Brit + Luke by Janneke Storm - Together Journal

We both felt there wasn’t much we couldn’t tackle together, and we made a darn great team.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Luke is a pilot, and Brit is part-journalist, part-artistic hustler, and part potter. We live with our staffy Arnie, renovating our old home in Brisbane. We love being outdoors, keeping active, cooking, and enjoying great food (and a few drinks) with friends and family.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We met in regional Queensland when Brit was working as a reporter for a local TV station, and Luke was in his first flying posting.

Brit was also moonlighting as an aerobics instructor, and we met through a mutual (fabulous!) friend whom Brit was teaching with.

I (Luke) knew I wanted to be around Brit more, with her confidence and infectious personality.

We were both really happy being single, though, and busy pursuing our careers. But our friendship lasted a grand total of three weeks; the rest is history.

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

Our friendship was instant, and the start of our relationship was so easy and organic. We were both living such busy lives but naturally fell into being each other’s number-one supporters.

Early on, we had to deal with some pretty hard life challenges, but this only brought us closer. We both felt there wasn’t much we couldn’t tackle together, and we made a darn great team.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

Marriage wasn’t a massive priority for us. We started our family (Arnie!) and bought our first home, and it just wasn’t something we’d really considered.

Then COVID hit, and being separated from family and friends made us feel released. It’d be nice to celebrate the good things in life when the world got back to normal.

Without expectations, we thought it’d be fun to look at rings, and Brit became BESOTTED with a vintage engagement ring that Luke managed to grab in secret.

The proposal was nice and simple on Christmas morning, just the three of us (with Arnie, of course!), and once we began celebrating our engagement, we couldn’t believe marriage wasn’t top of our to-do list before.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.

We just wanted something that was very ‘us!’ and, above all, a massive celebration with our nearest and dearest.

We actually eloped during COVID at the Calile before moving to the US, so the real wedding was also a homecoming of sorts and a full-circle moment, having a weekend-long celebration at our favourite venue.

One of our favourite things is cooking and sharing a meal with family and friends, so food was a big priority.

Brit is incredibly creative and went full DIY mode; the vision was all hers. She hand-drew everything from invites, place cards, signage, and menus. Being a potter, she even made every guest a ceramic candlestick that doubled as table decorations and wedding favours.

We honestly just had so much fun with it all. We chose elements that made us happy, knowing that if we had a good time, our friends and family would, too!

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

It depends on which one of us you ask.

For Luke, it was the entertainment, so ensuring the live music hit the spot both for our ceremony and reception.

Brit is always incredibly particular about the little details, but she splurged more with her own time than money, making sure all the hand-crafted details were simply perfect.

We’re both big foodies, so we spent a lot of time tasting all the elements, cake included!

We also both agreed to spare no expense on looking (and feeling) our absolute best on the day.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

Brit’s been a journalist and presenter since before we met, so when it came to choosing the MC, she joked with our wedding planner that she was the best fit for the job.

When our actual MC couldn’t do it, Brit brought herself on, which, in hindsight, was the perfect fit for us and made our reception unique.

Speaking of bringing themselves on, Brit’s brother and step-dad closed out the night, joining the band on drums and lead vocals, respectively, for a rendition of John Farnham’s ‘You’re the Voice.’

Every guest was singing at the top of their lungs, and it was the best memory, not to mention the perfect way to close out our celebration.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?

Brit – When it came to finding my dress, I didn’t have any style in mind. I wore a white linen suit when we eloped and knew I wanted something equally reflective of my personality.

I was very lucky that eight months out, one of my favourite Australian designers [Zimmermann] released a collection with a runway gown that was very me. As soon as I saw the image, I knew!

Phone calls and very helpful retail assistants helped me track down one of the few in the country, and it was literally the perfect fit.

I wanted my sister and maid of honour to also find something that she felt a million bucks in, and it just so happened she found a dress in the same collection.

Having matching Zimmermann shoes, albeit in different colours, wasn’t intentional, but I liked the touch. My flower girl [niece]’s dress was also from the same designer.

I was so in love with my dress, there was no way I was taking it off for our reception, but I did like the idea of a second look. That’s why I decided to cut my hair in the quick break, new earrings and VOILA!

Luke – My best man [who’s been my best mate since we were twelve years old] and I got custom tuxedos from P Johnson Tailors. Not just on the wedding day, but the entire process of getting something made together was such a special experience.

The boys from P Johnson Tailors nailed the fit and details, even embroidering our initials on the sleeves. My loafers were Morjas imported from Spain, and my cufflinks were vintage from my grandfather, who would have been 94 years old on our wedding day.