I came to New Zealand from Mexico in 2012 with a working holiday visa to work and travel for a year and take a break from my job. I met Eddie while I was waitressing at a pub in Auckland, he worked on the kitchen team. We went for heaps of coffee, walking and skate dates and before I knew it he’d showed me the whole North Island and surprised me with a visit in Queenstown when I went to work there for the winter.
Mike and I actually grew up minutes from one another, we later found out. We went to the same high school, but we didn’t really meet until our first year at university about 10 years ago. Actually, we had one exchange in high school in our maths class - Mike came up to me and said, “I like your style,” and that was the end of it until we were formally introduced by a mutual friend.
Welcome to our anniversary issue! It’s one year since we launched Together Journal, and just like a wedding anniversary, we think this should be celebrated. (How fitting is it that the traditional gift for a one-year wedding anniversary is paper?).
We’re an unconventional German couple who wanted to escape from the daily routine, and made our dream to travel the world come true with a three and a half-month trip from Nepal to New Zealand, Fiji and Canada. The trip was a chance to focus on ourselves, have time to think about future plans and finally, to enjoy our wedding.
We grew up in the same small village near Frankfurt and since we are nearly the same age we went to the same kindergarten and school, though there was no close connection back then. We didn't see each other again until New Year's Eve in 2005. We became a couple not long after that and have lived together almost since the first week.
When lovely bride Melissa asked me to create her wedding bouquet her colours were mint, lemon, chartreuse and gold. From that moment I knew her wedding would be special and inspiring. It was fun to come up with something that was a little bit different.....
Together Journal regular contributor and writer of our 'Gems of Wisdom' feature each issue, Aleisha McNiece teams up with Melissa Mills to create this beautiful shoot for Together Journal...
We’re both passionate about travel and lucky enough to have jobs that have taken us around the world. We moved to London together in 2012 and have been living abroad since. David proposed in a small town called Conca Dei Marini on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. He’d hidden the ring in my jewellery box, but as I was getting ready in a rush I didn’t even notice! So when I wasn’t looking he pulled it out and when I turned around he was on one knee, ring in hand. I couldn’t stop crying, it was so special. We spent the day exploring the town and drinking champagne. It was the best!
I was on a round-the-world trip in 2010 and found myself working in a small hospital in Harlow, Essex, England. Stacey also happened to working at the same small hospital. Luck would have it that we became neighbours, and then housemates, and then roommates. I convinced Stacey to return to Australia with me. The rest is history!
We’re both 26 and were both born in South Korea. I came to New Zealand when I was three years old and Kevin came when he was 12. We met ten years ago when we were 17 and in high school, where we started off as friends.
We wanted an outdoor wedding, so didn’t have a Plan B for the rain. Our whole wedding (especially the ceremony) was prepared with our fingers crossed the weather would be good on the day. It was perfect up until dinner and speeches and then it started raining - but to our surprise this made the evening even more special!
We met online. Back when it was very uncool and less swipy. James’ proposal was perfect. It was Christmas day and we were skiing in Chamonix, France (that sounds pompous, but it wasn’t like that at all). Considerately, all the Europeans were hungover from celebrating the night before, so we had the slopes practically to ourselves. Unknown to me, James had packed a backpack of goodies – panettone and champagne, you know, just basic survival food. Since it was Christmas day I wasn’t too surprised when the champagne came out of his backpack but then as he got down on one knee to hand me what I thought was some chocolate, it all came together. It was pretty spectacular to have had that event witnessed by no one but mountains.
James proposed in Rome, where we’d gone for a few days for my birthday (we live in the UK). I sort of knew it was coming but wasn’t sure. We spent a day in Vatican City and I had no idea James was wanting to propose that day, I was too hot and sweaty so it wasn’t the right moment... Later that day when unpacking his bag the ring box fell out and rolled across the floor! I threw a top over it and ran into the shower, he had no idea I saw it. Then I knew it was real! He waited until my birthday day, and asked me when out at dinner, in the most amazing restaurant, outside, with pretty fairy lights. It was very romantic.
