It was luxurious, set the scene of our classy country wedding, and made magical photos.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We live in country Victoria without our 1-year-old son, Bobby, and our fur-baby cat, Lola. We absolutely love being in the country. We moved here a year and a half ago from inner Melbourne and have embraced the change. We love waking up to birds, crisp mornings and snuggly nights around the fire. We are both big country music fans. Early in our dating life, we shared songs and went to gigs together – you could say we fell in love through music. We love a good wine and a weekend with friends. We have been together seven years, moving in together right before COVID hit – and lucky for us, the lockdowns brought us together
We both work in sustainability. Ashley is a sustainability advisor in the mining sector, and Sally works in sustainable finance.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met the traditional way – on the apps 😊
The first picture that Sally ever saw of Ash was of him holding a beer and a baby. Sally remembers thinking to herself – now this man knows how to who a 30-something-year-old lady!!! Meanwhile, the mention of ‘banker, having just returned from New York City’ had Ash thinking he was onto a pretty good thing.
Our first date was a relaxed bar hop around Melbourne – which Ash had planned out the day before, even going as far as checking the drinks list. In the lead-up, Ash spent a few days researching ‘Melbourne’s best bars’ to curate the perfect list. Then he mapped the route out between each of the bars and saved it into his phone so that it would look like he knew where they were going. He had planned to suggest each new bar, casually and on a whim as if he’d just come up with it there and then. Despite being well-intentioned…. things didn’t quite go to plan. Ash got a little lost on the walk between bar 1 and bar 2, and Sally had to take over the directions and bar suggestions for the rest of the night.
From the start, Sally was immediately attracted to Ash’s attentiveness and kindness. She had never felt so seen before. He had this familiar, comforting presence about him. And, of course, Ash, being a very sexy man with strong forearms and a broad chest, definitely helped!!
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
For Sally it was in Tasmania on a walking, wine-touring weekend. Her inner city-raised boyfriend was way out of his comfort zone and loving it. She thought if he could love the wilderness, then he was everything I needed in a man.
For Ash, he knew pretty early on that Sally was the girl for him; he just had to wait around until Sally realized what he had known from the start – what meant to be.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Sally and Ash’s story also includes a unique engagement, a very interesting story in itself….
Ash had meticulously planned a grand proposal. The proposal was going to happen at Sally’s family home in Mount Beauty, with both sets of parents in town and a photographer lined up and hidden in the bushes. But – it all went totally pear-shaped when Sally tried to cook an egg in the microwave for breakfast that morning (a classic ‘Flower’ trait, which Ash still doesn’t understand), and it exploded in her eye, leading them to an unexpected detour to Mount Beauty Hospital for the next 4 hours. It was a chaotic start for poor Ash!! And so he had to regroup and try again the next day.
The following morning, after another sleepless night, Ash woke up Sally at 7 a.m., fully dressed in his hiking gear, and suggested they walk up Falls Creek. This in itself was suspicious. Ash waking up before Sally—strange!! And Ash suggesting they go hiking—even more strange!! But despite her sneaky suspicion, Sally agreed to the casual morning stroll, and off they went.
As they ascended up Falls Creek, Sally looked like she was on a casual stroll, whilst Ash was absolutely doused in sweat. When they finally reached the top, Ash dropped to one knee, pulled out a massive fake diamond (a placeholder ring, which cost $12 including shipping from Amazon), and very romantically popped the question. Between laughter and happy tears, Sally, of course, said yes!!! Despite the false start, she describes the proposal on top of a mountain in her home valley as perfect!!
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
Our Champagne Tower. This was a non-negotiable for Sally, it was all I wanted! I am a big bubbles fan 😊 Some girls dream of dresses, and I dreamt of champagne towers!
We ended up buying the glasses, hiring the tray, buying Moet, and paying the venue to set up! This was more work than we had liked, but it was too hard to get a supplier to come to Macedon, and we wanted the five-tier glamour of a big tower. It was luxurious, set the scene of our classy country wedding, and made magical photos. I would do it again.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Not really. Sally is the project manager and professional organizer, so everything was set down to the minute. Maybe the bridesmaids would laugh about the timeline on the fridge!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story? The history of the ceremony dress…
I tried on my dress for the first time when our baby was only 10 weeks old. I had big leaky boobs, soft tummy and baggy eyes, but still I felt beautiful. I loved the champagne colour (naturally), and the cut of the bodice was so classic I felt like Marilyn Munro. Gemma at @IvoryBride was an incredible help. She took me through all the style choices, and despite thinking I would be a lace girl, the classic satin was the exact country look I was going for. In my mind I wanted sunset photos of Ash and I in the paddocks with the dress trailing behind – which is exactly what I got!
Because I was heavily postpartum when we sized up the dress, it was HUGE when I picked it up six months later! If I am honest, it was rather stressful to be swimming in your wedding dress, but I found a seamstress and friends to help—and despite a few tears, it all worked out in the end.
The bared shoes I didn’t even need to break in. It all came together on the day despite a rapidly changing mumma body.
LOCATION Mount Macedon Winery, Macedon Victoria, Melbourne, @mountmacedonwinery PHOTOGRAPHER Smith & Archer, @smithandarcher FLORIST Hand Picked Floristry, @handpickedethicalfloristry OFFICIANT Married by Nikki, @marriedbynikki; The Lonely Weekenders, @thelonelyweekenders CATERING Mount Macedon Winery, @mountmacedonwinery STATIONERY Paperlust, @paperlust.co RINGS Novita Diamonds, @novita.diamonds WEDDING DRESS “Georgia” – Elbeth Gillis, @elbethgillis BRIDAL SHOP Ivory Thread Bridal, @ivorythread_bridal BRIDE’S SHOE Bared Footwear, @baredfootwear MAKEUP Jessica Marie, @jessicamariemakeupartist HAIR Tie The Knot Bridal, @tietheknot.bridal SUIT Custom Made – Oscar Hunt, @oscarhunttailors; Lined with groom’s family’s Mackay tartan GROOM’S SHOE Bared Footwear, @baredfootwear ACCESSORIES Buttonhole – Handpicked Ethical Floristry, @handpickedethicalfloristry BRIDESMAID DRESS Shona Joy, @shonajoy
