Dolan + Frya by Captured By Kate - Together Journal

When we found Growwild, a wildflower farm with lots of greenery and the most intimate barn, the decision was easily made.

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

Dolan and I met in early 2020 when I was visiting my sister, who had migrated to Australia nine years earlier. I was born and raised in the Netherlands, where I lived until I met Dolan. Dolan grew up in Western Australia and had moved to the Gold Coast just a year before meeting me in pursuit of a beach lifestyle.

The quality time ranks high on both of our love language lists. Whether it’s a long walk on the beach with our dogs, a leisurely lunch at one of our favourite restaurants, or simply watching our favourite series on the couch, we both love spending time together.

We often compare our relationship to the yin-yang principle. Dolan is very rational, calm, and collected, while I (Frya) am often emotional, sensitive, and compassionate.

We recently moved from the Gold Coast to Sydney, as Dolan’s role as a regional manager at an engineering company required him to be temporarily based here. I work as a freelance marketer, so the move was easy for me. We live in Mosman and absolutely love all that Sydney has to offer.

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

My three best friends and I decided to quit our jobs and take a long trip around Asia in September 2019 without a return ticket. I flew over to spend Christmas with my sister and parents (who also flew over). My sister and her partner mentioned that they had a great friend who they thought I would get along well with and asked if I was open to meeting him. When you travel, you meet lots of different people, so it didn’t seem like a big deal to me. I had never entertained the idea of migrating or falling in love overseas.

The four of us went for breakfast during my second week in Australia, and we connected instantly. I was impressed by Dolan’s presence, his calm demeanour, and the authority he radiated. I noticed how intelligent he was and how he seemed to know something about every topic. Dolan was attracted to my lust for life, my excitement, and my willingness to try anything.

After breakfast, Dolan rescheduled his work meetings so he could take me for a morning surf. From that point on, we regularly started spending time together.

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

After meeting, we spent about four weeks together, during which we would go for coffee, swims, and beach walks. Within two weeks of meeting, we agreed not to date or see other people, so I’d say it was pretty quick that we both realized this was something special. Towards the end of February, I flew to New Zealand for a trip I had already planned. While I was in New Zealand, we really noticed how much we missed each other and how we couldn’t wait to spend more time together. And then COVID happened. I was on the South Island of New Zealand, in Franz Josef, quite isolated, and wasn’t aware of the impact it was having. Dolan urged me to arrange a return ticket, which I booked for two weeks later. The next day, Dolan messaged me with new flight details and arranged transport so I could leave the next morning. He was worried about the border closing and had booked me a flight and transport. He made the right call, as within 24 hours of my landing, the border shut for 2.5 years. After my quarantine, I moved in with Dolan, and the rest is history.

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

Last July, we went to visit one of our favourite weekend getaway spots, Angourie, in northern NSW. Dolan had booked us a beautiful Airbnb with a private stretch of rainforest that ended on a lake. Towards the end of the afternoon, Dolan suggested going down to the lake and watching the sunset. As we arrived on the deck, he suggested we’d take a photo together. Little did I know he actually put the camera on video. After we posed for the photo, he turned me towards him and gave the most heartfelt speech before dropping to one knee and asking the question right as the sun was setting. It was simply magical! We had spoken about marriage and proposals before, but I didn’t expect it that day. I had mentioned before that I would like to look nice, have my nails done, and wear a good outfit when it happens. In this case, I had spent all afternoon reading in a rainforest bath; my nails were not done, and I was wearing Lululemon, with no make-up and my hair in a messy bun. However, it was perfect the way it was, nothing but our true love!

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

The most important thing for us was that we would look back on the photos and still love them 50 years down the line—timeless, classic and minimalistic. We opted for white roses only as flowers, combined with glass cylinders filled with white candles. The dress code was black tie, with all men wearing a bow tie and black suit, and the ladies were dressed in long, muted tones. For detailing, we added black bows. For ceremony music, we opted for a violin, which really tied the feel of the ceremony together. We love nature and being outdoors, as well as an intimate, cosy atmosphere. We really wanted to celebrate with only our nearest and dearest. When we found Growwild, a wildflower farm with lots of greenery and the most intimate barn, the decision was easily made.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

Our wedding was a love letter to our friends and family as much as it was to our relationship. Our guests flew in from all over: the Netherlands, Canada, WA, and QLD. Every guest made a big effort to be there, taking days off work, spending money on flights and accommodations, and finding help to look after their kids. Because of this, it was so important to us that the food and drinks on the wedding day were top-notch. And luckily, they were. We still get comments from our guests saying they dream about having another slice of our wedding cake, complemented by the espresso martinis, as well as the delicious food we served; some even said it was the best they had ever had at a wedding. We also arranged lunches at a restaurant for our guests the day before and after the wedding to make the weekend extra special. On top of that, and I don’t think this was necessarily a splurge, as it was worth every cent, we didn’t choose a photographer, content creator, or celebrant based on budget but on who we connected with the most. Having the right people there on your day, who you can trust with your vision, means everything.

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

To be honest, I didn’t have a single moment of stress on my wedding day (very fortunate!). I guess the only thing that came close was around 5 PM when I was informed that our wedding cake was missing, and I was asked if I had heard from the vendor. However, by that time, I was on cloud nine, and everything was so magical that I figured we could do without the cake. Luckily, it turned out the cake was just in a different cool room than expected. And I’m so glad it was there, as it was absolutely delicious!

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

My favourite bridal looks that stayed with me over the years were Hailey Bieber’s wedding dress and Pippa Middleton’s bridesmaid dress, both very different. I was determined to try on lots of different styles, from lace detailing to silk and from strapless to mermaid.

As soon as I put on my wedding dress, I knew it was the one. Somehow, the more simplistic the dress, the more beautiful I felt. Strapless long sleeves have always been a favourite style of mine, and my dress had both. In line with my vision for the wedding, I found the dress to be timeless and classic. I always knew I wanted a dramatic train and long veil, and I found the perfect lace-detailed veil to go with the classic crepe dress.

As a contrast to my traditional wedding gown, I opted for a super fun mini dress with a pearl corset. I absolutely loved wearing a second outfit to dance in and to surprise my husband again.

The most special part of the day was my jewellery. From my 90-year-old grandpa, I received a pure gold necklace with my grandma’s fingerprint (who had recently passed), so she could be with me. For my wedding ring, I was given a family heirloom from Dolan’s side, which once belonged to their ancestor for her marriage in 1915. It’s a blue sapphire embedded with diamonds on a pure gold band. For my “something borrowed,” my beautiful friend lent me a diamond necklace, which reminded me why they say diamonds are a girl’s best friend.