Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Mitch and I live in Tamworth, New South Wales. He works as a Project Manager for Single Builders, a local construction company, and I work in Business Banking for Westpac. We bought our first home together in 2019 which we are currently renovating.
If we are not busy working on the house over the weekend, we are off exploring new places, spending time with family and friends or trying to treat ourselves at a local café or restaurant. We’re currently in the process of building a new home and are very excited to be able to make new memories here as our family grows.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met through mutual friends almost 10-years ago. We were at different stages of life at that point in time, Mitchell being in a relationship, and I lived in Bathurst for University, so it wasn’t until we reconnected in 2017 that we have been inseparable ever since. I found Mitch to be extremely down to earth and easy to talk to. We were always laughing together, and it was very easy to be in his presence. It wasn’t until the unfortunate passing of Mitch’s mother, Glenys, in November 2017 that I truly saw the softer side to Mitchell and learnt very quickly that he has the gentlest heart, and I think that’s what truly attracted me to him.
When did you first realise that this was someone, you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
Neither of us would say it was love at first sight or that there was a ‘light bulb’ moment for us but as I got to know how loyal, hardworking, and caring Mitchell was, my feelings developed quite quickly. Just quietly, I may have been the one to say ‘I love you’ first.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Mitch and I went to Forster for the weekend in June 2021. Forster was our first holiday destination as a couple back in 2017 and a place that held a special place in my heart given, I had spent a lot of time there as a child because of my family’s holiday home. We walked up Cape Hawk look-out which has beautiful views of Forster, the hills and the ocean and he proposed to me there. Mitchell did ask for my dad’s permission to marry me, to which he responded, ‘Are you sure?!’, but I think that is a special moment for them as well.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
Mitch was born on the coast, and I was born in the country, so we wanted a venue that would compliment us both. We found Byron View Farm online and knew it was perfect for us – a farm in the hinterland that had views of Byron Bay coastline, which allowed us to do the entire celebration across different spaces within the one venue. Given how beautiful BVF is, we kept our theme quite modern and minimalistic. We choose quite neutral colours and let the surroundings of Byron View Farm set the tone of the décor whilst adding a pop of colour through the floral arrangements.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
Photography! The one thing we can look at forever and treasure is our photographs. We have been able to share our album with friends and family, post them to social media, hang them in our house and create an album for our coffee table, so no matter where we are or what we’re doing, we’re always reminded of our special day.
Another element, which won’t be the case for everyone, was our planner. Given we were having a destination wedding, and COVID-19 and lockdown periods affected us being able to travel to Byron Bay to meet with vendors or see our venue, we would have been lost without the help and guidance of our planner, Elope.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
The rain certainly made a mess of things. Thankfully we weren’t stressed about it, however our agenda went out the window and by the end of the day, we all were very wet and muddy! Fortunately, Beck got some gorgeous photos in the rain, our guest number was small so the disruption to the agenda didn’t impact the day and we’ll always be able to laugh about my very expensive wedding shoes being absolutely ruined my first step down the aisle.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
Unfortunately given the timing of our engagement to the wedding, I couldn’t try on any wedding dresses because of COVID-19 and the extended lockdown periods. Because of this, I purchased my Prea James gown online having not tried any other wedding dresses, nor seen or felt the gown I purchased. I always knew I wanted a silk gown, so knew I wouldn’t be disappointed either way.
Mitch had a very clear vision from the beginning and knew it was going to be a suit from MJ Bale. Given we were having a coastal wedding, Mitch went for a beige jacket with black pants, as our dress code was formal, and I really think the colour scheme complimented the rest of the wedding.
Ceremony + Reception location: Byron View Farm / Photographer: Beck Rocchi / Celebrant: Byron Bay Wedding Ceremonies / Styling + Planner: Elope / Hire + Wishing well: The Wedding Shed / Flora: Wilderness Flowers / Catering + Beverage’s: Fig Tree Restaurant / Cake: Rebellyous Cake Co / Stationery: Paper and Script / Brides Attire: Prea James / Grooms Attire: MJ Bale / Brides Ring: Louise Jean / Grooms Ring: Michael Hill / Brides Shoes : Loeffler Randall / Grooms Shoes: Aquila / Makeup + Hair: Annabelle Artistry / Maid of Honour Attire: Shona Joy / Bestmans Attire: MJ Bale
