There wasn’t an exact moment but everyday without fail I look forward to coming home to Matt, whether I’ve had a good or bad day, he’s always there. I think that was the giveaway that he was the one.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Abbie: We are Matt and Abbie and we live in Brisbane. I’m from Coffs and Matt is originally from Brisbane. We start our morning by going to the gym together. We love going for walks and getting coffee on the weekends. This is when Matt isn’t playing golf, haha!
We love all things winter sports, holiday planning is always made easy this way! We love visiting Coffs Harbour, my home town – lots of ocean dips and spending time with family!
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Abbie: I was feeling pretty nervous going to this party and had a little crush on Matty. Aleece (MOH) dropped me off at the party and said she could call me to be picked up! The night went smoothly, lots of drinks, lots of laughs! It was the end of the night and I ended up being one of the last people left. Then one thing lead to another and we had our first kiss. Aleece wondered why she didn’t get the call for a lift home. But she knew that the night must have gone well!
Matt: I was kind enough to drop Abbie home the morning after! Later that day, we had to play netball – the whole team was hungover! Abbie ended up rolling her ankle – I was a gentleman and was quick to swoop in and help Abbie off the court – then I offered to drop her home.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
Matt: It wasn’t one specific moment. But it was through all the long distance we did (I did 2 ski seasons abroad and Abbie took a job in regional QLD for a job for 12months) and the connection that we have together made it a no brainer.
Abbie: There wasn’t an exact moment but everyday without fail I look forward to coming home to Matt, whether I’ve had a good or bad day, he’s always there. I think that was the giveaway that he was the one.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Abbie: Matt and I had organised a weekend away to coincide with me finishing up a job with a not-so-great boss. It had been a stressful few months leading up. I got home from her last day of work and Matt bought me some flowers (the cheap Coles ones!). I was actually a little underwhelmed, it’d been a really hard couple of months. But I quickly moved on.
Matt: Little did she know I had just picked up an engagement ring – and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face! I wasn’t thinking about what flowers I got her, I just got her a ring! We then were off to Coolangatta for a long weekend. We decided to stay at the Greenmount hotel in coolie – it was pretty unique because it bordered on to NSW. We went to the beach in the afternoon and then decided to get some nibbles and drinks to watch the sunset on our verandah. We were listening to music, watching the sun set, and Abbie was taking some piccies for the gram. My drink was empty so I went inside to get a refill. I came outside and hugged Abbie from behind- but only with one arm. Abbie thought this was suss and went to grab my other hand. She turned around to me on one knee. The nerves got the better of me and I quickly said “will you marry me?”. Abbie said YES! obviously. We couldn’t wipe the grins off our faces. We then rang and messaged our nearest and dearest and enjoyed the rest of the evening as fiancées!
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
Photographer! We will have those memories for a lifetime. And working with Taylor was fab! She was cool, calm and collected leading up to the wedding and on the day. But yet she showed hype girl energy and was extremely organised! Everything really you could want in a vendor!
She was really helpful leading up to get our head around timelines too and had everything streamlined. We felt super relaxed but knew that she shared our vision for the day!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
Abbie: I bravely organised the wedding in 6 months, which left not much time to find a dress, I only had a few weekends to decide! I went to 3 bridal stores. I found a favourite and second best. Bought it and all was good. The only thing was the dress I had purchased was coming from Ukraine and the war had been declared the week after measuring and the dress could no longer be guaranteed to be delivered in time (understandably). Then I had the choice of a sample dress being altered or 2nd favourite. I ended up going with 2nd favourite which in hindsight matched my overall vibe! I loved it!
Matt: Mine was easy, I always wanted to wear a tux for my wedding and fortunately it lined up with Abbie’s vibe for the day.
Ceremony + Reception location, Catering + Beverages, Stationery: The Refinery, @therefinery__ / Photographer: Taylor Kezia Photography, @taylorkezia_photography / Celebrant: Hannah Lea, @marriedbyhannahlea / Entertainment: G&M Event Group, @gmeventgroup / Flora: Wallflower Floral Design, @wallflowerbrisbane / Cake: Jocelyn’s Provisions, @jocelynsprovisions / Bride’s attire: Karen Willis Holmes, @kwhbridal / Groom’s + Groomsmen’s attire: Black Jacket Suiting, @blackjacketsuiting / Ring/s: Bruce Robinson Diamonds, @ageniuswithgems / Shoes: Betts, @bettsshoes / Makeup: Renee Jean Makeup Artist, @reneejean_makeup / Brows, facial, tan: Healing Hands Skin & Beauty, @healinghandsskinbeauty / Hair: Black Avenue Hair, @bridget_blkave / Fragrance: Marc Jacobs Fragrances, @marcjacobsfragrances / Bridesmaid’s attire: Shona Joy, @shonajoy
