the same department at L’Oreal Australia and became great friends after bonding over our shared love of music.

We started dating a year later. Our relationship is based on mutual respect for each other’s beliefs, ambitions, and dreams. Also, because we live in Melbourne, a lot of our stories centre around food and our love of discovering new restaurants. New York is Ashleigh’s favourite city, so I knew I wanted to propose on a trip there, but I didn’t know how I would do it. I carried the ring around with me for an entire evening in the hopes that the perfect moment would present itself. Luckily, it did! At the end of dinner, in the privacy of our hotel room overlooking the beautiful New York skyline, I got down on one knee. We wanted a winter wedding in Victoria’s wine region, the Yarra Valley. There is something about a crisp, cold night with candles and red wine that makes for such a romantic evening. The colour scheme was forest green and deep burgundy and this was incorporated into everything from the florals to Darren’s tie and Ashleigh’s makeup. Ashleigh is quite minimal (save for one statement piece) in her day-to-day styling, and her wedding dress captured that perfectly, with its embossed jersey, comfortable fit and dramatic sleeves. When she walked through the chapel doors, she was smiling at me, and when she arrived at the altar, she took my hands and whispered “I love you”. It’s a moment that will stay with me forever.