I knew early on that Josh was special, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. He is an absolute gentleman, and I was instantly drawn to his quiet confidence and kind nature.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We currently live in Brisbane, Queensland. I’m an Emergency Nurse and Josh is an Army Officer. We both love to travel and always have plans for our next trip. We love to be by the beach whenever there is sun and enjoy spending long weekends camping.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Chels and I met at work. We were both in the Army at the time and were attending a course together. I definitely had my eye on Chels early! I wasn’t so sure on Josh at first but after the course finished, we realised we lived only a few blocks away from one another. Josh conveniently had a pool which was definitely the kick start to our first summer together. We effortlessly fitted into one another’s lives and after a summer spent by his pool we quickly fell in love!
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
I knew early on that Josh was special and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. He is an absolute gentleman and I was instantly drawn to his quiet confidence and kind nature.Last year we travelled through Turkey and Croatia together enjoying a European summer abroad and soaking up the sun as we made our way around the Mediterranean. Turkey was a beautiful country and while I was soaking in the sights, I definitely think Chels may have had a proposal on her mind when we took a sunrise hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia. While Turkey had been a perfect experience, travelling Croatia threw in a curveball when Chels fractured her arm in the middle of our sail trip. I had only managed to get a few weeks of leave from work but Chels was lucky to have another whole month of travel ahead of her when we finished our Croatia trip. Her sister was meeting us on my last night of the trip and then continuing on with Chels for the next leg of their trip in Slovenia and Italy. Chels had been putting off telling her sister that she’d broken her left arm until our last day when her sister shouted through the phone “Are you engaged?” I knew that I had the family approval! After all of this the moment I truly knew I wanted to be together forever was when I had to leave Chels behind, I travelled by myself back home without her by my side and I knew I never wanted to be apart again.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
I proposed to Chels on the beach at Tangalooma, Moreton Island during a beautiful sunset in early January this year. I had designed the engagement ring six months prior after returning from Europe and then during a BBQ while Chels was away set up the holiday with some of our close friends for the end of the year. Chels loves to have the next trip booked so I think she might have been a bit suspicious when I went and locked in a trip with her friends so far in advance. Our friends were a massive help on the day, from pre-proposal beers at the pub to calm the nerves to setting up a gorgeous little proposal spot on the beach. Chels had been none the wiser to my little plan and all the sneaking around to set up the proposal so it came as quite a shock (surprisingly for me as I thought I’d given up the game) when I asked her to marry me.
Josh had kept it all under wraps and I was super surprised when he proposed, the platter for two and champagne should have been a dead giveaway but it wasn’t till I saw the ring box that I finally clicked. In our early days of dating, we had been to Moreton Island on a boat trip for a day of snorkelling the Tangalooma wrecks which was incredible so it was very sweet and fitting that Josh chose to propose to me there. After the big question we celebrated with our friends into the early hours!
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
We chose to have a small intimate ceremony followed by a long lunch to maximise the time spent celebrating with our nearest and dearest. We really wanted to avoid a large wedding with lots of moving between venues and separate locations for photos so when we found the Creamery it was the perfect all in one. Our amazing wedding stylist, Libby Styles created a timeless, elegant garden party which was everything we could have imagined and more! Her beautiful styling was complemented with whimsical spring florals by the Lost Florist which were inspired by the property’s gorgeous gardens.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
I wore the Rebecca dress by Prea James Bridal with custom sleeves. I absolutely loved her pared back modern designs. We were visiting friends in Sydney not long after we had gotten engaged and I booked a last-minute opportune appointment which I took Josh along to. It wasn’t love at first sight but months later I kept coming back to the same dress. With the addition of sleeves, it was my perfect dress!
I worked with the Cloakroom in Brisbane to design and create a bespoke Tux for the wedding. They were a pleasure to work with and made the process simple and exciting as someone who had never worked that closely with a tailor. The final result was a perfect blend of classic and contemporary tailoring with a few personal touches that complemented Chels dress and allowed her to really stand out.
VENUE Blakiston Creamery, @blakistoncreamy PHOTOGRAPHER Captured by Georgie, @_capturedbygeorgie_ VIDEOGRAPHER Tim Phillipps Wedding, @timphillipps_weddings CELEBRANT Weddings with Rosie, @weddingswithrosie ENTERTAINMENT Behind the Veil, @behindtheveilmusic PLANNING & STYLING Libby Styles, @libby.styles HIRE Festival Hire, @festivalhire MARQUEE White Marquee, @whitemarquee FLORA The Lost Florist, @thelostflorist_ CATERING & BEVERAGES Chopping Board Catering, @chopping_board_catering STATIONERY The Peppermint Press, @peppermintpress WEDDING DRESS Prea James Bridal, @preajames_bridal SUIT The Cloakroom, @thecloakroom RINGS Diamonds International HAIR & MAKEUP Bianca Audrey, @biancasumua
