We met at the beginning of 2008 when I started working for Joel’s father’s company. We started seeing each other in July that year and we’ll celebrate our eight-year anniversary in Paris on Bastille Day this year. A little side story – shortly after I’d started, Joel’s father Tony mentioned to his mother that he’d found a lovely girl at work who would be perfect for Joel. Suffice to say, I think he was right! The proposal happened on a trip to South America for the 2014 Football World Cup (we’re big sports fans).
Joel surprised me with a beautiful antique halo diamond ring after a two-hour hike to the top of Machu Picchu mountain overlooking the ruins. The afternoon was spent wandering around the ancient ruins, followed by an incredible sunset over the mountains. Our wedding day was the perfect day for us. We aren’t traditional by nature, and we wanted our wedding to reflect that. A mixture of family, friends, amazing food and flowing drinks created a night of awesome memories (and lots of free spirits on the dance floor). Staying at Byron View Farm cottage allowed us to continue enjoying the atmosphere once all the guests had departed on the Hippie Bus bound for the after-party in Byron Bay. Our style at home is quite relaxed and natural, and we wanted to incorporate that into our wedding. We included several pieces of our own décor – the skull that was the backdrop to our ceremony and a beautiful vintage Moroccan wedding blanket – both gifts from Joel’s parents, and the antique crystal cut decanters from my family. We also had framed photos of our parents’ and grandparents’ wedding days displayed throughout the reception. One of our favourite details was the beautiful native flower chandelier with Edison bulb lighting in the tipi. My dress was fully beaded with a high neckline, low back and rose gold silk satin lining. My great grandmother’s watch – worn by my grandmother, mother and sister on their respective wedding days – matched seamlessly with the belt sewn onto the waist of the dress. A bit of practical advice – beads catch on everything, especially the veil, and weigh a tonne! Seven awkward kilograms of dress can be quite difficult on the dancefloor! The feeling of being married is the hardest thing to articulate. It’s a certain feeling of stability, support and love that prior to being husband and wife we couldn’t have imagined was missing. You go into marriage thinking you know and love your partner as much as possible, only to be surprised by a new kind of love when you come out the other side. Married life is our favourite adventure so far.
Photography, Ryder Evans | Location, Byron View Farm | Bridal Dress, Johanna Johnson | Shoes, Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids Dresses, Zimmermann | Flora, Beautiflora | Styling, Byron Bay Weddings | Makeup, Ava Belle | Hair, Mud Honey | Mens Jackets, Marc by Marc Jacobs | Mens shirts, Saba | Men’s Pant, grooms belt & shoes, Florsheim | Catering, Fig Tree Restaurant | Lighting, North Coast Events
