Emily — Gareth and I met at work and became friends when Gareth invited me to join his casual friends’ swim squad…
The swimming turned into platonic hangouts, then a colleague noticed we were spending more time together and set us up on a blind Valentine’s date. We both politely declined, so when we found out it was meant to be with each other, it was really awkward! Gareth decided to embrace it and asked me out to dinner.
Gareth grew up in the UK, enjoys early 90s hardcore rave music and has a solid sweet tooth, whereas I grew up in Brisbane, like Taylor Swift ballads and have an aversion to sugar. But we actually have far more things in common than not. There’s never any judgement and we have the utmost respect for each other. Gareth’s proposal was equally special. He was about to head overseas to visit his family and thought we should spend some time in the lovely town of Bowral in the Southern Highlands of NSW before he went.
A friend of ours had just moved to Bowral, so I excitedly organised to spend a day with her, completely disrupting Gareth’s proposal plans, and then at dinner that night, I was ill and could barely taste the food! When we got home, Gareth offered to take my boots off, then got down on one knee, said, “While I’m down here…” and whipped out a ring. For our wedding, we went for an Aussie theme with a touch of British.
We were after a relaxed garden party-style cocktail event and the fit-out, view and greenery at Fins at Plantation House in rural NSW made it perfect. We incorporated a few other things we love too, including a coffee cart, backyard games and a playlist that made everyone want to get up and dance. Everyone’s quick to pass on wedding advice, but we found it most helpful to just stay true to what we were keen to create and not overthink things.
I’d only offer that advice to people if they asked, though! Although we’d thought that we might not get the chance to, we ended up spending loads of time together on the day, which was a real treat as we were able to step back and watch our guests having a great time. Neither of us expected to feel different once we were married, but to our surprise, we do feel closer as a couple. It’s difficult to describe, but it’s just such a special time. Soak it up!
Photography: Zoe Morley | Bride’s gown: Yulia Mc Couture | Groom’s suit: The Cloakroom | Flora: Wild Magnolia Florals | Celebrant: Caitlin Healy | Makeup: Lara Quinn | Venue, Catering & Cake: Fins at Plantation House | Bride’s shoes: Shoes of Prey | Groom’s shoes: Carmina | Rings and other jewellery: Robert White Jewellers | Hair: Melissa Jayne | Bridesmaids’ dresses: LJC Designs | Styling: Fins at Plantation House and Avideas | Entertainment: Michael Hickey and Jackson Smith | Special song: ‘Green Eyes’ by Coldplay
