Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship … Sam is a carpenter and I am phys-ed teacher. We met in 2009, in high school.
I was the new year 11 student, and he the shyest boy there ever was. I spent most of the year trying to ‘woo’ him, to no real avail … and then he started to show some interest and we began dating. I asked him out over text and we were official. On the anniversary of our 8th year together, he proposed on the veranda of our first home. We are each others first love and have grown from teenagers to adults side by side; I’ll admit it has been a wild ride full of challenges and adventures, but its always felt right.
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details … We were married on our 10 year anniversary exactly. Yes, I am a planner and from the moment we were engaged I knew this is what I wanted. Sam was happy with the idea too – an anniversary date that would be hard to forget! We wanted a wedding celebration that reflected us and after ten years together we were definitely focused on the party vibes. The ceremony and reception were held at the same location, Sam’s childhood home. Obviously sentimental, but also had so many benefits- we were able to take our time setting up in the week prior, choose our own alcohol and could celebrate late in to the night.
The day we envisioned would typically come with a hefty price tag, which we just couldn’t justify spending…so it became an epic DIY effort that involved lots of family and friends. Sam’s main non-negotiable was booking Dig The Dust, a legendary local band. Wood Fired Catering took care of the food with a huge grazing table and wood fired pizzas. As for the style- I fell in love with the styling and aesthetic of the Eclectic Warehouse styled shoot that our photographers had featured with you, on Together Journal. I spent the year leading up to the day gathering foliage for the dried flower arrangements, while Sam got to work with the groomsmen to build an arbour, a huge stage, a bar and lots of pallet furniture. We made our own bouquets with the help of Sam’s aunty, my cousin did our hair, Sam’s mum made our cake, his cousin Dan played an acoustic set leading up to our ceremony, and one of our besties lead the ceremony (a civil celebrant was also there to legalise everything).
The flowers, styling and set up details; while being everything we envisioned and more, totally melted away considering all of the people we were surrounded by- our most loved and treasured community. Aside from the ceremony, the speeches were the truest and most hilarious reflection of us and our celebration of love. We left the reception in the early hours of the morning with our bridal party and closest friends in tow and made our way to a holiday house down the road. We piled in to the lounge room, squishing together on the couches and our swags, taking drunken polaroid’s and discussing the events of the day…so basically we ended the night with the most epic sleepover. All of it was our favourite part!
Tell us about your main outfits: I wore a Rue De Seine wedding gown. Aside from absolutely loving it, it was the most comfortable dress that I tried on, a huge deciding factor for me. For our reception I changed in to a Sofia The Label mini- perfect for dancing up a storm and competing in the impromptu limbo comp that ended up happening! I purchased the Rue De Seine gown second-hand and hired the Sofia The Label mini. The bridesmaids all chose their own dresses but stuck within a certain colour theme. Sam and the groomsmen wore classic black suits with bow ties. Most of them already had what they needed, or borrowed it from their friends.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day? Is it typical to say the whole day? We loved it all! Although, what made everything feel so special was the effort and love shown by our friends and family in the lead up to it…it was a total family affair.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together? You do you! But just remember, marriage is the focus. A wedding is a whirlwind of all the best stuff; planning, partying and celebrating love with all your favourite people eager to help…but it will be over before you know it. And then it will be just the two of you on a major journey with no end in sight, marriage is a life long commitment that will inevitably have its ups and downs. Ask for help when you need it, be honest with each other and put in as much effort to grow individually as you do to grow as a couple.
Photography: In The Wilds Of Someplace Venue: Groom’s Childhood Home Celebrant: Lynette Malski Entertainment: Dig The Dust Catering: Wood Fired Catering Co. Lighting: Albany Event Hire Wedding Dress: Rue De Seine Reception Dress: Sofia The Label Ring/s: Ciprian Showcase Jewellers Shoes: ASOS Bride’s Earrings: Outlier Makeup: Sweetheart’s Beauty Hair: Sami’s Hair At Home Fragrance: Daisy by Marc Jacobs